Task 1: Create and Import
Create a new blank Access Database (using any version from Access 2007 to current) and name it [lastname] [initial] _ [student number] _ [course code] _ assign1.accdb
Import the four sets of data from your firm’s Intranet (Study Desk).
The easiest and quickest way to import data into Access is by using the Import Text Wizard. The following steps must be followed carefully to ensure the data is imported correctly:
Importing Tab Delimited Text files into Access (any version from Access 2007 to current) using the Wizard
1)On the External Data tab, in the Import & Link group, click the Text File data source icon.
2)In the Get External Data - Text File wizard popup, browse to find the ‘Assignment01 Text File Customers.txt’ text file and select the Import the source data into a new table in the current database option – then click OK.
3)Select the Delimited – Characters such as commas or tab separate each field option on the first page of the wizard - then click Next.
4)Select the Tab option on the second page of the wizard and turn on the First Row Contains Field Names check box - then click Next.
5)Set the following for each field on the third page of the wizard:
Field Name – keep the field name as it appears when imported
Note: Changing Field Names rather than using Captions will result in loss of marks.
Data Type – giving each an appropriate data type (students will be marked on their logical choice of data types, based on the sample data provided).
Note: Numbers that will not be used for calculations should be set as Text. Numbers such as Freight Weight and Order Qty must be carefully and logically set to avoid loss of data (numbers without decimal places should be set to be either binary, integer or long integer; and numbers with decimal places should be set to be single or double).
See the Beskeen et al textbook Access 2013 Unit E for more details on setting appropriate Data Types, particularly Table E-3: Common Number field properties for logical Data Types.
When you are sure that each field has the appropriate data type, click Next.
6)Select No Primary Key option on the forth page of the wizard – these will be set in Task 2 - then click Next.
7)Name the table tblCustomers on the final page of the wizard and click Finish.
Task 2: Modify Table Design
Modify the four imported tables’ structures using the given Table Specifications, from the section above, in Microsoft Access using Table Design View:
Use the above table specifications, checking that you have the correct table names and field names.
Check that all fields have the appropriate Data Type from the following:
Text, Number, Date/Time, Currency, Yes/No, Hyperlink.
Add an appropriate Field Descriptions to ALL data field with a well-structured description, eg. for CustID an appropriate description would be:
Customer Identification | Data Type: Short Text: 3 Characters
Ensure that you also set properties for each field where appropriate. You MUST set the following:
Field Size – set appropriate logical fields sizes for all Text and Number data types (numbers without decimal places should be set to be either binary, integer or long integer; and numbers with decimal places should be set to be single or double)
Caption – set an appropriate English caption for all fields where the field name is not in English (eg. Customer ID for CustID)
Format – set an appropriate format for all: Yes/No and Date data fields; Text data fields that should be stored in Upper-Case (State); Hyperlinks data fields that should be stored in lower-case (EmailAddress); and numbers that contain currency or percentages
Note: LU is the country code for Luxembourg – should be formatted in Euros; KY is the country code for Tuvalu – should be formatted in Dollars.
Decimals – set an appropriate number of decimal places for any single or double numbers
Default Value – set an appropriate default value for all Yes / No data Fields
Required – set any data Fields that must contain data to Required and leave any Fields where data is optional as unchecked.
Validation Rule and Validation Text – include appropriate Validation Rules for each of the following data Fields: Title; State; and Item Type. This ensures that only limited value options can be entered for these data Fields.
See the Beskeen et al textbook Access 2013 Unit E for more details on appropriate settings for each Data Type
Task 3: Set Primary Keys
Set the Primary Keys for the four (4) Tables as per the following table specifications in Microsoft Access using Table Design View:
Task 4: Create Relationships between the Tables
Create the following relationships between the four (4) tables:
tblCustomers to tblOrders
tblItems to tblOrders
tblSuppliers to tblItems
Check that the correct table names and field names are listed in the ‘Edit Relationships’ screen.
Ensure that you ENFORCE referential integrity, but do not set Cascading Updates or Cascading Deletes.
You should check that the computer has identified correctly the 1 to ∞ relationships between the four (4) tables.
Note: This must be done after you have established the primary keys
See the Beskeen et al textbook Access 2013 Unit E and the YouTube videos on the StudyDesk for more details on creating relationships
Task 5: Create Data and Update Queries
Create the following Five (5) queries using the Query Design View. Use the names given for each query to avoid confusion for the client (make sure you submit them in the order given below).
Note: Not all queries will require the inclusion of all four tables; you must decide which tables are appropriate for the generation of each query’s output. Only tables needed should be included in the query design as extraneous tables could cause problems with the query results.
Note: Query names must conform to the Leszynski Naming Convention (LNC) as per the Naming Convention for Access Database Objects document in the Practical Appendixes found on the Study Schedule and Module Materials – including the Query Number and Two Meaningful Words to describe the query eg. qry1XxxxxxXxxxxx.
See the Beskeen et al textbook Access 2013 Unit B, Access 2013 Unit F and Access 2013 Unit K for more details on creating queries