Special Edition Using Access 97, Second Edition

Using Keyboard Operations for Entering and Editing Data

Although Access is mouse-oriented, keyboard equivalents are provided for the most common actions. One reason for providing keyboard commands is that constant shifting of the hand from a keyboard to mouse and back can reduce data-entry rates by more than half. Shifting between a keyboard and mouse also can lead to or aggravate repetitive stress injury (RSI), of which the most common type is carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Keyboard operations are as important in a data-entry environment as they are in word processing applications. Consequently, the information concerning key combinations for data entry appears here rather than be relegated to fine print in an appendix. The data-entry procedures ...