Depends on how you build your form.

The "Save" you are referring to is not for the data... it's for the design.

Typically, Access commits changes to a record when the user leaves that record.  Dirty means the user is making changes on the Form open on their computer, but it's not written back to Table until they leave the record.  (this allows you to cancel changes or run code to validate data before it's updated)  Additionally, if 1 user is making changes to a record, but another user opens that record before the 1st user leaves the record... the second user will see original data that has not been written back by the changes being made by the 1st user.  You can also check out this video on Record Locking.

You can build your form to have Save and Cancel Buttons (which are basically just Me.Refresh/Me.Dirty=False or Me.Undo)

Another Method... when the Form becomes Dirty, change the Background Color or Make a Label Visible that shows the user it's being edited, then use the Form AfterUpdate Event to switch back to normal color and make the Label invisible.

As Rick says... Your Lego's... Build it How you want.

-Raymond

I couldn't have said it better myself.