Datasheet

After you open a table, you can begin entering or editing records — and you
can read more about how that’s done in Chapter 6, where the different ways
to edit your data and tweak your tables’ setups are demonstrated. If you want
to tinker with any existing queries, these, too, open just by clicking them in
the list on the left side of the workspace. For more information on queries,
check out Chapters 11 and 12. You can do simple sorting and look for particu-
lar records with the skills you’ll discover in Chapter 9.
Starting a new database from scratch
So you don’t have a database to open, eh? Well, don’t let that stop you. To
start a new one, all you have to do is open Access using any of the tech-
niques listed earlier in this chapter — except the one that starts Access by
opening an existing database file.
A database file holds
all your database components. Everything associated
with the data is part of the database, including
 All the tables that house your data
 Queries that help you search and use the data
 Reports that show what your data is and what it means
 Forms that allow people to view, enter, and edit data
After Access is open, you can click the Blank Database button (shown in
Figure 1-11) to get started. Clicking that button opens a panel on the far right,
which allows you to name your database and select a home for it. For the
specific steps in this process, read on:
Figure 1-10:
An existing
table, ready
for records.
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