Microsoft Access 2007 Tutorial—Free & Online

By Denise Etheridge

You can use this free online tutorial to learn Microsoft Access 2007.Click here to start.

Lesson 1: Getting Familiar with Microsoft Access 2007 for Windows

Microsoft Access is a database software package. A database is an organized collection of records. Telephone and address books are examples of paper databases. With Access, you can create a computerized database. For example, you can use Access to organize the students who attend a school, the courses they take, and the instructors who teach them. After you create an Access database, you can search it, manipulate it, and extract information from it. This lesson introduces you to Access windows and teaches you how to create a database.

• Getting Started
• Understanding Security
• The Navigation Pane
• The Microsoft Office Button
• The Quick Access Toolbar
• The Title Bar
• The Ribbon
• Access Objects
• Change Views
• Close a Database and Exit Access
• Create a Database
• Create a Blank Database

Lesson 2: Creating Microsoft Access Tables

Tables are the foundation of an Access database. Access stores data in tables. This lesson teaches you how to create a table, add fields to a table, assign data types to fields, and set field properties.

• Understanding Tables
• Name and Save a Table
• Understanding Data Types
• Explicitly Assign Data Types and Formats
• Understanding Design View
• Create a Lookup Column<

Lesson 3: Working with Microsoft Access Tables

After you create an Access table, you can modify it, enter data into it manually or import data from somewhere else, such as Excel. This lesson teaches you how to modify a table and enter data.

• Enter Records
• Import a Table into Access from Excel
• Modify a Table
• Move around a Table
• Select Columns and Rows
• Delete a Record
• Resize a Column or Row

Lesson 4: Sorting, Filtering, and Creating Relationships

You can sort Access data so you can view records in the order you want to view them, and you can filter data so you only see the records you want to see. This lesson teaches you how to sort and filter an Access table.

Access data is stored in multiple tables. Relationships join tables together so you can work with the data from multiple tables. This lesson also teaches you how to create relationships.

• Sort a Table
• Filter a Table
• Apply a Specialized Filter
• Hide Columns
• Freeze Columns
• Format a Table
• Compute Totals
• Find and Replace
• Create Relationships

Lesson 5: Creating Microsoft Access Queries

You can use a query to view a subset of your data or to answer questions about your data. For example, if you want to view a list of student names and email addresses, but you do not want to see addresses and other data, you can create a query that displays the student’s first name, last name, and email address only. Alternatively, if you want to know which students live in DE, you can restrict your list to those students. This lesson teaches you how to create a query.

• Open Tables or Queries in Query Design View
• Display All Records and All Fields
• Change from Datasheet View to Query Design View
• Retrieve a Single Column
• Retrieve Multiple Columns
• Sort a Query
• Sort Multiple Columns in a Query
• Retrieve Specific Records
• Apply Multiple Criteria
• Create a Query That Uses Two or More Tables
• Save a Query
• Modify a Query
• Use a Query to Make a Table
• Create a Parameter Query

Lesson 6: Creating Forms

Access forms are much like paper forms: you can use them to enter, edit, or display data. They are based on tables. When using a form, you can choose the format, the arrangement, and which fields you want to display. This lesson teaches you how to create forms.

• Using the Form Button
• Create a Split Form
• Create a Multiple Items Form
• Modify a Form

Lesson 7: Creating Reports

Reports organize and summarize data for viewing online or for printing. A detail report displays all of the selected records. You can include summary data such as totals, counts, and percentages in a detail report. A summary report does not list the selected records but instead summarizes the data and presents totals, counts, percentages, or other summary data only. Access has several report generation tools that you can use to create both detail and summary reports quickly. This lesson teaches you how to create reports.

• Use the Report Button
• Use the Report Wizard
• Modify a Report
• Create Mailing Labels
• Print a Report