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

Chapter 6. Entering, Editing, and Displaying Data

You can enter data directly into Access tables. That includes unassuming values such as names and dates, as well as more exotic items such as photos, sound files, and PowerPoint presentations.

But most of the time, you'll prefer to enter data in a form—even if it's just a plain old vanilla AutoForm, which you can create in a few seconds. With its powerful graphical features, forms are the best way to enter, edit, and view data on your computer screen.

When you type data into a table, you can easily enter a value in the wrong column or row. Furthermore, if the value is a long text string, much of it will remain out of sight in those tiny datasheet cells. Forms might not offer unlimited real estate, ...