Chapter 1. Welcome to Databases

In this chapter

  • Why you need a database

  • What databases can do for you that spreadsheets can’t

  • How to launch Microsoft Access

  • A quick test drive of an Access database

Perhaps you’ve been looking at the Microsoft Access icon on your Start menu and wondering what you can use it for. Or perhaps you already have a database project in mind and don’t quite know how to get started. Either way, you’ve come to the right place! Microsoft Access combines a friendly and easy-to-use interface with many powerful and professional features to produce a database anyone can use. As you work with Access, you’ll discover new ways to view your data and turn that data into meaningful information. In this book, we’ll help you go from that Start ...

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