Hands-On Microsoft Access: A Practical Guide to Improving Your Access Skills

Understanding Lookup Fields

Let's begin discussing tables by introducing lookup fields. This might seem an odd, even perverse, place to start. Lookup fields are simply one Access feature—a minor one, at that, and certainly not crucial to table creation. Indeed, my own bias is against using them.

But just as the diaries of obscure priests can illuminate profound religious controversies, an understanding of lookup fields is a superb way to introduce table creation in an Access database. Equally important, the topic is an excellent vehicle to review and reinforce the database principles you have learned thus far. The explanation might at first seem just a rehash of Chapters 2 and 3, but ultimately you will find it worthwhile. Nevertheless, if you ...