Go from Access novice to true master with the professional database design tips and crystal-clear explanations in this book. You'll learn all the secrets of this powerful database program so you can use your data in creative ways -- from creating product catalogs and publishing information online to producing invoices and reports. Build a database with ease. Store information to track numbers, products, documents, and more Customize the interface. Build your own forms to make data entry a snap Find what you need fast. Search, sort, and summarize huge amounts of information Put your data to use. Turn raw info into printed reports with attractive formatting Share your data. Collaborate online with SharePoint and the brand-new Access web database Dive into Access programming. Get tricks and techniques to automate common tasks Create rich data connections. Build dynamic links with SQL Server, SharePoint, and other systems Five Touchstones to Understanding Access Let’s face it--learning the tricks and techniques of database design can be a bit of a slog. But if you’re just starting out with Access, here are five key insights that can help you understand how the database world works. Keep these points in mind, and you’ll be on the inside track to mastering Access. 1. Databases hold database objects. Most people are familiar with tables, the grid-like grouping of data that stores your information (for example, lists of items you own, friends you have, or products you sell through your small business). But tables are just one type of object that an Access database can hold. The other key ingredients are queries (customized search routines that pull out the information you need at the drop of a hat), reports (similar to queries, but nicely formatted and ready for printing), forms (windows that make it easy to review and edit the data in your tables), and macros and modules (miniature programs that can do just about anything—from updating 10,000 records at once to firing off an email). 2. Relationships hold it all together. Access newbies sometimes start out thinking a database is just a glorified spreadsheet. After all, can’t Excel hold long lists with hundreds of thousands of rows? (And yes, it can.) However, Access has a feature Excel can’t duplicate: relationships. A typical Access database holds several tables, and relationships link these tables together. For example, a table of customers might link to a table of orders, which would link to a table of products, allowing you to answer questions like “What customers spent the most money?” and “What is the most popular product for customers living in New York?” Relationships also safeguard your data--for example, they make it impossible for someone to accidentally place an order for a product or a customer that doesn’t exist. 3. There are two ways to work with a database: as a designer and as a user. The database designer is the person who sets up the database. The database designer has the responsibility of laying out the tables, building the queries, and knocking together some nice reports and forms (assuming you want all those features). By comparison, the database user is the person who uses the tables, queries, reports, and forms in day-to-day life. The user reviews records, makes changes, and fills the tables up with data. Depending on what type of database you’re creating (and what you want to accomplish), you may be both the database designer and the database user. But it’s important to realize that these are distinct tasks. In fact, when using a properly designed database, database users don’t need to be particularly skilled with Access. They can just work with the forms and reports that the database designer created. 4. Sooner or later, you’ll need macros. To become an Access expert, you must first learn to design a logical, consistent set of tables and add the relationships that link them together. Next, you must learn to build the other types of objects--queries, forms, and reports--that make it easier to perform common tasks. At some point, while tackling this second stage, you’ll run into a challenge that forces you to step up to the third level of Access mastery: macros. Macros are miniature programs that perform custom tasks. The good news is that in Access 2010, you can design your own macros without becoming a programmer. You just need to drag, drop, and arrange a sequence of ready-made macro commands into the Access macro designer. For example, you can use macros to build buttons that send emails, start printouts, make updates, or just take you around your database. 5. Expert user, meet Visual Basic. Some people stop their Access journey at this point, content to use tables, forms, reports, and macros to do all their work. But if you want to see everything Access has to offer, you need to take a look at its high-powered Visual Basic engine. Using VB code, you can do almost anything, from validating a credit card to leading a customer through an order process (two examples that are discussed in Access 2010: The Missing Manual). And if you’re willing to pick up some basic programming concepts, you can use code to transform a simple database into a cohesive database application—for example, something that looks more like the traditional desktop programs you run on your computer.

Experience learning made easy-and quickly teach yourself how to build database solutions with Access 2010. With STEP BY STEP, you set the pace-building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Topics include building an Access database from scratch or from templates; publishing your database to the Web; exchanging data with other databases and Microsoft Office documents; creating data-entry forms; using filters and queries; designing reports; using conditional formatting; preventing data corruption and unauthorized access; and other core topics.

A friendly, step-by-step guide to the Microsoft Office database applicationAccess may be the least understood and most challenging application in the Microsoft Office suite. This guide is designed to help anyone who lacks experience in creating and managing a database learn to use Access 2010 quickly and easily.In the classic For Dummies tradition, the book provides an education in Access, the interface, and the architecture of a database. It explains the process of building a database, linking information, sharing data, generating reports, and much more.As the Microsoft Office database application, Access may be the least understood and most challenging part of the Office suiteAccess 2010 For Dummies walks newcomers through building and using their first databaseCovers linking information in a database, setting relationships, modeling data, and building tablesExplores how to extract data from Access and get specific answers, create forms, and export data in reportsA section for more experienced users looks at analyzing errors and creating an interfaceFully updated for the newest version, Access 2010 For Dummies gets new Access users up to speed and helps veterans get the most from the Office database application.

This hands-on, friendly guide shows you how to harness FileMaker's power to make your information work for you. With a few mouse clicks, the FileMaker Pro 11 database helps you create and print corporate reports, manage a mailing list, or run your entire business. FileMaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual helps you get started, build your database, and produce results, whether you're running a business, pursuing a hobby, or planning your retirement. It's a thorough, accessible guide for new, non-technical users, as well as those with more experience.Start up: Get your first database up and running in minutes Catalog your data: Organize contacts, to-do items, and product information with speedy data-entry and sorting tools Create professional documents: Publish reports, invoices, and more, with ease Add visual power and clarity: Create colorful charts to illustrate and summarize your data Harness processing power: Crunch numbers and search text with dozens of built-in formulas Learn advanced topics: Explore the high-level features of FileMaker Pro Advanced and FileMaker Server

The Definitive Guide to Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting ServicesCreate and deliver data-rich reports across the enterprise using this complete server-based reporting solution. Written by a member of the original Reporting Services development team, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services covers the entire report-building and distribution process, including data extraction, integration with desktop and Web applications, and end-user access. The book explains how to maximize all of the powerful features, including the new Tablix data format, as well as enhanced performance, scalability, and visualization capabilities. Install, configure, and customize SQL Server 2008 Reporting ServicesCreate SELECT queries to extract dataGenerate reports from the Report Wizard and from scratchAdd charts, images, and gaugesBuild reusable report templatesUse the new Tablix data format to create reports with any structureExport reports to Word, Excel, PDF, HTML, XML, and other formatsEnable end-user access to reports via the Report Server and its Report Manager web interface

Updated for the latest database management systems -- including MySQL 6.0, Oracle 11g, and Microsoft's SQL Server 2008 -- this introductory guide will get you up and running with SQL quickly. Whether you need to write database applications, perform administrative tasks, or generate reports, Learning SQL, Second Edition, will help you easily master all the SQL fundamentals. Each chapter presents a self-contained lesson on a key SQL concept or technique, with numerous illustrations and annotated examples. Exercises at the end of each chapter let you practice the skills you learn. With this book, you will:Move quickly through SQL basics and learn several advanced features Use SQL data statements to generate, manipulate, and retrieve data Create database objects, such as tables, indexes, and constraints, using SQL schema statements Learn how data sets interact with queries, and understand the importance of subqueries Convert and manipulate data with SQL's built-in functions, and use conditional logic in data statements Knowledge of SQL is a must for interacting with data. With Learning SQL, you'll quickly learn how to put the power and flexibility of this language to work.

Compared to industrial-strength database products such as Microsoft's SQL Server, Access is a breeze to use. It runs on PCs rather than servers and is ideal for small- to mid-sized businesses and households. But Access is still intimidating to learn. It doesn't help that each new version crammed in yet another set of features; so many, in fact, that even the pros don't know where to find them all. Access 2007 breaks this pattern with some of the most dramatic changes users have seen since Office 95. Most obvious is the thoroughly redesigned user interface, with its tabbed toolbar (or "Ribbon") that makes features easy to locate and use. The features list also includes several long-awaited changes. One thing that hasn't improved is Microsoft's documentation. To learn the ins and outs of all the features in Access 2007, Microsoft merely offers online help. Access 2007: The Missing Manual was written from the ground up for this redesigned application. You will learn how to design complete databases, maintain them, search for valuable nuggets of information, and build attractive forms for quick-and-easy data entry. You'll even delve into the black art of Access programming (including macros and Visual Basic), and pick up valuable tricks and techniques to automate common tasks -- even if you've never touched a line of code before. You will also learn all about the new prebuilt databases you can customize to fit your needs, and how the new complex data feature will simplify your life. With plenty of downloadable examples, this objective and witty book will turn an Access neophyte into a true master.

Reduce stress with timesaving database shortcutsExplore database basics and build tables and reports that corral your dataAccess has undergone an extreme makeover! Whether you've used one of the older versions or this is your first exposure to Access, here's where you'll find the essentials you need to make this database system work for you. Cruise around the new interface, team up Access with other Office applications, use wizards to automate your work, and much more.Discover how toCreate a new Access databaseImport and export dataBuild forms for efficient data entrySearch tables for specific dataConstruct custom reportsCustomize your database navigation

A comprehensive guide to programming for Access 2010 and 2007Millions of people use the Access database applications, and hundreds of thousands of developers work with Access daily. Access 2010 brings better integration with SQL Server and enhanced XML support; this Wrox guide shows developers how to take advantage of these and other improvements.With in-depth coverage of VBA, macros, and other programming methods for building Access applications, this book also provides real-world code examples to demonstrate each topic.Access 2010 Programmer's Referenceis a comprehensive guide to the best-of-breed techniques for programming Access applications.Coverage Includes:Introduction to Microsoft Access 2010New FeaturesUpgrading and Converting to Access 2010Macros in Access 2010Using the VBA EditorVBA Basics Using VBA in AccessCreating Classes in VBA Extending VBA with APIsWorking with the Windows Registry Using DAO to Access Data Using ADO to Access DataUsing SQL with VBA Using VBA to Enhance FormsEnhancing Reports with VBA Customizing the Ribbon Customizing the Office BackstageWorking with Office 2010 Working with SharePointWorking with .NET Building Client-Server Applications with AccessThe Access 2010 Templates Access Runtime DeploymentDatabase SecurityAccess 2010 Security Features

If you're looking for a scalable storage solution to accommodate a virtually endless amount of data, this book shows you how Apache HBase can fulfill your needs. As the open source implementation of Google's BigTable architecture, HBase scales to billions of rows and millions of columns, while ensuring that write and read performance remain constant. Many IT executives are asking pointed questions about HBase. This book provides meaningful answers, whether you’re evaluating this non-relational database or planning to put it into practice right away.Discover how tight integration with Hadoop makes scalability with HBase easier Distribute large datasets across an inexpensive cluster of commodity servers Access HBase with native Java clients, or with gateway servers providing REST, Avro, or Thrift APIs Get details on HBase’s architecture, including the storage format, write-ahead log, background processes, and more Integrate HBase with Hadoop's MapReduce framework for massively parallelized data processing jobs Learn how to tune clusters, design schemas, copy tables, import bulk data, decommission nodes, and many other tasks