Special Edition Using Microsoft® Office XP

Restricting Data Entry

Even the most carefully designed database is worthless if it contains inaccurate or inconsistent data. Unfortunately, the data-entry process is typically tedious, and even a highly motivated, well-trained worker can become tired or distracted. When fingers slip or the mind wanders, errors are inevitable. You can't prevent users from accidentally typing incorrect data, but you can define rules that prevent Access from storing errors.

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Some of the most effective data restrictions are side effects of the data type you specify for a field. Trying to enter text in a Numeric field or numbers in a Date/Time field, for example, ...