Office 2007: Top 100 Simplified® Tips & Tricks

Chapter 9. Customize Your Database and Forms

To be sure, Access databases can hold volumes of data — so much so that it can sometimes be difficult to comprehend.

Fortunately, you can mitigate this difficulty by using Access's formatting tools. For example, you can auto-format your forms and reports to create a more polished and professional look, as well as add pictures to them. To expedite data entry, you can change the tab order of your forms — that is, the order in which the insertion point is moved from one field to another when the Tab key is pressed.

To draw attention to data that meets criteria you set, you can apply conditional formatting. For example, you might set a rule to highlight fields that contain values greater than, less than, ...