What is a database? Word, Excel and Powerpoint -- we may have used or tried using all of these.

Access, the fourth important application in the MS ffice suite has long !een loo"ed upon as a highly intimidating data!ase software. #owever in reality, MS Access is extremely easy to use. And extremely useful too. $ou can do things that you have never imagined, with MS Access. %efore learning how to use Access, let us understand what are data!ases. &o do that, we need to thin" a!out data. A data!ase is a collection of data related to each other. All the data a!out your friends and relatives in your diary are related data. 'sing MS Access, you cannot only ma"e data!ases, !ut you can also create and print custom reports, (uery and sort data according to your preference. Creating the database We !egin !y showing you how to create small applications using the !uilt-in wi)ard, which allows you to create applications li"e contact management, inventory management, ledgers etc. &o start Access, clic" Start->Programs->Microsoft Office->Microsoft Access. Access starts with only a tas" pane and an empty window. *ow let+s start creating the first data!ase using the Access wi)ard. ,lic" on +Create a New file' lin" in the tas" pane on the right-hand side of the screen. n the next screen, under +Templates' heading, clic" on +My Computer' and in the dialog !ox that appears, clic" on +Databases'. &hen choose the data!ase type that most closely matches your need. &hese steps are for Access -../. 0or earlier versions of MS Access, open MS Access, clic" File-> New and select the option ' e!eral Templates', go to the 'Databases' ta!, from this window you can select the data!ase type that most closely matches your need. #ere, we will go ahead with +Co!tact Ma!ageme!t "atabase'# as we want to organise the contact details of the people we "now, and clic" O$. *ow provide a name for the data!ase, select the location where you would li"e to store this data!ase and clic" +Create'. nce the data!ase is created, you will see a wi)ard that will as" you specific (uestions a!out creating your data!ase and will also help you customise the data!ase. Customising the database 0or the example used, MS Access will show you all the ta!les it will create in the data!ase and what information these ta!les will contain. All the mandatory fields in the

ta!les will !e chec"ed !eforehand and the optional fields will !e unchec"ed. $ou can chec" the optional fields that you re(uire and proceed further. &he next few steps let choose the 1raphical 'ser 2nterface for your application. 2n other words, they would help you define how the application !eing created !y you will loo" and feel. &hese steps as" you a!out the style for screen display 3the place where you will add4edit4delete4view data56 they will also help you decide the loo" and feel of the reports you will print. nce you have finalised the data!ase, you will !e presented with a simple screen that will list all the elements in the data!ase in the form of !uttons. &his screen is called the +switch!oard+ and in most li"elihood, the main switch!oard will have a su!-switch!oard. $ou can use the various predefined reports and (uery the data!ase for any specific data that you may re(uire. $ou may (uery the data!ase for all the contacts where +city 7 8elhi+, this (uery will yield you details of all the contacts who reside in 8elhi. *ow using this switch!oard, you can add data, view data, generate reports, etc. $ou can create many useful applications li"e Asset trac"ing, Expenses Management, 2nventory control, 9edgers and accounts, %illing, etc. &his powerful application lets you create more easy-to-use and powerful applications in a matter of minutes. *ow go ahead and automate your day-to-day wor" and manage data in a more convenient way. Databases for specific needs &he wi)ards let you create data!ases, which are predefined in MS Access. *ow, to create a data!ase4application to suit your specific need, you need to follow different steps. Say, you wish to create a data!ase to manage your digital photographs. &o create an application of this sort, you do not have a predefined data!ase in Access. &o do so, you need to "now data!ases in a !it more detail, or else you can search the 2nternet for templates for the tas" you need to do. $ou may visit the following lin" and view the MS Access templates listed or you may search internet for the template that you would need. Performing a search for MS Access templates on any 2nternet search engine will list hundreds of we! sites that provide templates to accomplish various tas"s.