Access 2007 Advanced

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We're now going to look into designing and building a relational database, and we're first going to customize some table fields. A database's information is only as accurate as the data entered into it. There are many ways provided by access to improve the accuracy of data entry. Many data entry errors can be avoided by changing field properties, which provide additional control over how data is stored, entered, or displayed. The types of available field properties depend on the field's data type. That is the attribute that determines what kind of data will be stored in that field. Field properties make certain that data is entered consistently and correctly from record to record. Field properties can provide values for users to choose from, and even tell them when the data they have entered does not conform to the rules you specified for that field. Designers often plan the field properties that are needed for each field before creating a table. Designers need to know, well person, entering the data, understand the field name. What are the business rules to which the data needs to conform? Can the field be left blank? Does the data need to conform to a standard format such as 888-444-3333? That's the phone number, and you can use parentheses around the 888. Or you might have currency with a dollar sign. Should a default value display automatically? Can the values for a field be looked up from a list or an existing table? When table names and field names do not contain spaces, the people who enter the data using forms and who use the information found in queries and reports sometimes find it harder to understand the names. When web designers use database to create the dynamic website, they plan the database with names without spaces. The only way to make field names more user friendly is to use the caption property to create an alternate display text for database objects. The end users will see the caption value instead of the field name. So let's change the caption property for several fields. The field properties for the instructor ID after I've opened the instructor table, the lower half of the screen indicates the field properties. And we will take the field size, which is now 255, and reduce that to 5. This will save us memory in our computer. In the caption text box, the fourth one down will type in ID, short for instructor ID. Now the two field properties for the instructor ID have changed. We will create captions for F name as first name and L name as last name. So F name, down to caption, type in first name, L name for last name. Now let's save the table and view it and design you. We can click on save up here and go to design view. In the column headers, the captions that we entered now display in the place of the name fields. We can see first name, last name, and of course ID. With the insertion point in the first empty ID field, we'll type in one. And then we'll press the tab key. And I will type my first name and press the tab key and continue in that manner to fill out the rest of the record. So here we go. The campus is San Diego, and the office is a room number, and the phone number is around 858554988.