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4 years	Date Diff in Years and Months	Harold Laski
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Intro

In lesson 27 you will learn how to work with Date, Time, and Now functions in Microsoft Access. We will cover the basics of date and time calculations, learn how to build an accounts receivable aging report, and explore how hours and minutes are stored and displayed as fractions of a day in Access. This is part 3 of the Comprehensive Function Guide series.

Transcript

Welcome to Microsoft Access Expert Level 27, brought to you by AccessLearningZone.com. I am your instructor, Richard Rost.

Today's class is Part 3 of my Comprehensive Function Guide for Microsoft Access. Part 1, which was Access Expert 25, covered string and logical functions. Part 2 covered math and type conversion functions.

Part 3, which is today's class, Expert 27, will cover the Date, Time, and Now functions, date mathematics, and will build an age to count receivable. Originally, I had planned for this to be one big class, but it got way too long. It's well over three hours, so I split this up into two classes: 27 and 28.

Expert 28 will cover many more different date and time functions, as well as a bunch of new examples. Today's class covers all the fundamentals and sets up how to work with dates and times. The next class, Expert 28, will have a bunch of new functions and some additional examples to work with. If you want to learn how to work with dates and times properly in Access, I recommend both classes, starting with 27.

Before taking this class, it is strongly recommended that you have finished my beginner series and Expert levels 1 through 26.

This class was recorded using Access 2013. Everything covered today should work with 2007 and 2010. I am pretty sure that most of the functions covered today also work with 2003, but I can't guarantee it. If you are using 2003 or older, you really should upgrade to 2013.

My courses are broken up into beginner, expert, advanced, and developer-level classes. Beginner-level classes are for novices. You should understand all the topics covered in them by the time you get to the expert-level classes, which you are in now. When you finish all the expert-level classes, the advanced classes will cover event programming and macros, and the developer classes will cover Visual Basic for Applications. Each group of classes is broken down into multiple levels: level 1, 2, 3, and so on.

In addition to my normal Access classes, I also have seminars designed to teach specific topics. Some of my seminars include building web-based databases, creating forms and reports that look like calendars, securing your database, working with images and attachments, writing work orders and running a service business, tracking accounts payable, learning the SQL programming language, creating loan amortization schedules, and lots more. You can find details on all of these seminars and more on their website at accesslearningzone.com.

If you have questions about the topics covered in today's lessons, please feel free to post them in my student forums. If you are watching this course in the online theater on my website, you should see the student forum for each lesson appear in a small window next to the class video. Here, you will see all of the questions that other students have asked, as well as my responses to them and comments that other students have made. I encourage you to read through these questions and answers as you start each lesson and feel free to join in the discussion.

If you are not watching these lessons on my website, you can still visit the student forums later by visiting accesslearningzone.com/forums.

To get the most out of this course, I recommend you sit back, relax, and watch each lesson completely through once without trying to do anything on your computer. Then, replay the lesson from the beginning and follow along with my examples. Actually, create the same database that I make in the video, step by step. Do not try to apply what you are learning right now to other projects until you have mastered the sample database from class.

If you get stuck or do not understand something, watch the video again from the beginning or tell me what is wrong in the student forum and I will do my best to help you.

Most importantly, keep an open mind. Access may seem intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, you will see that it is really easy to use.

I strongly encourage you to build the database that I build in today's class by following along with the videos. However, if you would like to download a sample copy of my finished database file, you can find it on my website at accesslearningzone.com/databases. Sometimes, if you get stuck, the easiest way to learn is to tear apart someone else's database.

One of the ways that I taught myself Access years ago was by tearing apart the Northwind Traders database that comes with Microsoft Access. You will find there is a sample database for each of my courses on my website.

Now, let's take a few minutes and go over exactly what we are going to cover in today's class. In lesson one, we are going to begin taking a close look at the Date, Time, and Now functions. In lesson two, we are continuing on with the Date, Time, and Now functions. In this lesson, we are going to build an accounts receivable with aging. In lesson three, we are continuing with date and time values. We are going to see how to use hours and minutes as a fraction of a day and we will learn some different ways to display that data.

Thank you.

Quiz

Q1. What is the primary focus of Access Expert Level 27?
A. String and logical functions in Access
B. Math and type conversion functions in Access
C. Date and time functions, including Date, Time, and Now functions in Access
D. Creating forms and reports that look like calendars

Q2. Which lesson in this course shows how to build an accounts receivable with aging?
A. Lesson one
B. Lesson two
C. Lesson three
D. Lesson four

Q3. What should you do to get the most out of this course according to the instructor?
A. Skip the video and only read the transcript
B. Watch each lesson fully at least once, then follow along to create the sample database
C. Immediately apply concepts to your current projects
D. Only download the finished database and review it

Q4. What is recommended before starting Access Expert Level 27?
A. Taking only the beginner-level classes
B. Completing Expert levels 1 through 10
C. Completing all beginner classes and Expert levels 1 through 26
D. Having experience with Access Advanced classes

Q5. What versions of Access is this course primarily recorded with?
A. Access 2007
B. Access 2013
C. Access 2003
D. Access 2016

Q6. Where can you find additional seminars on specialized topics like building web-based databases or SQL programming?
A. On the Microsoft website
B. At accesslearningzone.com
C. In the Access Help section
D. Included in every Access installation

Q7. What does the instructor recommend if you do not understand something or get stuck during the class?
A. Skip to the next topic
B. Watch the video again or ask for help in the student forum
C. Wait for the next class
D. Restart your computer

Q8. Which method does the instructor NOT advise for learning Access?
A. Tearing apart someone else's database
B. Skipping lessons and jumping directly to advanced material
C. Watching lessons in order and building the provided database
D. Using student forums for discussion

Q9. What additional resource does the instructor provide if students want to review the finished database?
A. Printed versions of the database
B. A downloadable sample copy on his website
C. Personal one-on-one video calls
D. Free email delivery of databases

Q10. What is the planned content of lesson three in this class?
A. Building web-based databases
B. Working with hours and minutes as a fraction of a day and displaying them
C. Programming with Visual Basic for Applications
D. Creating calendar-style reports

Answers: 1-C; 2-B; 3-B; 4-C; 5-B; 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.

Summary

Today's video from Access Learning Zone focuses on Microsoft Access Expert Level 27. I'm Richard Rost, your instructor, and this is Part 3 of my Comprehensive Function Guide for Microsoft Access. If you recall, Access Expert 25 covered string and logical functions, and Part 2 focused on math and type conversion functions.

In this class, which is Expert 27, we're turning our attention to the Date, Time, and Now functions. We'll look at how date mathematics works in Access and build an accounts receivable aging system. Originally, I intended to fit all of this content into one lesson, but it grew too lengthy, so this material is split into two classes: Expert 27 and Expert 28.

Expert 28 will take you further, expanding on date and time functions with several new examples and more advanced approaches. Today, though, we'll stick to the foundational concepts and make sure you have a solid understanding of how to handle dates and times in Access. If you're serious about mastering this topic, I highly recommend you work through both classes, starting with this one.

Before you begin, it's important that you've finished my beginner series and completed Expert Levels 1 through 26. This class was recorded in Access 2013, but the techniques will also apply to Access 2007 and Access 2010. Many of the functions should work in Access 2003, but I can't promise compatibility for everything; if you're using an older version, you should consider upgrading.

Let me remind you about how my course structure works. There are beginner, expert, advanced, and developer-level classes. Beginner classes are for those new to Access. By the time you reach the expert level, like you are now, you should feel comfortable with the basic material. Once you've worked through all the expert-level classes, my advanced courses introduce event programming and macros, and the developer classes will cover topics like Visual Basic for Applications. Each tier is split into multiple levels, from level 1 upwards.

Apart from the standard classes, I also offer focused seminars on specific Access topics. Some of these cover building web-based databases, designing calendar-style forms and reports, securing your database, handling images and attachments, managing work orders and service businesses, dealing with accounts payable, learning SQL, creating loan amortization schedules, and more. You can find details on all these seminars at my website.

If you have questions about anything in today's lessons, I invite you to use the student forums. If you're watching the course in the online theater on my site, you'll see a forum window alongside the lesson video. Here, you can view questions from other students, my responses, and read the discussion. It often helps to read through this material before starting each lesson. You're always welcome to participate in the discussions.

If you're not currently watching this on my website, you can always access the forums later at accesslearningzone.com/forums.

For the best learning experience, I suggest you watch each lesson all the way through at least once before trying to follow along on your computer. After that, play the lesson again and work alongside me, building the same database step by step. Hold off on applying your new skills to other projects until you've had success repeating the examples from class.

If you run into trouble or are confused about something, try watching the lesson again or post in the student forum so I can help.

Most importantly, keep an open mind. Access might seem overwhelming at first, but with a bit of practice, you'll see that it's quite approachable.

I encourage you to build the database in class by following the video, but if you need a reference or want to compare your progress, you can download a copy of my finished database file from my website. Sometimes, it helps to study someone else's work to pick up new techniques. This mirrors how I first taught myself Access, by taking apart the Northwind Traders sample database included with Access. You'll be able to find a sample database for every course I teach on my website.

Now, let me outline what we'll cover in today's class. In the first lesson, we'll start with the Date, Time, and Now functions. The second lesson continues working with these functions while building an accounts receivable aging system. In lesson three, we'll explore date and time values further, such as handling hours and minutes as fractions of a day and learning various ways to display this information.

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 List

Date, Time, and Now functions in Access
Building an accounts receivable with aging
Working with date and time values
Using hours and minutes as fractions of a day
Displaying date and time values in different formats