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Introduction Welcome! Forms, Security, and Relationships Basics Welcome to Microsoft Access Beginner Level 2. In this course we will review the key concepts from Level 1, discuss downloading the sample database, address Access security warnings, and show you how to set up trusted locations and desktop shortcuts. We will walk through rebuilding and modifying a customer form, adding and resizing controls, and working with colors and themes. We will talk about form grids, discuss grid lines versus dots, and introduce database relationships, including primary and foreign keys. Then, we will create an appointment table and form, build a customer combo box, and use command buttons to filter records. NavigationKeywordsAccess Beginner, Form Design, sample database, trusted location, security warning, desktop shortcut, customer form, controls, grid lines, grid dots, foreground colors, background colors, themes, relationships, primary key, foreign key, appointment table,
TranscriptWelcome to Microsoft Access Beginner Level 2 brought to you by AccessLearningZone.com. I am your instructor, Richard Rost.This is Level 2 of my Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Access Database Design. This class follows Access Beginner Level 1, which I strongly recommend you watch first before continuing with this class. Access Beginner Level 1 is absolutely free. You can find it on my website right there. It is also on my YouTube channel. It is about four hours long and covers all the basics and the fundamentals that you should know before watching today's class. As I always say, my lessons are meant to be followed one after the other, so please do not skip levels. This class is recorded with Access 365, roughly equivalent to Microsoft Access 2019. However, if you are using Access 2016, you should be okay as well. If you are using an older version of Access, come to my website and get the version that is for you. The classes are broken up into Beginner, Expert, Advanced, and Developer. This is Level 2 of the Beginner Series. I recommend you sit back, relax, and watch each video once through. Pay attention to details, then watch the video again and build the database with me. Do not just grab the copies off my website, although you can download them, but it is better if you build them yourself. Keep an open mind. Watch the video again if you have to. The stuff is not that hard to learn. That light bulb will go off. You will get it. Trust me. Avoid building serious projects until you get to at least Expert Level 2 because you are going to learn a lot of stuff between now and then. Build the class database, or build a hobby database if you collect baseball cards or whatever. Do it for fun. Use Access for fun. You will get there. Let us take a look at exactly what we are going to cover in today's class. In lesson one, we are going to get started for the day by downloading the sample database from my website that we built in Access Beginner 1. We will talk about a security warning that you get if you run an unfamiliar database. We will show you how to set up a trusted location on your computer or on your network so you can put databases in there and not have to deal with that security warning. I will show you how to set up a desktop shortcut to your database, and we will go over a quick review of what we covered in Level 1. In lesson two, we will be working with Form Design. We are going to rebuild the customer form that we started in Access Level 1. We will learn how to add, move, and resize controls, align and size objects, and we will change the foreground and background colors. In lesson three, we are going to be continuing with Form Design. We will be focusing on more form-adding. I will show you how to size objects to the grid. We will talk about grid lines versus grid dots. I get the email all the time from people. Some people see the grid lines, some people see the grid dots, and I will show you how to switch between them. Then we will do a lot more with working with colors and with themes. In lesson four, we are going to get a brief introduction to relationships in our database. We will learn why we want to use relationships, the different types of relationships, the difference between primary and foreign keys, we will set up an appointment table, learn about default values, and the date and now functions. In lesson five, we are going to build an appointment form very similar to the customer form that we built in the last class. We will make a customer combo box using the combo box wizard so we can pick a customer from a drop-down list of customers for the appointment. Then we will learn about the command button wizard so we can make a button to open up the form and show just appointments for the customer that we are on. There is lots of cool stuff in lesson five. IntroWelcome to Microsoft Access Beginner Level 2. In this course we will review the key concepts from Level 1, discuss downloading the sample database, address Access security warnings, and show you how to set up trusted locations and desktop shortcuts. We will walk through rebuilding and modifying a customer form, adding and resizing controls, and working with colors and themes. We will talk about form grids, discuss grid lines versus dots, and introduce database relationships, including primary and foreign keys. Then, we will create an appointment table and form, build a customer combo box, and use command buttons to filter records.QuizQ1. What is the recommended order for watching Richard Rost's Access courses?A. One level at a time, without skipping levels B. Jump directly to advanced levels C. Watch randomly based on your interests D. Only watch the lessons you find easiest Q2. What should you do before starting Access Beginner Level 2? A. Watch Access Beginner Level 1 first B. Start directly with Level 2 C. Watch Advanced Level 1 D. Skip beginner levels entirely Q3. What does Richard recommend you do instead of downloading his sample databases and using them directly? A. Build the databases yourself while watching the lessons B. Use only the pre-built databases C. Copy databases from friends D. Ignore the database structure Q4. What versions of Microsoft Access are appropriate for following this class? A. Access 365, 2019, or 2016 B. Only Access 2021 C. Any version prior to 2010 D. Only Access 2007 Q5. What is the main topic covered in Lessons 2 and 3 of this class? A. Form Design and customization B. Query creation C. Creating new tables only D. Report generation Q6. If you see a security warning when opening an unfamiliar database, what should you do according to the lesson? A. Set up a trusted location for your databases B. Ignore the warning and proceed C. Change your antivirus settings D. Only open the database on Fridays Q7. What is the purpose of an appointment form as discussed in lesson five? A. To link appointments to specific customers using combo boxes B. To sort appointments alphabetically C. To store employee records D. To print customer reports Q8. At what level does Richard recommend that you begin building serious projects? A. After reaching at least Expert Level 2 B. Immediately after Beginner Level 1 C. During Beginner Level 2 D. Only after completing all Developer levels Q9. What is the difference between grid lines and grid dots in Form Design mentioned in the class? A. They are two visual guides you can switch between B. Grid lines are for printing, dots for viewing only C. Grid dots are used in reports only D. Grid lines cannot be changed Q10. What concept is introduced in lesson four? A. Relationships in databases, including primary and foreign keys B. Summing values in queries C. Printing color reports D. Password protecting your database Answers: 1-A; 2-A; 3-A; 4-A; 5-A; 6-A; 7-A; 8-A; 9-A; 10-A DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks. SummaryToday's video from Access Learning Zone is Microsoft Access Beginner Level 2. I'm Richard Rost, and I'll be guiding you through the next stage of our journey in learning Microsoft Access database design.This lesson is the second part of my Beginner's Guide series, so if you have not completed Access Beginner Level 1 yet, I strongly suggest starting there first. That first level is available completely free on my website and my YouTube channel. It runs about four hours and covers all the essentials that you should know before taking on the material covered today. I always recommend following my courses step by step without skipping any sections since each level builds on what comes before it. This course is recorded using Access 365, which is quite similar to Access 2019. If you're using Access 2016, you should be fine as well. For older versions, look for the matching lessons on my website. My Access lessons are divided into Beginner, Expert, Advanced, and Developer series. The one you are starting today is Beginner Level 2. My advice is to watch each video lesson all the way through the first time just to get a feel for the material. Pay attention to the details. Then, go back and watch it again while building the database together with me. You can download the sample files, but it's much better for your learning to build them yourself. Don't worry if you have to watch a video twice. The material becomes clear with repetition. Everyone can learn this, and you will see the light bulb go on in your own time. I recommend waiting until at least Expert Level 2 before starting any serious business projects because you will pick up a lot of essential skills between now and then. For now, practice with the class database or have some fun by making a simple database for a hobby, such as a baseball card collection. Let's look at what you will learn in today's class: Lesson one will cover how to download the sample database from my website, which we built in Beginner Level 1. I'll explain the security warning that often comes up when you open a database you did not create. You'll learn how to set a trusted location on your computer or network to avoid that warning, and I'll show you how to create a desktop shortcut for easier access to your database. We'll also review what we learned in Level 1. In lesson two, we're going to focus on form design. We'll rebuild the Customer Form from Access Level 1, learning how to add, move, and resize controls. You'll learn to align and size form objects, and change foreground and background colors. Lesson three continues with even more form design techniques. You'll discover how to size controls to the grid, and I'll talk about the difference between grid lines and grid dots on the design surface. Many students have questions about this, so I'll show you how to switch between the two. We'll go further into working with colors and applying different themes. Lesson four provides an introduction to relationships in your database. You'll learn why relationships are important, the different types available, and the roles of primary and foreign keys. We'll add an appointment table, discuss default values, and look at using the Date and Now functions. In lesson five, we'll build an appointment form - the process is much like building the customer form from the previous class. Here, I'll teach you how to create a customer combo box with the wizard so you can select a customer from a drop-down list for each appointment. You'll work with the command button wizard so you can create a button that opens the form and shows only appointments for the selected customer. There are many useful techniques packed into lesson five. For complete video tutorials and step-by-step instructions that walk you through each of these topics, visit my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends. Topic ListDownloading the sample database from Access Beginner 1Understanding and handling database security warnings Setting up trusted locations in Access Creating desktop shortcuts for databases Quick review of Access Beginner Level 1 topics Rebuilding the customer form Adding, moving, and resizing form controls Aligning and sizing form objects Changing foreground and background colors in forms Sizing objects to the grid in form design Switching between grid lines and grid dots in forms Customizing form colors and themes Introduction to database relationships Types of relationships in Access Primary and foreign keys explained Creating an appointment table Setting default values in tables Using date and now functions Building an appointment form Creating a customer combo box with the wizard Using the command button wizard for form actions Opening appointment forms filtered by customer ArticleWelcome to Microsoft Access Beginner Level 2. In this tutorial, we are going to build on the foundation of Access database design. If you are just starting out with Access, I recommend making sure you understand the basics, such as how to create a database, build tables, enter data, set up simple forms, and use basic queries and reports. Once you are comfortable with these essentials, you will be ready for the topics we are covering here.The first thing you will need for today is the sample database that was created in the previous beginner tutorial. You can download this file from my website. Open it in Access and you might see a security warning across the top of the screen. This happens because Access wants to protect your computer from potentially unsafe files. If you are confident that your database file is safe (for example, you created it yourself or downloaded it from a trusted source), you can get rid of that warning by setting up a trusted location. To do this, click on File, then Options, then Trust Center, and finally Trust Center Settings. Choose Trusted Locations and add a folder on your computer or network where you will store your databases. Any files you place in this trusted folder will open without security warnings. You can also create a shortcut to your database on your desktop for easy access. As we begin working, let me quickly review what we have covered previously. You should know how to set up tables to store information, such as a Customers table, and how to create simple forms for entering and viewing data. In this tutorial, we are going to spend more time with form design. In lesson two, the focus is on rebuilding the customer form you started earlier. This is a great opportunity to learn about form controls, which are the textboxes, labels, buttons, and other elements you place on a form. You will practice adding new controls to your form, moving them around, and resizing them to fit your layout. For consistent designs, you should learn how to align multiple objects, size them evenly, and create professional-looking forms by adjusting foreground and background colors. This not only makes your database look nice but also helps users enter data easily and reduces the chance of errors. Moving on, lesson three continues to explore form design with even more customization. Sometimes, you might notice that your form design grid shows either lines or dots. This is just a setting that helps you align your objects. If you want to switch between grid lines and grid dots, open form design view, right-click on a blank area, choose Properties, and look for the option that lets you change the grid type. This is a simple way to make design easier for your personal preference. Besides grid settings, you will also experiment with color schemes and themes. Access includes built-in themes so you can quickly change the look and feel of your entire database for a more modern appearance. Lesson four introduces the idea of relationships in your database. Relationships are what connect different tables together. For example, if you have a Customers table and an Appointments table, you want to link them so you can track which customer has which appointments. To do this, you need to understand primary keys and foreign keys. The primary key is a unique field in a table, like CustomerID in your Customers table, that identifies each record. The foreign key is how you connect one table to another; for instance, adding a CustomerID field to the Appointments table allows you to associate each appointment with a customer. To illustrate, start by creating an Appointments table and add fields such as AppointmentID (which should be set as an AutoNumber to serve as the primary key), CustomerID (a number field that will serve as a foreign key), AppointmentDate, and Notes. You can set default values for fields, such as using the Now() function to automatically enter the current date and time in the AppointmentDate field when a new appointment is created. To do this, set the Default Value property of the AppointmentDate field to Now(). Once you have these tables set up, you need to tell Access about the relationship. Go to Database Tools and click Relationships. Add both tables to the relationships window. Drag the CustomerID field from the Customers table to the CustomerID field in the Appointments table. Then choose Enforce Referential Integrity to make sure every appointment is linked to a valid customer. Lesson five walks you through building an appointment form similar to your customer form. This form will allow you to create, view, and edit appointments. To make the form user-friendly, you want to be able to pick a customer from a drop-down list instead of typing in a CustomerID. To do this, add a combo box to the form and use the Combo Box Wizard to pull the list of customers from the Customers table. Select the field you want to display, such as the customer's name, so you can quickly select the right customer for each appointment. Next, you can add buttons to your forms to make them interactive. For example, let us say you want to be able to open the Appointments form and show only appointments for the customer you are currently viewing. You can use the Command Button Wizard in Form Design to create a button that opens the Appointments form with a filter applied. If you want to write your own VBA code for this, open the form in Design View, add a button, and then use the following code: DoCmd.OpenForm "AppointmentsF", , , "CustomerID = " & Me.CustomerID This line tells Access to open the Appointments form and filter it to show only records where the CustomerID matches the current customer. Throughout these exercises, remember it is best to build the databases yourself as you go. This hands-on practice will help you learn much faster and understand how everything fits together. Hold off on starting any serious or professional projects until you have completed at least two levels of the Expert series, because there are many advanced features and best practices yet to come. However, it is a great idea to try building smaller projects for fun, such as tracking a hobby, collecting cards, or anything else that interests you. The most important thing is to keep practicing and not to get discouraged. As you gain experience, the concepts will become clearer and more intuitive. Access is a powerful tool, and with consistent effort, you will become proficient in designing useful databases. Primary Topicsform design, security warnings, trusted locations, grid settings, colors and themes, database relationships, appointment tables, combo box creationSecondary Topicsdesktop shortcuts, default values, date and time functions, command button wizard |
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| Keywords: Access Beginner, Form Design, sample database, trusted location, security warning, desktop shortcut, customer form, controls, grid lines, grid dots, foreground colors, background colors, themes, relationships, primary key, foreign key, appointment table, PermaLink How To Get Started With Forms, Security Warnings, and Relationships in Microsoft Access |
