Access Expert Level 2

This class picks up where Expert Level 1 left off. In Expert 1 we learned the very basics of setting up relationships between our tables. In this class we'll begin by going into more depth on database design theory. The first topic we'll cover is called normalization, which is making sure your tables are designed correctly. We'll go over the first three "normal forms." Plus, we'll talk about when it's prudent to ignore proper normalization.

In Expert 1, the relationships we created were "ad hoc" relationships - just set up in the queries themselves. In this class, we'll learn how to define global relationships on the database level. We'll learn how to work with the Relationships Window and how to add, edit, and delete relationships. We'll learn how to work with table subdatasheets. We'll learn how to set up Referential Integrity to prevent orphaned child records.

There are some times when you want to delete all of the child records when a parent record is deleted. If you delete an order, for example, you want all of the line items on that order to also be erased. This is where it's important to know how to set up cascade updates and deletes.

We'll create a button on our customer form to display all of the contacts just for that customer. When we go to add a new contact, however, we have to manually select the customer again. It would be nice if we could just get the value of the currently open customer. To do this, we have to learn how to get a value from another open form. Now we no longer have to select the customer from a combo box. We'll also see some additional form layout tricks, like having multiple text boxes bound to the same data field, and moving fields to the form header or footer.

This is the second class in the Access Expert series. If you want to take your database skills to the next level, this is the class for you. Understanding proper relational database construction is absolutely vital to the success of your projects. Of course, if you have any questions about whether or not this class is for you, please contact me.
 

Complete Outline - Access Expert Level 2