Tutorial 3: Copying tables in Access

Hi everyone !

      One of the nice features of Microsoft Access is the ability to easily copy existing tables.   This comes in handy when you want to save a copy of a table as a backup,  in order to preserve the table and its data as it appears now.   You may want to export this new table at some point in time, or rename it,  all without affecting the original table.  



Original table containing data

 

New table containing data



  

   

       The copy feature will also let you create a new table with the same structure (fields, indexes, primary keys) as the original table and with none of the data.  This is nice to do when you have a new batch of data to load and you don’t really want to put it in the original table.  I would recommend that you keep a copy of all of your table structures in addition to backing up your data.    



New table with no data

     The last thing the copy will do it is to append the data from the original table into another table.  You don’t get your choice of how much of the data is inserted,  it is an all or nothing operation.   If you only want some of the data from the original table, you can just create a new table with just the structure,  and then cut and paste the rows that you want from the old table to the new table.

      The following  window shows the three choices you get after you highlight the existing table, right-click, and then select ‘Copy’, and then ‘Paste’.   You also highlight the existing table and choose the ‘Copy’ and ‘Paste’ icons.   Access 2010 will insert the name of the table copy as 'Copy of Members',  but you can easily overwrite this and give it a different name, like 'MembersBackup' if you like.

Good luck !

Wayne

Credits:  Digital pictures by Wayne Bornick

              Screenshot from Microsoft Access via Snipping tool



Microsoft Access Database Project

Hi everyone,

      The Access Project was challenging and I learned several things about Access.  

       First of all,  Access is a flexible, easy to learn database.  The common Design View interface for tables, queries, forms, and reports is a nice feature.  I found myself fighting through the various icons and menus until I started to find my way around.   I had started the project by creating the requested database,  then somehow I created the Members table in a different database,  along with the query, report , and form.  I could not find a way the rename a database in Access.  I really didn’t think this was possible anyway.  The solution was to just import the objects from the default database into the correctly named database.  Once I did that, all was well.  Overall,  I wished I had learned Access prior to learning Oracle.   It would have been easier that way to be introduced to SQL.   

       Secondly,  I found the SQL View useful to check and ensure the query was selecting all the columns(fields) and the ‘group by’s and the ‘order by’s were there.

        I would do several things to improve this database.  I would add a field to the Members table for ‘email address’.   Then create a new query called ‘Birthday’ and select  the current members whose birthdays were soon approaching and then you could either mail them a birthday card or email a birthday greeting.  You could also use the email address to send announcements or special offers to current members.  If the Members table grew really large,  queries using the LastName field may benefit by an index.  

Thank you,
Wayne

Project: Presentation blog

Hi all, 

This is the link to my video on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS_23oedKK0

   Early on, I committed to doing this presentation on PowerPoint because I had used it before and was familiar with it.  I ran into a problem with file that resulted and You Tube would not accept the PowerPoint format.  I then saved it as a WMV file and then was able to upload it with no problems.  I also saw that other students used other tools like Microsoft MovieMaker and I thought I would use that next time as it looked very easy to use.  I would now like to create a video regarding 'best practices' for my area of

expertise in supporting data warehousing for my company.    

   What I learned from the project was to try several of the tools and to be careful with file formats.  In addition,  using a storyboard helped alot because I was able to limit the scope of the project and organize the objects used and general concept of 'what goes where, when'.

     I tried to use the first picture to grab attention and to plainly state the fact of obesity being a tremendous problem.     I think I got the basic flow right ,  first stating the problem,  then impact , and then what people can do about it.   I was trying to clarify the causes that people can attribute to obesity by asking is it caused by 'video games ,

fast food,  reduced physical activity. 

     I tried to avoid clutter and expand in the comments area instead on on the slide and the same for readability.   Perhaps more time could have been given to read the slides before I started talking but I speak fairly slowly so I am not sure if anyone had a problem with this. 

     I have been personally close to the diabetes problem and may have spent too much time on it - but it is really one of the worse outcomes from childhood obesity and I felt it deserves attention.   

Go Gators!

Wayne