Alison Balter’s Mastering Microsoft Access 2002 Desktop Development

Chapter 1. Access as a Development Tool

<feature><title>In This Chapter</title>

• What Types of Applications Can You Develop in Access? 8

• Access as a Scalable Product 13

• What Exactly Is a Database? 13

• Getting to Know the Database Objects 14

• Object Naming Conventions 25

• Hardware Requirements 26

• How Do I Get Started Developing an Access Application? 27

• What’s New in Access 2002 32

</feature>

Why This Chapter Is Important

In talking to users and developers, I find that Access is a very misunderstood product. Many people think that it is just a toy to be used by managers or secretaries wanting to play with data. Others feel that it is a serious developer product intended for no one but experienced application developers. This chapter dispels the myths of Access. ...