Choosing a template displays more information in the Getting Started window in C#.NET

Maker USS Code 128 in C#.NET Choosing a template displays more information in the Getting Started window

One new feature in Office Access 2007 is the capability to link a database to a Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Web site. If you will be sharing the new database on a SharePoint site, click the check box above the Create button before you click Create.

When you choose one of the Office Access 2007 templates, you find a usable set of data tables, queries, reports, and more that you can use as the basis for your own data management needs. For example, if you are responsible for coordinating marketing projects in your company, you

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can use the Marketing Projects database (in the Business template category) to set up, organize, and track the marketing projects you produce. The database template includes a number of predesigned tables (Projects, Open Projects, Common Deliverables, Deliverables, Employees, Vendors, and more); you can simply begin to create records and enter your own data to use the application as-is. These full database applications not only save you a huge amount of time you would otherwise spend designing a new database but they also help you see how professional database developers create a database system and help you ensure that you are tracking critical business information in the best possible way.

In the past, some potential Office Access users have shied away from the program because creating a database for relatively simple data management needs seemed too complicated. Office Access 2007 now includes a number of full-featured templates that function as trackable applications right out of the box. Users can use these templates to track their data easily in a variety of settings.

The new Office Access 2007 window is designed so that you can quickly select and work with the tables, forms, reports, and queries in your database. New design features help you get a quick sense of important data items and provide you with the tools you need to complete the task at hand.

You need a set of tools to work with information in a meaningful way. You need to be able to enter information quickly in Datasheet View; display information items in such a way that others can respond easily by using Forms View; create and modify that form for others to use (that s Design View); and set up how the information will look in a report in Layout View. Now you can switch among all those views easily when you re working with your information by clicking the View button in the Home tab (see Figure 9-3).

Figure 9-3

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Tip You can also change the view by clicking the view control you want to use in the lowerright corner of the Office Access 2007 window.

You ll notice right away that the tabs in Office Access 2007 are new and intuitive. Now the command tabs follow a simplified progression: Home, Create, External Data, and Database Tools. Here s what you ll find in the various menus:

The Home tab contains the command sets you will use to change views; and add, format, filter, and search records in your database. The Create tab gives you the tools you need to design and add tables, Office SharePoint 2007 lists, forms, reports, queries, and macros. The External Data tab (see Figure 9-4) provides tools for importing information from and exporting to Office Access 2007, Office Excel 2007, text files, XML files and more. You ll also find tools for saving as in PDF and XPS format, gathering information via e-mail, and synchronizing your information with Office SharePoint 2007 lists. The Database Tools tab contains more advanced tools for working with macros; displaying relationships and dependencies; and analyzing, managing, and synchronizing your information.