Ten Minute Guide to Access 97

Why Format a Table?

Most people don't spend a lot of time formatting Access tables, simply because they don't have to look at or print their tables. They use data entry forms (Lesson 13) to see the records on-screen and reports (Lesson 21) to print their records. The tables are merely holding tanks for raw data.

However, creating forms and reports may be more work than you want to tackle right now. For instance, if your database is very simple, consisting of one small table, you may want to add enough formatting to your table to make it look fairly attractive; then you can use it for all your viewing and printing, foregoing the fancier forms and reports.

Even if you decide later to use a form or report, you might still want to add a bit of formatting ...