Try it Yourself
By Richard Rost
4 years ago
Always Try It Yourself Before Asking for Help
In this public service announcement, I'll explain why it's always better to try things yourself, or to try a Google search, before asking a question in the comments section or an online Forum. Whether you're learning Microsoft Access or just about anything else, you'll do yourself a favor if you train yourself to experiment and figure things out on your own!
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Background
When I was a kid, if I had a question about how something worked, I had three choices: I could look in my grandpa's then-30-year-old encyclopedia, go to the library, or ask someone. So kids from my generation were used to asking questions of people (parents, teachers, authority figures, etc.) It was much easier than the alternative. We were taught "there are no stupid questions." But there are lazy questions!
Today, you literally carry a device in your pocket all day, every day, that can answer pretty much every question known to man within seconds. So before asking questions of other people, try giving the Google Machine a whirl first. It's a whole lot faster than sending an email, or posting in a Forum, and then waiting hours or days for a response.
The first computer I learned to program on was an old TRS-80 from Radio Shack. I had a few books, but I learned most of what I know now from tearing apart other peoples' code, and from experimentation. Want to see if this bit of code will work? Sure... Let's give it a try! No? Oops. Delete. Try again. Play with it! Get crazy.
The same logic goes to learning Access. Want to see if you can apply that format? Try it. Want to know if you can copy that control? Give it a shot. Want to know if X works with Y? Best way to find out... Try it yourself!
Actual Questions
Here are some actual questions I've received, either in email, comments on my YouTube channel, or posts in my Forums, in just the past week.
- Does conditional formatting work in reports?
- Can you insert the time with Ctrl-Shift-; like you can in Excel?
- Is it possible to have a field name start with a number?
Here are some other questions. Now these aren't that bad because there may be some minor issues, but still, you could figure it out by trying it yourself...
- Can I copy a combo box from one form to another without having to run through the Wizard each time?
- What would happen if I tried to index a field (no duplicates) but there were already duplicate values in that field?
Keep in mind, these are good questions. I'm not saying the people asking are dumb by any means. I get asked questions like this a lot. People want to know the answers to questions like these. The point I'm trying to make is that you can answer these kinds of questions yourself in less time than it would take to post the question and wait for a response!
Think For Yourself
- Think before you ask.
- Don't get addicted to being fed answers.
- It's OK to not know the answer.
- Learn how to find answers.
- Ask yourself before asking others.
- Ask Google before asking others!
- Laziness is no excuse!
Now, by all means, if you've tried something yourself and you can't figure it out, and you've checked with Google, then please ask. I'm not saying to never ask a question. I love answering questions. But... If it's something you can figure out yourself by trying it on your own, or with a Google search, then do it!
You will learn more by trying to figure things out on your own. If you're curious as to whether or not something will work, then try it! Have fun. Experiment. Be a mad scientist! Just be careful not to go faster than 88 MPH!
You know that "ah-ha" moment that happens when the lightbulb finally turns on after you figure out something yourself? I love that. You will feel better about yourself and have a sense of accomplishment by figuring things out on your own.
Experiment Carefully!
- Be sure to backup your database!
- Work on a non-production copy
- Feel free to play and have fun!
My Moderators and I love helping people out and answering questions, but from now on, if your question is something you can easily figure out on your own, you're getting sent to this video.
Keywords
access 2016, access 2019, access 2021, access 365, microsoft access, ms access, ms access tutorial, #msaccess, #microsoftaccess, #help, #howto, #tutorial, #learn, #lesson, #training, #database, #fasttips, Things To Do Before Asking a Question, If You Want To Be Successful Ask Yourself First, Asking Questions for Knowledge, I Ask Myself These Questions Before Asking Someone for Help, Always Try Before Asking for Help, Things To Do Before You Ask Someone, Things to Do Before Asking For Help, #psa
Intro In this video, we talk about the importance of experimenting and trying things out for yourself in Microsoft Access before reaching out with questions. I discuss how you can often find answers faster by testing ideas and using resources like Google rather than waiting for someone else to respond. We will look at common questions users ask about Microsoft Access, such as working with controls or formatting, and why you will learn more by experimenting with your own databases. I also share tips for staying safe while testing changes by working on backup copies.Transcript Welcome to another Fast Tips video brought to you by AccessLearningZone.com. I am your instructor Richard Rost.
Today's video is all about trying it yourself. If you are wondering whether or not something will work in Microsoft Access, guess what? The best way to figure it out is to try it yourself. Now, this is really more of a public service announcement than a tip video, but the point of this video is, if you can figure something out on your own, you should. I am going to explain why. And it is not just because we do not want to answer your questions. We do.
When I was a kid growing up in the 70s and 80s - I am old - if I had a question about how something worked, I had three choices. I could look in my grandpa's then 30-year-old encyclopedia - it was written in the 50s - I could go to the library, or I could ask someone. Kids from my generation were used to asking questions of people, parents, teachers, authority figures, and so on. It was much easier than the alternative of looking in an encyclopedia or going to the library.
We were taught that there are no stupid questions, but there are lazy questions, especially today. Today, you literally carry a device in your pocket all day every day that can answer pretty much every question known to man within seconds. So before asking questions of other people, try giving the Google machine a whirl first. It is a whole lot faster than sending me an email or posting a message in a forum and then waiting hours or days for a response.
The first computer I learned how to program on was an old TRS-80 from Radio Shack. They had a computer in my second grade classroom, and then I begged my grandparents to buy me a CoCo (Color Computer 2) for Christmas that year. I had a couple of books, but I learned most of what I know now from tearing apart other people's code and from experimentation.
Want to see if this little bit of code will work? Sure, let's give it a try. No? Oops. Delete it. Try again. Play with it. Get crazy. The same goes for learning Microsoft Access or pretty much anything else.
Want to see if you can apply that format? Try it.
Want to know if you can copy that control from one form to another? Sure, give it a shot.
Want to know if X works with Y? Best way to find out? Try it yourself. Do not be lazy. Experiment with it.
It will be just as quick for you to do it yourself in a little sample database than it would be to post the question in a forum and wait for a response.
Here are some actual questions I received, either in email, comments on my YouTube channel, or posts in my forums. This is just in the past week, and this is only a sample of them. I got just a bunch more. I just picked a couple.
Does conditional formatting work in a report? Yeah, try it. It does.
Can you insert the time with Control Shift Semicolon just like you can in Excel? Yeah, you can. That would have taken you about 10 seconds to find out.
Is it possible to have a field name start with a number? I don't recommend it, but yeah, you can. Right there. Put it in a table and hit save. There you go. You are answered. No need to post it.
Here are some other questions. These ones are not quite so bad because there could be some minor issues, but still, if you could figure it out by trying it yourself, do it. Can I copy a combo box from one form to another without having to run through the wizard each time? Yeah, sure. I have done it in a couple of my videos. Copy that combo box. See if it works. Test it. You have to make sure that the field name is the same so the control source is matched, but aside from that, yeah. Again, easy to find out for yourself.
What would happen if I tried to index a field, no duplicates, but there are already duplicate values in that field? I don't know. Give it a shot. It would take you 30 seconds to find out. And yeah, you will get an error message. It will say there are duplicate values. Can't do it. But again, do it yourself. You will get more satisfaction out of figuring it out for yourself.
Keep in mind, these are good questions. I am not saying that the people asking these questions are dumb by any means. I get asked questions like this all the time. People want to know the answer to questions like these. All I am trying to point out is if you can answer these questions yourself, do it. Do a little experimentation. It will take you less time to try it in a sample database than to post it in my comment section or in my forum and wait for someone to respond to you. You will save yourself some time. You will save me some time. You will save the forum moderators on my website some time.
Think for yourself. Don't just get to typing and type your question in. Think for yourself. Is this something I can try to figure out on my own? Is this something I can search for? What does Google have to say?
I know a lot of people, especially from my generation, get used to being addicted to being fed the answers. You raise your hand. You ask a teacher. What about this? What about that? Figure it out on your own. Try it. It is a computer. Just do it. If you cannot figure it out on your own, try a Google search.
Personally, I hate not knowing things. Even if I am watching TV and something comes up, I do not know a term. I am watching a TV show and think, oh, is this actor still alive? I have to look it up. It is annoying. My wife gets mad at me because I pause stuff all the time to look things up. But I hate not knowing the answers.
It takes some time to learn how to find the answers. Learn how to Google search. Especially things that have a definite answer. Do not ask me something that you could easily ask Google. What's the maximum size of a short text field? It is 255 characters. But you could Google that and have the answer faster than I am going to reply to you.
By all means, if you have tried something yourself and you cannot figure it out and you have checked the Google machine, then please ask. I am not saying to never ask a question. I love answering questions. My moderators love answering questions.
But if it is something you can figure out yourself by trying it on your own or with a Google search, then do it. You will learn more by trying to figure things out on your own. If you are curious as to whether or not something will work, give it a shot. Have fun, experiment. Be a mad scientist. Just make sure you do not go faster than 88 miles per hour.
You know that aha moment that happens when the light bulb turns on after you figure something out yourself? I love that. One of the things I miss about teaching in the classroom is I used to love when someone finally got it and they are like, "Oh, yeah." I loved watching that light bulb go off. You can just see their eyes light up. You will feel better about yourself and have a sense of accomplishment by figuring out things on your own.
Make sure you experiment carefully and be responsible. Make sure you back up your database before playing with it. Could you break something? Sure, it is possible depending on what you are doing. So make sure you are working on a backup copy. Do not work on a production copy.
I am guilty of this myself. Sometimes I tinker on my website, on the live copy, when I shouldn't, and sometimes I break it and then the whole site goes down. So I am kind of guilty of that myself. But especially with Access, just copy the file. If you are working on the front end, copy the front end file. Do not work on the one that people are using if you are on a network. But feel free to play and have fun. Yeah, you might break something, but you can just restore your backup.
My moderators and I love helping people out and answering questions. But from now on, if your question is something you can easily figure out on your own, you are getting sent to this video. I have got a great group of guys who help me out on my website. But we see the same questions over and over again, and those are usually the ones that I will make into these Fast Tips videos or a TechHelp video or a lesson or something. But a lot of questions are simply ones that people could answer for themselves if they would just take two seconds to experiment and try it on their own.
So feel free to post your questions in my forums or in the comments section on my YouTube channel. But before you do, ask yourself, is this something I could figure out on my own first?
This has been a public service announcement and yes, it qualifies as your Fast Tip for today. Try it yourself.
I'm Richard Rost. Thanks for watching. We will see you next time.
How do you become a member? Click on the Join button below the video. After you click the Join button, you will see a list of all the different membership levels that are available, each with its own special perks.
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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, and they will always be free.Quiz Q1. What is the primary suggestion given in this video for learning if something works in Microsoft Access?
A. Ask a teacher for answers.
B. Send an email to Richard Rost.
C. Try it yourself and experiment.
D. Wait for someone to post the answer in a forum.
Q2. What does Richard say about asking questions in the modern age compared to when he was a kid?
A. It is harder to get answers today.
B. It is much easier to find answers quickly using technology.
C. Encyclopedias are the best source now as well.
D. Emailing is the fastest way to get answers.
Q3. What is described as a "lazy question" by Richard in the video?
A. A question that is too difficult for anyone to answer
B. A question that is very basic and could be easily answered by searching or trying it yourself
C. A question about new features in Access
D. A question asked by a beginner
Q4. What key point does Richard make about the value of experimenting with Access or other computer programs?
A. It is risky and should be avoided
B. You learn more by figuring things out yourself
C. Only experts should experiment
D. Experimenting will always break your files
Q5. Which of the following is NOT recommended before experimenting with your Access database?
A. Make a backup of your database
B. Work on a sample or copy, not the production version
C. Try changes without protecting your data
D. Test things in a non-critical environment
Q6. When should you ask for help according to the video?
A. Before trying to solve it on your own
B. Only after trying it yourself and searching for answers
C. Whenever you have a question, even if you have not tried anything
D. As soon as you get stuck, without searching
Q7. What is true about the example questions Richard lists in the video?
A. They require expert intervention to answer
B. They could be answered quickly by experimentation or a simple search
C. They are trick questions that nobody can answer
D. They are only applicable to advanced users
Q8. Why does Richard recommend using Google before asking someone else for help?
A. Google is less reliable than people
B. It is often much faster to find the answer yourself
C. People get paid to answer your questions
D. Google only works for advanced questions
Q9. What feeling does Richard describe enjoying when students figure things out on their own?
A. Frustration
B. Satisfaction and the "light bulb" moment
C. Disappointment
D. Indifference
Q10. What benefit do Platinum members receive that Gold members do not?
A. Access to forum questions
B. Access to all beginner courses on every subject and one free developer class each month
C. A free TechHelp video each week
D. Access to only Access courses
Q11. How does Richard suggest handling possible mistakes while experimenting in Access?
A. Ignore them
B. Always work on a backup copy, so you can restore it if you make mistakes
C. Only experiment on the main database
D. Never experiment in order to avoid mistakes
Q12. What is the main purpose Richard gives for making this video?
A. To discourage people from asking questions
B. To encourage experimentation and self-reliance in learning
C. To promote new Access software features
D. To announce a new course
Answers: 1-C; 2-B; 3-B; 4-B; 5-C; 6-B; 7-B; 8-B; 9-B; 10-B; 11-B; 12-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 is a bit different and acts more as a public service announcement than a standard tutorial. The main message is straightforward: if you are wondering whether something will work in Microsoft Access, the best approach is to try it yourself. This is not because we do not like answering questions, but because self-experimentation is often the fastest route to finding solutions and can lead to greater understanding.
Reflecting on my own experiences growing up in the 70s and 80s, if I had a question, my resources were limited to encyclopedias, the public library, or asking someone face to face. In that era, asking questions of parents, teachers, or other adults was normal because the alternatives took significant effort. Today, however, we have the benefit of instant answers at our fingertips with search engines like Google, which is much quicker than waiting for a reply on a forum or receiving an email response.
When I started learning computers, I was working with a TRS-80 and later a Color Computer 2. I had a couple books to work from, but what really helped me learn was dissecting other people's code and experimenting myself. The willingness to try things, even at the risk of failure, has always been the best teacher.
So when you want to see if a certain piece of code works, test it. If you wonder whether you can apply a particular format or copy a control from one form to another, the best way to find out is simply to try it. Do not hesitate to experiment. Often it will take less time to check things out in a sample database than it would to wait for someone else to answer.
I see lots of questions every week ranging from whether conditional formatting works in a report (it does), whether you can insert the current time using a certain shortcut (yes, Control+Shift+Semicolon works), to whether a field name can start with a number (yes, but it is not advised). All of these questions could be answered within a few seconds of trying it out.
Some questions are a bit more nuanced, requiring some checking or experimentation. For example, if you copy a combo box from one form to another, will it work? Generally yes, as long as the control source matches. What happens if you try to create an indexed field without duplicates in a table that already contains duplicates? You will get an error, but you can discover this quickly by testing it.
I want to be clear that I am not suggesting these are bad questions or that people asking them are not smart. Quite the opposite – these curiosity-driven questions are good, but if you can answer them yourself with a little testing or a quick Google search, that is the way to go. This saves both your time and ours, and it helps you learn more thoroughly.
It is important to develop the habit of thinking for yourself before reaching out to others. Before typing out a question on my site or in a forum, ask if it is something you could test in a few moments or search for online.
Many of us, especially those who learned in traditional classroom settings, got used to just asking for answers. But with computers, you should feel empowered to figure things out independently. If you still cannot find the answer, or a Google search does not help, by all means, ask. I enjoy answering questions, and the moderators do too.
I am also the kind of person who needs to know things immediately. I probably drive my wife crazy by constantly pausing TV shows to look up facts, but I think it is important to learn how to find answers for yourself, especially for straightforward questions like field size limits in Access. You will often get the answer much faster by searching for it than waiting for someone like me to reply.
If you attempt something and cannot get it working after searching for a solution, please go ahead and ask. I am happy to help when you are truly stuck. However, always try a little experimentation first. Not only will you likely find the answer quickly, but figuring it out on your own provides a real sense of accomplishment. That light bulb moment when something clicks is incredibly rewarding and is one of the things I miss about teaching in-person classes.
Of course, you should always be careful when experimenting, especially with your database. Make sure to work with a backup copy so you do not accidentally break something important. I admit that even I sometimes make mistakes when tinkering on live systems, but in Access, it is easy to make backup copies for testing.
If you post a question to my forums or on my YouTube channel, ask yourself first if this is something you could determine on your own. My moderators and I see the same questions repeatedly, and while I may turn some of these into tutorial videos, many are easily answered by simply trying things out for yourself.
So, as your Fast Tip for today, remember to try it yourself. If you are curious about whether or not something works in Access, open up a test database and give it a shot. Have fun and experiment, but always back up your work before making changes.
To learn more about accessing extended content, there are different membership levels available. Silver members and up receive access to all extended TechHelp videos, free beginner classes, and more. Gold members get additional perks such as downloadable sample databases, access to my Code Vault, and priority support, plus a free expert class each month. Platinum members get even higher priority, access to all beginner courses, and a free developer class every month, covering not only Access but also topics like Word, Excel, and Visual Basic.
I encourage everyone to keep learning, experimenting, and enjoying the process. As always, these free TechHelp videos will continue as long as you keep watching. For a complete step-by-step video tutorial covering everything discussed here, visit my website at the link below.
Live long and prosper, my friends.Topic List Encouraging users to experiment in Microsoft Access
Benefits of self-learning through trial and error
Examples of common questions best answered by trying
How to safely test features in a sample database
Backing up databases before experimenting
When to ask questions versus searching online
Developing problem-solving skills in Access
The value of learning by experimentation |
