Education for Access?? (1 Viewer)

KristenD

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Since my job description now includes Database Management as well as administration, I feel I can only go so far with trial and error and forums. What would your best advice be for getting more education with Access so I can learn the VBA aspect and SQL aspect of it?

I feel this would be a great career step for me as HRIS systems are needed and my background is HR but if I am able to add a computer background in there I am making myself more marketable.

Thank you for your advice!
 

Galaxiom

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I feel I can only go so far with trial and error and forums.

It worked for me and many others. There is no teacher like the desire to complete a project involving the skills you want to lean.
 

PeterOC

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I'm with Golaxiom. Learning is often driven by necessitiy but most of the times what you're stuck on will already have been addressed on these forums. Pick yourself up a good reference book as well. The Access Inside out series is pretty good.
 

Lightwave

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Kristen what you might want to try is designing your own HR system from the ground up.
Even if your system isn't as efficient as an off the shelf system trying to do it will teach you both about database and system design and about the intrecacies of HR systems. It will really focus your learning on both HR and system design.

HR systems are likely to be very similarly organised in the background. The main difference will be the UIs on top of the underlying tables.

If I was hiring a HR people and I knew a candidate had done that I would take him/her very seriously.
 

KristenD

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Thank you all so much for your advice! I will definitely see if I can't download the Access Inside out series onto my tablet for quick reference.

I have been designing my own HR database at the request of my company and have found it very challenging, frustrating, rewarding and a lot of fun actually! It is not the full HR system but rather performance tracking, licensing tracking and safety tracking. This forum has been a wealth of knowledge for me and I wanted to advance myself more in being able to understand, use and write code.

Thank you again for your wonderful suggestions and advice!
 

Ashtechsmith

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Infin8 has partnered with Education Access for All to raise funds for education projects including school scholarships for rural children and arts education. We hope you can make it or donate to the event!
thnk you for advise
 

gemma-the-husky

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i think there are a few things

1. data analysis - helps to understand the ethos of a business, and to be able to design the right table structure (normalisation)

2. access object model - understand the event driven nature of what happens in access

3. access object design - understanding how to design efficient queries, forms and reports

4. coding - understanding how to code, use of good algorithms, etc. resilience - robust code, with good error handling. in this respect a coding course in any language is very useful, as it is all transferrable to vba

5. user interface - having a good idea of an easy, intuitive interface

some of these can be taught - but a lot of it is really just guidance at particular points. being shown the best/most efficient way to achieve something. the "lightbulb" moments when something obscure suddenly makes sense.

it may be worth having some specific training on things that you do not understand. a programming course in any languge would be useful. (not necessarily vba).

the learning curve for databases is really a series of plateaus - as you suddenly jump up another level with some new found expertise. but there is no substitute for practice

pick something relatively small that you understand and write an app. just say something like recording a CD collection. you will learn loads.
 

KristenD

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Yes, I am thinking of taking an Access course offered around the corner from where I work. I have had a lot of "lightbulb" moments working on this database thanks mostly to this forum pointing me where I need to go or look. The database I am currently working on is fairly simple and once this part is up and running I will be adding a few more tables and make it more like an HRIS system. I feel very lucky to have found this forum and the amazing knowledge of the people on here!
 

mispiece

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2 years ago I planned to take a short term course on it but haven't got the chance so I let go of it. However, I'm thinking to get one. I hope I'll be able to realize it by this time.
 

ButtonMoon

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Since my job description now includes Database Management as well as administration, I feel I can only go so far with trial and error and forums. What would your best advice be for getting more education with Access so I can learn the VBA aspect and SQL aspect of it?

If you are serious about learning database management then best study some product-independent books or take a course in database fundamentals at a college or from a respected training provider. Access itself is a poor environment in which to learn about relational databases. Access-specific books won't teach you the necessary foundation knowledge.

Contrary to what else has been said, you are quite right not to expect to learn much just by "do it yourself" or from forums. Trial and error is the most expensive and least reliable form of education. If you try to learn from online sources such as this one without the necessary knowledge to judge their validity then you will certainly learn many things that are completely wrong and very probably harmful.
 

Ashtechsmith

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Yes and you can lot of more from this forum. There are many PHP Developers, iPhone Developers, Android Development Groups in this forum where you can get so many things.
 

Pat Hartman

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I would suggest a course in Database design at your local college. It will not be Access specific and will probably use SQL Server or Oracle but the concept of database design is universal. The tools to create the database are different but once you learn how to use one database engine, you will be able to muddle through the interface of another and the "Access" (technically it is ACE or Jet NOT Access) is the easiest of all since it is all graphical.
 

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