Creating an Access Database: A Primer for Resource Center Managers   

 by   
Laura C. Larsson

Introduction to the Workshop

Table of Contents

Overview and Disclaimer 
Goal and Objectives  

Overview and Disclaimer

This Website was originally designed for a day-long workshop that took place in Kosice, Slovakia, from July 12-16, 1998. 

This workshop document was prepared with funds provided by American International Health Alliance as grantee to the U.S. Agency for International Development under Cooperative Agreement Number CSS-0004-A-00-2017-00. 

The participants were Information Center managers from a variety of healthcare settings. It is they who helped me identify weak areas and small errors which I have (hopefully) corrected. 

The class is intended to provide a practical hand-on exerience to the design of an Access database by creating a database. It is not intended to be a theoretical discussion of database design and is in no way intended to train participants to become expert Access programmers capable of designing extremely complex databases. 

Participants will learn how to plan and design a simple (but interesting) Serials management database from the ground up. 

Please note that after this page, we will not refer to Access 97, just Access. The instructions will, of course, refer to the Access 97 version of the software. 

Goal and Objectives 

Goal: By the end of the workshop, participants should have completed the planning, design and preliminary testing for a serials database which they can consider using as a model to design a serials database for their resource centers when they return home. 

Objectives: Participants will 
 

  • learn how to identify elements which should go into a serials database (building a conceptual model of the database on paper) 
  • create tables for the database (on paper and then in Access) 
  • establish the relationships between the tables through creating an entity relationship diagram 
  • have entered data into forms they've created 
  • have thought about possible information they would like to get out of the database (queries) 
  • have designed and be able to print reports, and

    •  
  • By the end of this workshop students should have a good idea how to use Access to identify relevant information, organize it and disseminate useable information on serials.

    •  

    Next: What is Microsoft Access? 
     
     
    Table of Contents | References and Resources | Glossary | 
    Page Updated: July 19, 1998
    URL:  http://weber.u.washington.edu/~larsson/conf/aiha98/primer/intro.html