Access® 2007 For Dummies®

Chapter 1. Getting to Know Access 2007

In This Chapter

• Deciding when to use Access

• Unlocking the basics of working with Access

• Figuring out how to get started

Access 2007, the most recent version of Microsoft Office's database application, is a very robust and powerful program. You probably already know that, and perhaps that power, or your perceptions of all that Access can do, is what made you reach for this book. Good decision!

For all of Access's power, it's important to note that Access is also very — pardon the expression — accessible. It's pretty easy to use at the edges, where a new user will be; you don't have to venture all the way in to its core to get quite a lot out of the software. In fact, with just the basic functionality that you'll discover in this book, you'll be able to put Access through many of its most important paces, yet you'll be working with wizards and other on‐screen tools that keep you at a comfortable arm's distance from the software's inner workings, the things that programmers and serious developers play with.

You don't need to use every feature and tool and push the edges of the Access envelope. In fact, you can use very little of everything Access has to offer and still have quite a significant solution to your needs for storing and accessing data — all because Access can really “do it all” — enabling you to set up a database quickly, build records into that database, and then use that data in several useful ways. Later on, who knows? You may become ...