Datasheet

You can find out all about forms in Chapter 5, and if your database is
large enough to require help doing the data entry, or if it will continue to
grow over time and an on-going data entry process is likely, Access is
the tool for you. The fact that it offers simple forms of data entry and
editing is reason enough.
Databases requiring special reporting
Yet another reason to use Access is its ability to create customized reports
quickly and easily. Some database programs, especially those designed for
single-table
flat file databases, have some canned reports built in, and that’s
all you can do — just select a report from the list and run the same report
every other user of that software runs.
If you’re an Excel user, your reporting capabilities are far from easy or simple,
and they’re not designed for use with large databases — they’re meant for
spreadsheets and small, flat-file lists. Further, you have to dig much deeper
into Excel’s tools to get at these reports. Because Access is a database appli-
cation, reporting is a major feature.
An example? In Excel, to get a report that groups your data by one or more of
the fields in your list, you have to sort the database first, using the field/s to
sort the data, and then you can create what’s known as a subtotal report. To
create it, you use a dialog box that asks you about calculations you want to
perform, where to place the results, and whether you’re sorting and subtotal-
ing on more than one field. The resulting report is not designed for printing,
and you have to tinker with your spreadsheet pagination (through a special-
ized view of the spreadsheet) in order to control how the report prints out.
In Access? Just fire up the Report Wizard, and you can sort your data, choose
how to group it, decide which pieces of data to include in the report, and pick
a visual layout and color scheme — all in one simple, stream-lined process.
Without your doing anything, the report is ready for printing. Access is built
for reporting, because it’s a database application — and reports are one of
the most, if not
the most important way you’ll use and share your data.
Because reports are such an important part of Access, you can create them
quickly and easily, but you can also customize them to create powerful docu-
mentation of your most important data:
 Build a quick, simple report that just spits out whatever’s in your table
in a tidy, easy-to-read format. See Figure 1-3 for a sample.
 Create a customized report that you design step-by-step with the Report
Wizard. See Figure 1-4.
 You can really roll up your sleeves and design a new report or play with
an existing one, adding all sorts of bells and whistles. Figure 1-5 shows
this happening in Design view.
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Chapter 1: Getting to Know Access 2007
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