A thorough tutorial that helps one make a mean database

[Phillipson]

Hello all!

I have been searching online for the past couple of days for a thorough tutorial that aids the user to make his/her own detailed database based on example data (that does not necessarily have to be adhered to) supplied as the tutorial progresses.

As a student participating in an advanced computing class, I feel that this would benefit me as I can do as the steps ask and see how certain things are done. I am not a complete Access mug... I have a basic knowledge of the fundamentals, but stumbling accross an in-depth tutorial that details all of the standard features (tables, queries, forms etc) along with possibly some example modules would be excellent and beneficial.

All I have found so far is various snippets - "SQL basics" and "Macros: what they do and how to implement them" for example - these miss the bigger picture I am looking for. Surely a step-by-step tutorial on "Designing and working a fully-featured database from the gound up" is not that rare!

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[gemma-the-husky]

All that really can be taught is an explanation of what tables, queries, forms, reports etc do, and how to normalize the data within them. Any application depends on what the designer is trying to achieve with it, so how could it be possible to say "here's a database". Access ships with several demos, but even Northwind is only really good enough to see how a few basic problems are addressed.

I would suggest, look at the reading list, pick a good text book, and work through it. I have found Alison Balter's to be very explanatory.

As an advice, Personally, I would always use VB Code Modules rather than Macros

 

[Joe8915]

Have you tried this site

http://www.datapigtechnologies.com/freeware.htm

 

[ColinEssex]

Look at the Northwind.mdb that comes on the CD. That covers many things

Col

 

[The_Doc_Man]

If YOU ever find a really good tutorial, let us know. However, I fear that no such tutorial exists. (Even one that I would write would have its problems.) You see, invariably you have the problem that the author will bring his/her personal prejudices to the table (keyboard?). It is HARD to write technically with little or no emotion, style variation, or deviation from the goal of the segments. I write documents for the U.S. Government as part of my job. I've done it for at least 18 years and I STILL can't do it well enough to suit the civil servants. In fact, sometimes, when they see what I write, they get downright uncivil about the whole thing.

I'll offer this thought. You really DON'T want to find ONE good tutorial. You want to sit through two or three with widely different styles and try to glean commonalities from same. You want to synthesize your own style from looking at multiple viewpoints and deciding which makes more sense to you.

Yeah, I know that doesn't help with the speed factor, but in the long run you might find that too much speed up front results in not enough power later on.

 

[Joe8915]

Very good point DOC_Man

25 years with the government here