This Tutorial

- Introduction

- The Microsoft Access database

- Using SQL to create a Microsoft Access database

- Using SQL to access Microsoft Access databases

- Creating tables

- Using SQL to describe Microsoft Access database tables

Related Pages

Microsoft Access Workgroup tutorial

Microsoft Access Database Splitter tutorial

Microsoft Access Build Your Own Database manual

- SQL tutorial for MySQL

- SQL tutorial for SQL Server

SQL database comparisons

- Comparison of the commands and operators used in WHERE clauses in Oracle, Microsoft Access, MySQL and SQL Server, and how to limit the number of rows returned

- Comparison of useful functions in Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft Access and SQL Server

Useful links

Microsoft Access

ASP Free site has a series of articles for beginners. Novices should start with the "Getting to Know ... " articles..

Alan Browne's tips contains tutorials suitable for all levels of expertise from casual users to Access developers.

Microsoft: This link will take you to the Microsoft Access Developer Center, from which you can find code samples, tutorials and tips.

MySQL

Download the MySQL database from the MySQL AB site.

Knowledge base articles and user manual are also available from the MySQL AB site..

The PHP MySQL Tutorial site covers the basic procedures for new PHP-MySQL programmers.

Structured Query Language (SQL) tutorial

Using SQL to Create a Microsoft Access Database

We'll create a database called bus that contains details of bookings for our company XYZ Transport. The details we plan to store include customer names, dates and times, buses, destinations, customer and drivers' addresses, phone numbers etc.

• Select Start > Microsoft Office Access.  An empty window will appear.
• Select Create a new file from the task pane on the right side of the screen.
• Select Blank database.
• Navigate to your class working folder. 
• Name the database bus.mdb
• Click Create.  The new database will then open. 

There are several distinct steps to using most production databases.  Access tends to handle some of these automatically.  For the moment, to illustrate these steps,

• Close your new database. 

You can review all your databases using the Windows file system to display directory structures using My Documents, My Computer or Windows Explorer. Access does not use command line systems similar to those used by other databases.