This assignment is about creating tables and entering data in MS Access. Before beginning this assignment, please be
sure that you can access Microsoft Access. This can be through a College of Business lab computer, through your own
installation (Windows only not Mac) of Office 365, or through the College of Business Virtual Desktop Interface. Details
can be found in the Database Lab video.
Data name rules to remember
When you design databases, you need to keep certain rules in mind. Rules like these vary from organization to
organization, but here are some things to consider:
– Within an organization, consistency in the documentation of different systems promotes understanding and
increases efficiency
– Choosing meaningful names helps readers quickly get a good idea of what is stored
– Capitalizing new words increases the readability of the data names
– Including spaces in data names can create problems when writing programs that use the data so dont do it
– Be consistent. If one table is plural (e.g., vendors), all should be plural (i.e., NOT invoice).
Data Types
DBMS and other computer programs have to consider data type as they manage and store data. While we dont need to
become data type experts here, you should be comfortable realizing that different data types are needed and be able to
understand the common ones.
– Short Text for most text fields such as names or addresses. Smaller field sizes help keep databases running fast and
reduce the size of the files the database system has to store and process.
– Currency works well for dollar amounts
– Date/Time fields store time stamps which record both a date and a time. They can be tricky when you really only
want to consider the date without the time. Deal with this difference if you have to, but complete mastery of this is
beyond the scope of this exercise.
– Number
– Note that the Field Size for a number can also be adjusted in a lower part of the design panel
– Field Size Long Integer is appropriate for foreign key fields that point to Autonumber fields
– Long integers are also appropriate for many counts fields such as number of items in stock
– Decimal places can also be adjusted for Double and Decimal Field Sizes – sometimes quantities should be
stored using decimal values
– Long Integers can hold values up to a bit over 2 billion
– Short Integers hold numbers up to 32,000
– AutoNumber a special kind of long integer where the database assigns values to new rows automatically
– Long Text fields may be appropriate for descriptions or other special cases
– Yes/No fields are appropriate for some tables, but using them in queries can require special efforts
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