Getting Started Guide

needed. (See Caution below for the reason why.) Click Create. The new table
is created.
Caution
Once tables have been created using the wizard and data has been
entered, editing them should be very limited. Fields can be added or
deleted, but adding a field requires taking the time to enter the data for
that one field for every record having an entry for that field.
Deleting a field deletes all the data once contained in that field.
Changing the field type of a field can lead to data being lost either
partially or completely. When creating a new table, it pays to create the
fields with the correct names, length, and format before you add any
data.
Deleting a table removes all of the data contained in every field of the
table. Unless you are sure, do not delete a table.
Creating tables in Design View
Design View is a more advanced method for creating a new table, in which you
directly enter information about each field in the table. We will use this method for
the tables of our database.
Note
While the Field type and formatting are different in Design View, the
concepts are the same as in the Wizard.
The first table to be created is Fuel. Its fields are FuelID, Date, FuelCost,
FuelQuantity, Odometer, and PaymentType.
1) Click Create Table in Design View.
2) FuelID field:
a) Type FuelID as the first Field Name. Press the Tab key to move to the
Field Type column.
b) Select Integer [INTEGER] as the Field Type from the dropdown list. (The
default setting is Text [VARCHAR].)
Tip
A shortcut for selecting from the Field Type dropdown list: press the key
for the first letter of the choice. You can cycle through the choices for a
given letter by repeatedly pressing that key.
c) Change the Field Properties in the bottom section.
Change AutoValue from No to Yes.
d) Set FuelID as the Primary key.
Right-click on the green triangle to the left of FuelID (Figure 178) and
choose Primary Key from the menu. This places a key icon in front of
FuelID.
Chapter 8 Getting Started with Base 209