Access® 2007 For Dummies®

Chapter 7. Creating Data Forms

In This Chapter

• Creating forms the easy way with AutoForm

• Building a form with the Form Wizard

• Adding the finishing touches

Access forms are similar to paper forms in that they are used in part to collect data. Access forms go beyond paper forms by having a direct connection to the database tables that store the collected information. In the “old days,” after you completed a paper form, some poor soul had to manually organize and file each form in a file cabinet or tabulate results by hand. With the advent of electronic databases like Access, data is typed into an electronic form and simultaneously placed in the file cabinet (the table) connected to that form.

Why use forms?

Access forms have all kinds of advantages over old‐fashioned paper forms — and they'll spoil you if you're used to wandering through your data in Datasheet view (where the data appears in a spreadsheet format).

Here are the most important reasons for using Access forms to manage your data:

• Say goodbye to Datasheet view: Maintaining your data in Datasheet view isn't much fun. The constant scrolling back and forth and up and down can make you dizzy. With a form, you focus on one record at a time with all the data laid out on a single screen. Maintaining your data becomes a snap, and your datasheet‐induced headaches disappear.

• Modify at will: When your needs change, update the form in Design view. When you need to collect a new piece of data, just add a field to the appropriate table and ...