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Data Entry By Richard Rost 
5 years ago
Create a Data Entry Form in Microsoft Access In this video, I'm going to to teach you what a Data Entry Form is. You'll see how to take an existing form and make it a Data Entry Form. I'll also show you how to create two separate buttons to open a form normally, or in Data Entry mode. Billie from Winnipeg, Manitoba (a Gold Member) asks: is there a way that I can have my secretary click a button and just start entering in new contacts for a customer? I don't really want her seeing the entire contact history, just log new calls and messages. Thanks! MembersMembers will learn how to open a form in Data Entry mode using VBA, and will also see how to password protect the "show previous contacts" button, and switch Data Entry mode OFF with one click.
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Keywordsmicrosoft access, ms access, #msaccess, #microsoftaccess, #help, #howto, #tutorial, #instruction, #learn, #lesson, #training, #database, What is data entry, data entry forms, how do you do data entry, enter data into, Data Entry property, DataEntry, adFormAdd, ApplyFilter, cancel filter, cancel apply filter, disable filter
IntroIn this video, I will show you how to create a data entry form in Microsoft Access that allows users to add new records without viewing existing data. You will learn how to use the Data Entry property on forms, set up buttons to control access to data entry versus full-contact views, and modify button macros to open forms in add mode. I will also talk about basic considerations for securing sensitive information and recommend further videos for more advanced security options.TranscriptWelcome to another TechHelp video brought to you by AccessLearningZone.com. I am your instructor, Richard Rost. In today's video, I am going to show you how to create a data entry form in Microsoft Access.Today's question comes from Billy from Winnipeg, Manitoba, one of my Gold members. Billy says, "Is there a way that I can have my secretary click on a button and just start entering in new contacts for a customer? I don't really want her seeing the entire contact history. Just log new calls and messages. Thanks." Yes, of course, Billy. To do this, we are going to have to learn how to create something in Access called a data entry form. It is basically a regular form, like we have been building along, but there is one property we are going to change called data entry. I am going to show you that in just a second. Here I am in my database. This is the TechHelp free template. You can grab a copy of this off my website if you want it. It is a free download. Just look for it in the link section down below. Now, as of right now, when I open a form, it is open in normal mode, edit mode, basically. You can see all the records down here. I can scroll through all the customers. If I open up the contacts for each customer, let me go to somebody who has some contacts, like me, for example. Here we go, contacts. The first thing you see up top is all of the previous contacts. Sometimes you do not want everybody to see all the previous stuff in here, especially if it is orders or credit information or your entire contact history. I get it. If you have a secretary, you just want them to type in "called to talk to you," mark it a follow-up, and then close it, and that is it. When you open it up, you will be able to see that you have a follow-up for this customer on your follow-up screen. But if your secretary comes in here again, he or she does not see all the previous history. So how do we do that? If you go into design view, take a look at the properties for the form on the data tab. There is a property right here called data entry, and it is normally set to no. That is the default. It says, only allow new records to be added right down here. What does that mean? That means when you open up the form, you will not be able to scroll back through the old stuff. So change that to yes, just double-click on it, or you can drop it down over here. Close that. Save changes, yes. Open up the contacts now, and look, I only see the blank new add a record form. I do not see all the old stuff. Now you will still want a way for you, the manager, to come back in here and see all of the previous contacts. For that, you can use the second button if you want to. Here is what we are going to do. Let's go back into properties here, and let's set data entry back to no. Save changes, yes. When I open that up, I see all of the previous contacts. Now we will make a second button for the secretary to use, and that button will open it up in data entry mode. So let's go to design view out here. Go to grab a command button, drop it down here somewhere. Form operations, open a form. Next, we are opening up the contact form. Next, find specific data to display. Next, the customer ID equals the customer ID. If you do not know how to do all this, go watch the videos where I make this template. I explain how I made all these buttons. We are just relating the two forms together here. Next, we will put add contact on the button itself, and we will give it a good name, like add contact button, and then finish. Now I have got another button that says add contact. We will make this one be just the all contacts, and this one here will be for orders. Right click, size to grid. One of my pet peeves. There. Now if you close this and reopen it, it does the same thing, it just opens up all of them. So we have to change the button macro a little bit. When this button is created by the wizard, it creates an embedded macro. Right click, design view. Right click on the button, and come up to build event. That puts you in the macro that is under the button. I spend a lot of time in my advanced classes going over button macros. Personally, I do not use them much, I do not like macros, I prefer VBA. Go watch my intro to VBA class. It is a free video, it is on YouTube. VBA is not scary. I personally do not like these data macros. But if you do not want to be a programmer, if you have got no intention, you can get in here and make some minor changes once the wizard builds the macro for you, and it is not hard to modify. What we are looking for right now is the data mode right here. Data mode, you can go to data add, edit, read only. There are a couple of different options in here: add, edit, read only. We want to change that to add. Data mode is add. That puts us in data add mode, or data entry mode basically. Close that, save it, yes. Close this, save changes, yes. Now open this up. Here is our old contacts button that shows all of them, and here is our add contact button that puts you in data add mode only. That is the button your secretary can use. So that is basically how you create a data entry form. It is simply a form that is opened up in a specific way, that the data entry property is set to true, and they can only add new records. At this point, everyone is going to say there are some security concerns, what is to prevent the secretary from clicking on that button? You will need to secure your database. I have got hours and hours of videos on how to properly secure your database to keep people from doing things they are not supposed to do. At this point, it is just a matter of trust, or a matter of convenience for your secretary to be able to click on add contact and just go to town, without having to scroll through all the other old contacts. If security is a concern, and you do not want her to be able to see all those old things, you are going to have to secure your database. I have got a video called simple security that shows you the basics, and in the extended cut for that, I actually show how to put passwords on buttons. I will cover it in the extended cut of this video as well. So, if she clicks on this contacts button, it will prompt her for a password before she can get in here and see all this stuff. You will also have to secure your contacts table. See my simple security video. I will put a link down below if you want to learn more about how to do all this different type stuff. But for now, I just wanted to show you how to create a data entry form and a button to open up a data entry form. You can take regular forms just like the customer form here. You can make this data entry if you want to. Now if you open up the customer form from the main menu here, it is in add mode. You cannot go through and scroll. Again, you are going to need a separate way to get in there and turn data entry mode off. I will show that in the extended cut. In the extended cut, I will show you how to do all of that with VBA instead of using the embedded macro. It is not hard. A couple lines of code. I will show you how to cancel the apply filter event because if you do some stuff with filters that I will show you in the extended cut, you can actually bypass the data entry mode. I think it is a bug in Access. I will show it to you. I will show you how to prevent it. I will show you how to ask for a simple password using input box so that when you want to go in and see all of the previous stuff, you the manager, you could type in a password. There you go. Do not give the password to your secretary, obviously. We will talk about the me.data entry property. I can make a button in the contact form itself to show all of them instead of having to make two buttons on the customer form to open up the form in different ways. We can do it right inside the contact form itself. Then we will go over something called temp vars where you can store temporary variables, including that password in memory so you do not have to keep re-entering them over and over again. You do not want to have to type in that password every time you want to go into contacts. That is all covered in the extended cut. Silver members and up get access to all of my extended cut videos as well, over 100 of them. Now I think we are over 150. Gold members get access to download all of my templates. Check it out. How do you become a member? Click the join button below the video. If you click the join button, you will see a list of all the different types of membership levels that are available. Silver members and up will get access to all of the extended cut TechHelp videos, live video and chat sessions, and more. Gold members get access to a download folder containing all the sample databases that I build in my TechHelp videos, plus my code vault where I keep tons of different functions that I use. Platinum members get all the previous perks plus access to my full beginner courses and some of my expert courses. These are the full-length courses found on my website and not just for Access. I also teach Word, Excel, Visual Basic, ASP, and lots more. But do not worry, these free TechHelp videos are going to keep coming. As long as you keep watching them, I will keep making more. If you liked this video, please give me a thumbs up and feel free to post any comments that you have. I do read them all. Make sure you subscribe to my channel, which is completely free, and click the bell icon and select all to receive notifications when new videos are posted. Click on the Show More link below the video to find additional resources and links. You will see a list of other videos, additional information related to the current topic, free lessons, and lots more. YouTube no longer sends out email notifications when new videos are posted, so if you would like to get an email every time I post a new video, click on the link to join my mailing list. If you have not yet tried my free Access Level One course, check it out now. It covers all the basics of building databases with Access. It is over three hours long. You can find it on my website or on my YouTube channel. If you like Level One, Level Two is just one dollar. It is also free for all members of my YouTube channel at any level. Want to have your question answered in a video just like this one? Visit my TechHelp page and you can send me your question there. Click here to watch my free Access Beginner Level One course, more of my TechHelp videos, or to subscribe to my channel. Thanks for watching this video from AccessLearningZone.com. QuizQ1. What is the main purpose of creating a data entry form in Microsoft Access as discussed in the video?A. To allow users to sort records alphabetically B. To let users add new records without viewing existing records C. To create complex queries for analysis D. To display all records in a report format Q2. Which form property needs to be changed to make a form a data entry form? A. Record Source B. Allow Edits C. Data Entry D. Default View Q3. What does setting the Data Entry property to Yes do? A. Allows editing of existing records only B. Shows only the oldest records C. Allows only new records to be added and hides existing records D. Makes the form read-only Q4. What is the advantage of using a data entry form for a secretary entering contacts? A. All contact history is easily viewable B. It requires complex programming C. Only new call or message data is entered, without seeing previous history D. It automatically generates reports Q5. When using a button to open a form in data entry mode, what needs to be adjusted within the button's macro? A. Set Data Mode to Edit B. Set Data Mode to Read Only C. Set Data Mode to Print D. Set Data Mode to Add Q6. What is recommended if you are concerned about unauthorized access to historic data in your database? A. Change the color scheme of the form B. Secure your database with security features and possibly passwords C. Only use the data entry property D. Use manual printed logs for contacts Q7. What does the video suggest about VBA compared to embedded macros for buttons? A. Embedded macros are more powerful than VBA B. VBA is recommended for more advanced control and flexibility C. VBA is too complicated for practical use D. Macros can only open tables, not forms Q8. How can you allow managers to access all contact records while limiting the secretary to new entries? A. Force everyone to use data entry forms only B. Provide two buttons: one for all contacts (possibly protected), and one for data entry only C. Hide the database window altogether D. Give everyone administrative access Q9. What is 'temp vars' used for, as previewed in the extended cut? A. To store permanent database settings B. To store temporary variables like passwords during a session C. To permanently assign new records D. To filter records by date Q10. What should you do if you want to prevent users from bypassing data entry mode via filters or other means? A. There's nothing you can do B. Use VBA to handle events and reinforce restrictions C. Only modify report settings D. Switch to Excel instead of Access Answers: 1-B; 2-C; 3-C; 4-C; 5-D; 6-B; 7-B; 8-B; 9-B; 10-B 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 focuses on creating a data entry form in Microsoft Access. I'm going to walk you through how to set up a form that allows someone, like your secretary, to easily enter new contact records for a customer, without being able to see the customer's entire contact history. This is particularly useful if there are certain details or historical data you do not want all users to have access to – such as past orders, credit details, or older communications.To accomplish this, we will use a feature in Access called a data entry form. A data entry form works just like a regular Access form, but it has one key difference: we set its data entry property to true. By default, when you open a form in Access, it is set to allow viewing and editing of all records. But when the data entry property is turned on, the form will only allow the addition of new records. No previous data will appear in the form, so your users cannot scroll through or edit existing records. Let me walk you through the process. If you open a standard form in Access, you'll see all the existing records and you can move between them freely. For instance, with a contact management form, all previous contact interactions will appear. However, that is not always desirable, especially in environments where privacy or focused data entry are required. To change this behavior, you need to open your form in design view. Then, on the data tab of the form's property sheet, you will find the data entry property. By default, this will be set to no. Changing this to yes means that when you open the form, only a blank record ready for new data entry will be shown. Existing records will be hidden from view. While this is ideal for someone tasked only with adding new contacts, you as the manager might still need access to all the information. The solution is to provide two different ways to open the form. One method opens the form in normal mode to view and edit all historical records. The other method, perhaps via a specific button, opens the form in data entry mode so that only new records can be added. To set this up, create a command button on your main form. Use the button wizard to configure it to open the contacts form for a specific customer. Once the button is created, you will need to adjust the macro that the wizard generates so that the form opens in data entry mode. To do this, edit the button's embedded macro and set the data mode to add. This sets up the form so that clicking the button only allows new records to be entered, and it does not show any previous records. This approach gives you flexibility: you can add as many buttons as you need for different tasks, each opening the form in the desired mode. The regular button can open the form in standard mode, while a dedicated data entry button ensures your administrative staff only see what they are supposed to. Some of you may wonder about database security. What if you have sensitive information and do not want unauthorized users to access all contacts? You will need to implement security measures in your database. I have a separate video all about simple security in Access that covers these topics, including how to set up password protection for certain buttons. In the extended cut of today's video, I will also show you how to prompt for a password before displaying all previous contact records, and how to secure your contacts table so that only certain users have access. To take things a step further, I'll also show you in the extended cut how to set data entry mode programmatically using VBA, rather than relying on macros. There are a few tricks you'll want to know, like how to prevent bypassing data entry mode by using filters, and how to use input boxes for password protection. I will also demonstrate how you can use temporary variables to remember passwords so you do not have to re-enter them each time. In summary, creating a data entry form in Access is as simple as setting one property, but with a bit of creativity, you can give different parts of your team different views or levels of access, all from within the same application. If you are interested in implementing more advanced techniques or adding additional security, I cover all of these methods in the extended cut. Silver members and higher have access to my complete library of extended video tutorials, while Gold members can also download my sample databases and templates. Platinum members get all of this plus access to my comprehensive full-length courses on Access, Word, Excel, and more. If you are just getting started with Access, be sure to try my free Access Level One course. It covers the essentials of working with Access databases and is available on my website and YouTube channel. If you have questions for future TechHelp videos, visit my website, submit your question, and you may see it answered in an upcoming episode. You can find a complete video tutorial with step-by-step instructions on everything discussed here on my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends. Topic ListCreating a data entry form in Microsoft AccessSetting the Data Entry property on a form Difference between normal and data entry mode in forms Restricting form to new record entry only Creating a button to open the form in data entry mode Using command button wizard to open a related form Modifying a button's embedded macro Setting Data Mode property to Add in button macros Providing separate buttons for data entry and viewing all records |
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| Keywords: TechHelp Access What is data entry, data entry forms, how do you do data entry, enter data into, Data Entry property, DataEntry, adFormAdd, ApplyFilter, cancel filter, cancel apply filter, disable filter PermaLink Data Entry in Microsoft Access |
