Hi Mehran, the hardest thing for you to deal with in coming from Excel to Access is the "spreadsheet blues".
Access tables look like spreadsheets. That's where any similarity ends. Park your knowledge at the door. - An Access table cannot do calculations - Every table should have a unique ID for that record. Usually that is an autonumber. - Don't confuse the databases internal autonumber with a meaningful external business-needs number (like sequential invoice numbers) - Tables should not hold all your data in one table but be split all over as many as you need to non-duplicate data. (ie a staff name should only ever be in one table, everything else links to that name's ID field. That's how relational databases work) - Learn about Queries as the way to bring the information from all your tables together, don't try and do it with tables - Base all your Forms and Reports on Queries, no matter how simple (they won't be as you grow it) - Start off using a naming convention. Read up about them and develop your own - but USE one. Here's some links to get you started - Relational data design http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q175939 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q209534 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q234208 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q288947&; http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;288947 - Normalization http://databases.about.com/library/weekly/aa080501a.htm http://www.datamodel.org/NormalizationRules.html http://userpages.aug.com/frodo/filenorm.html http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q209534 - Naming Conventions http://www.acc-technology.com/namconv.htm http://www.mvps.org/access/general/gen0012.htm http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/ARCHIVE/en-us/dnaraccgen/html/msdn_20naming.asp> http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/default.asp?url=/archive/en-us/dnaraccess/html/msdn_20naming.asp http://www.xoc.net/standards/rvbanc.asp - Queries (why and how they work) http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304325 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304352 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;182568 - Subforms (why and how they work) http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/assistance/HP051883951033.aspx http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/assistance/HP051878031033.aspx http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;209113 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;209099 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;113548 - Tab Controls http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;171222 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;198502 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;208785 http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;208750 Have fun Brett At 09:37 14/04/06, you wrote: >Hi, > >I am an experienced MS Excel user, but NEW to access. > >Are there any files or templates (here) that I should start "playing" >with? Also, do you know of formal Access instructional classes in the >San Francis Bay Area? Thanks. > > > > > > > > > > > >Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > >-- >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. >Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.1/313 - Release Date: 15/04/06 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.1/313 - Release Date: 15/04/06 Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ms_access/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
