Office 2013 Bible: The Comprehensive Tutorial Resource

Chapter 34

Creating Access Tables

IN THIS CHAPTER

Creating a new database

Creating a new table

Navigating in the table

Entering field names and descriptions

Selecting a field data type

Working with field properties

Specifying the primary key

Adding data to a table

Saving a table’s design

In this chapter, you learn how to create a new Access database and its tables. You establish the database container to hold your tables, forms, queries, reports, and code that you build as you learn Access. You learn how to design your table, add the fields, and enter the data next.

The Access Start Screen

If you open Access 2013 (via the Windows 8 Start screen or the Windows 7 Start menu), you’ll see the default Access Start screen shown in Figure 34.1. The Start screen gives you several options for opening an existing Access database or creating a new database.

FIGURE 34.1 The Access welcome screen provides a number of ways to start working with Access.

Note

If you open an Access database directly from Windows Explorer (by double-clicking it), you won’t see the Start screen. Instead, you’ll go directly to the database interface covered later in this chapter.

In the upper-left corner of the welcome screen, you’ll notice the Recent section. The files listed here are databases that you’ve previously opened through Access 2013. You can click any of the database files listed there to open them. ...