2007 Microsoft® Office System Step by Step, Second Edition

Key Points

• You can set properties that restrict the type and amount of data that can be entered into an Access database.

• You can quickly enact conditional changes by running an action query.

• The Data Type setting restricts entries to a specific type of data: text, numbers, dates, and so on. The Field Size property for the Text, Number, and AutoNumber data types restricts the number of characters allowed in a text field or the number of digits allowed in a number or AutoNumber field. The Input Mask property controls the format in which data can be entered.

• You can use a validation rule to precisely define the information that will be accepted in one or several fields in a record. At the field level, Access tests each entry against the rule when you ...