PRAGUE & IRWIN “The BEST book out there . . . I used this book so much I wore out the binding.” —Don Dimon, MCSE, MCP+I, Senior Programmer/Analyst If Access 2002 can do it, you can do it too . . . Client lists. Sales figures. Product inventories. In today’s networked, Internet-everywhere world, you need to get a grip on your data—and make sure it’s easy to access. With expert advice from Cary Prague and Michael Irwin, you’ll quickly discover how to put the Web-savvy database management capabilities of Microsoft Access 2002 to work. Packed with step-by-step instructions and practical examples, this bestselling guide delivers everything you need to organize, present, analyze, and share your data over a corporate network or the Internet. Inside, you’ll find complete coverage of Access 2002 • Design flexible databases using the proven seven-step method • Create tables, forms, queries, and reports quickly with Access wizards • Use expressions to validate data, apply rules, or format numbers • Import, export, and link data from other Microsoft Office XP programs • Set relationships between multiple tables to facilitate queries • Make your data look good with formatting tricks and multimedia elements • Create SQL Server applications with stored procedures and triggers • Program custom forms, reports, and menus with VBA • Create live Web forms using XML and Data Access Pages Shelving Category: Database Reader Level: Beginning to Advanced System Requirements: Pentium class PC running Windows 9x/NT/2000/Me and XP, CD-ROM drive. ISBN 0-7645-3596-X $49.99 USA $74.99 Canada £39.99 UK incl. VAT Access2002 Access2002 Build well designed tables, queries, forms, and reports Harness the power of functions, expressions, controls, and VBA in Office XP Put Access data on the Web using XML and Data Access Pages A ccess 2002 Cary Prague and Michael Irwin Microsoft Certified Professionals “I recommend this book for anyone who wants a strong foundation in Access.” —Jeff Lenamon, CIBC World Markets ,!7IA7G4-fdfjgd!:p;o;t;T;T Access tools on CD-ROM! BONUS CD-ROM Source code, all examples, developer tools from Database Creations, and more! www.hungryminds.com 100% ONE HUNDRED PERCENT COMPREHENSIVE AUTHORITATIVE WHAT YOU NEED ONE HUNDRED PERCENT Adjusting the subform datasheet A macro group with four filter macros used to limit the records viewed in a form. Shareware programs are fully functional, free trial versions of copyrighted programs. If you like particular programs, register with their authors for a nominal fee and receive licenses, enhanced versions, and technical support. Freeware programs are free, copyrighted games, applications, and utilities. You can copy them to as many PCs as you like—free—but they have no technical support. Bonus CD-ROM • Demos of Check Writer, EZ File Manager, EZ Access Developer’s Suite, and other tools from Database Creations A ccess 2002 B ible International bestseller with over 450,000 copies in print *85555-AHGJHg 100% COMPREHENSIVE • All examples and code from the book • A searchable e-version of the book 3596-X Cover 5/25/01 9:11 AM Page 1 Access 2002 Bible Cary N. Prague and Michael R. Irwin Best-Selling Books • Digital Downloads • e-Books • Answer Networks • e-Newsletters • Branded Web Sites • e-Learning New York, NY ✦ Cleveland, OH ✦ Indianapolis, IN 3596-X FM.F 5/30/01 11:30 AM Page i Access 2002 Bible Published by Hungry Minds, Inc. 909 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022 www.hungryminds.com Copyright © 2001 Hungry Minds, Inc. All rights reserved. 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THE ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HEREIN AND THE OPINIONS STATED HEREIN ARE NOT GUARANTEED OR WARRANTED TO PRODUCE ANY PARTICULAR RESULTS, AND THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY INDIVIDUAL. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR OTHER DAMAGES. FULFILLMENT OF EACH COUPON OFFER IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OFFEROR. Trademarks: All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Hungry Minds, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. is a trademark of Hungry Minds, Inc. 3596-X FM.F 5/30/01 11:30 AM Page ii About the Authors Cary N. Prague is an internationally best selling author and lecturer in the database industry. He owns Database Creations, Inc., the world’s largest Microsoft Access add-on company. Their products include a line of financial software; Business! for Microsoft Office, a mid-range accounting system, POSitively Business! Point of Sale software, the Inventory Barcode manager for mobile data collection, and the Check Writer and General Ledger. Database Creations also produces a line of developer tools including the appBuilder, an application generator for Microsoft Access, the EZ Access Developer Tools for building great user interfaces, appWatcher for maintaining code bases among several developers, and Surgical Strike, the only Patch Manager for Microsoft Access. Cary also owns Database Creations Consulting, LLC., a successful consulting firm spe- cializing in Microsoft Access and SQL Server applications. Local and national clients include many Fortune 100 companies including manufacturers, defense contractors, insurance, health-care, and software industry companies. His client list includes Microsoft, United Technologies, ABB, Smith & Wesson Firearms, Pratt and Whitney Aircraft, ProHealth, OfficeMax, Continental Airlines, and other Fortune 500 companies. Formerly, he has held numerous management positions in corporate information sys- tems, including Director of Managed Care Reporting for MetraHealth, Director of Corporate Finance and Software Productivity at Travelers Insurance where he was responsible for software support for 35,000 end users, and Manager of Information Systems support for Northeast Utilities. He is one of the top best-selling authors in the computer database management market having written over forty books which have sold over one million copies on software including Microsoft Access, Borland (Ashton-Tate) dBASE, Paradox, R:Base, Framework, and graphics. Cary’s books include eleven books in the Access Bible series (recently number one on the Ingram Bestselling Database Titles list and in the Amazon.com top 100), Access 97 Secrets, dBASE for Windows Handbook, dBASE IV Programming (winner of the Computer Press Association’s Book of the Year award for Best Software Specific Book), and Everyman’s Database Primer Featuring dBASE IV. He previously completed three books for Access 2000 including Weekend Crash Course in Access 2000 Programming. Cary recently sold a product line named eTools for Microsoft Access to MightyWords, a division of FatBrain.com and Barnes and Noble. Cary is certified in Access as a Microsoft Certified Professional and has passed the MOUS test in Access and Word. He is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences around the country. He is on the exclusive Microsoft Access Insider Advisory Board and makes frequent trips to Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, WA. He has been voted the best speaker by the attendees of several national conferences. Recently, he was a speaker for Microsoft sponsored conferences in New Orleans, Hawaii, Phoenix, Chicago, Toronto, Palm Springs, Boston, and Orlando. He has also spoken at Borland’s Database Conference, Digital Consulting’s Database World, Microsoft’s Developer Days, Computerland’s Technomics Conference, COMDEX, and COMPAQ Computer’s Innovate. He was a contributing editor to Access Advisor magazine and has written for the Microsoft Office Developer’s journal. Cary holds a master’s degree in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and an M.B.A. and Bachelor of Accounting from the University of Connecticut. He is also a Certified Data Processor. 3596-X FM.F 5/30/01 11:30 AM Page iii Michael R. Irwin is considered one of the leading authorities on automated database and Internet management systems today. He is a noted worldwide lecturer, a winner of national and international awards, best-selling author, and developer of client/server, Internet, Intranet, and PC-based database management systems. Mr. Irwin has extensive database knowledge, gained by working with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. as a developer and analyst for the Information Systems Division for over 20 years and assorted Federal Agencies of the United States Government. Since retiring in June 1992, he runs his own con- sulting firm, named The Irwin Group, and is principal partner in the company - IT in Asia, LLC, specializing in Internet database integration and emphasizing Client/Server and net solutions. With consulting offices in Cincinnati Ohio, Bangkok Thailand, and Manila Philippines, his companies offer Training and Development of Internet and database applications. His company has the distinction of being one of the first Microsoft Solution’s Providers (in 1992). His local, national, and interna- tional clients include many software companies, manufacturers, government agen- cies, and international companies. His range of expertise includes database processing and integration between main- frame, minicomputer, and PC-based database systems, as well as B-2-B and B-2-C integration between back-end databases; he is a leading authority on PC-based databases. He is one of the top best-selling authors in the computer database management market having authored numerous database books, with several of them consis- tently on the best sellers lists. His books, combined, have sold nearly a million copies worldwide. His most recent works include The OOPs Primer (Borland Press, dBASE 5.5 for Windows Programming (Prentice Hall), Microsoft Access 2000 Bible, Microsoft Access 2000 Bible Gold Edition (co-authored), and Working with the Internet. The Access Bible series have recently been number one on the Ingram Best- selling Database Titles list and is always in the Amazon.com top 100. He has also written several books on customs and cultures of the countries of Asia (including China, Japan, Thailand, and India). Two of his books have won international acclaim. His books are published in over 24 languages worldwide. He has been a contributing editor and author to many well-known magazines and journals. He is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences around the world and has been voted the best speaker by the attendees of several international conferences. Michael has developed and markets several add-on software products for the Internet and productivity related applications. Many of his productivity applica- tions can be obtained from several of his Internet sites or on many common down- load sites. Many of his application and systems are distributed as freeware and careware. He has also developed and distributes several development tools and add-ins for a wide range of developer applications. 3596-X FM.F 5/30/01 11:30 AM Page iv Credits Acquisitions Editor Greg Croy Project Editors Janet Andrews, Erik Schwab, Pat O’Brien Technical Editor Maryann Brown Copy Editors Rebekah Mancilla, Michelle Shaw Project Coordinator Jennifer Bingham Graphics and Production Specialists Kristen Pickett, Jill Piscitelli, Kendra Span, Laurie Stevens, Brian Torwelle, Erin Zeltner Quality Control Technicians Laura Albert, David Faust, John Greenough, Andy Hollandbeck, Susan Moritz, Charles Spencer Permissions Editor Carmen Krikorian Media Development Specialist Megan Decraene Media Development Coordinator Marisa Pearman Proofreading and Indexing TECHBOOKS Production Services This book is dedicated to the people closest to me. First and foremost it is dedicated to my family — my wife, Dra. Arni Lim-Irwin, my sons Richard Rocco, Joseph Patrick, and David Joseph. While writing this book, I had to be separated from my family for over three months, who where in another country, to finish on deadline. It is also dedicated to my mother, Aurelia Irwin, 72 years young and as strong as ever — who has continued to be my sounding board and example of strength. Finally, my partner, Richard Mahonski, who is ‘holding down the fort’ in Asia while I write this book under a horrific deadline! — MRI This book is dedicated to the memory of my father who died in 1999. I miss him more every year. My Dad gave me strength, motivation, and pushed me beyond my limits. I can only hope that my sons — David, Jeffrey, and Alex — someday will understand how proud I am of them and how I too will relentlessly push them to do their best and beyond, no matter what. This book is also dedicated to my wife Karen, who puts up with more than she should have to and whom I also hope someday realizes why I push our children so hard. Success is not without a struggle, and no goal is ever achieved unless there is another right behind it. — CNP 3596-X FM.F 5/30/01 11:30 AM Page v 3596-X FM.F 5/30/01 11:30 AM Page vi Preface W elcome to the Access 2002 Bible — your personal guide to a powerful, easy- to-use database management system. This book is in its ninth revision and has been totally re-written for Access 2002. It examines Access 2002 with more examples than any other Access book ever writ- ten. We think that Microsoft Access is an excellent database manager and the best Windows database on the market today. Our goal with this book is to share what we know about Access and, in the process, to help make your work and your life easier. This book contains everything you need in order to learn Microsoft Access to a mid-advanced level. You’ll find that the book starts off with the basics and builds, chapter by chapter, on topics previously covered. In places where it is essential that you understand previously covered topics, we present the concepts again and review how to perform specific tasks before moving on. Although each chapter is an integral part of the book as a whole, each chapter can also stand on its own. You can read the book in any order you want, skipping from chapter to chapter and from topic to topic. (Note that this book’s index is particularly thorough; you can refer to the index to find the location of a particular topic you’re interested in.) The examples in this book have been well thought out to simulate the types of tables, queries, forms, and reports most people need to create when performing common business activities. There are many notes, tips, and techniques (and even a few secrets) to help you better understand the product. This book can easily substitute for the manuals included with Access. In fact, many users do not get manuals today, often relying on just the online help. This book will guide you through each task you might want to do in Access. We even created appendixes to be used as reference manuals for common Access specifications. This book follows a much more structured approach than the Microsoft Access manuals — going into more depth on almost every topic and showing many differ- ent types of examples. Is This Book for You? We wrote this book for beginning, intermediate, and even advanced users of Microsoft Access 2002. With any product, most users start at the beginning. If, how- ever, you’ve already read through the Microsoft Access manuals and worked with 3596-X FM.F 5/30/01 11:30 AM Page vii viii Access 2002 Bible the Northwinds sample files, you may want to start with the later parts of this book. Note, however, that starting at the beginning of a book is usually a good idea so you don’t miss out on the secrets and tips in the early chapters. We think this book covers Microsoft Access in detail better than any other book currently on the market. We hope you will find this book helpful while working with Access, and that you enjoy the innovative style of a Hungry Minds book (formally IDG books). Yes — If you have no database experience If you’re new to the world of database management, this book has everything you need to get started with Microsoft Access. It then offers advanced topics for refer- ence and learning. Yes — If you’ve used other database managers like dBASE or Paradox If you’re abandoning another database (such as dBASE, Paradox, FoxPro, R:Base, or Alpha Four) or even upgrading from Access 2.0 or Access 95 or 97, this book is for you. You’ll have a head start because you’re already familiar with database man- agers and how to use them. With Microsoft Access, you will be able to do all the tasks you’ve always performed with character-based databases — without program- ming or getting lost. This book will take you through each subject step by step. Yes — If you want to learn the basics of Visual Basic Applications Edition (VBA) programming VBA has replaced the Access Basic language. We know that an entire book is needed to properly cover VBA, but we took the time to put together several intro- ductory chapters that build on what you learn in the macros chapters of this book. The VBA programming chapters use the same examples you will be familiar with by the end of the book. Conventions Used in This Book The following conventions are used in this book: ✦ When you are instructed to press a key combination (press and hold down one key while pressing another key), the key combination is separated by a plus sign. Ctrl+Esc, for example, indicates that you must hold down the Ctrl key and press the Esc key; then release both keys. 3596-X FM.F 5/30/01 11:30 AM Page viii ix Preface ✦ Point the mouse refers to moving the mouse so that the mouse pointer is on a specific item. Click refers to pressing the left mouse button once and releasing it. Double-click refers to pressing the left mouse button twice in rapid succes- sion and then releasing it. Right-click refers to pressing the right mouse but- ton once and releasing it. Drag refers to pressing and holding down the left mouse button while moving the mouse. ✦ When you are instructed to select a menu, you can use the keyboard or the mouse. To use the keyboard, press and hold down the Alt key (to activate the menu bar) and then press the underlined letter of the menu name; press Alt+E to select the Edit menu, for example. Or you can use the mouse to click on the word Edit on-screen. Then, from the menu that drops down, you can press the underlined letter of the command you want (or click on the command name) to select it. ✦ When you are instructed to select a command from a menu, you will often see the menu and command separated by an arrow symbol. Edit_Paste, for exam- ple, indicates that you need to select the Edit menu and then choose the Paste command from the menu. ✦ Italic type is used for new terms and for emphasis. ✦ Bold type is used for material you need to type directly into the computer. ✦ A special typeface is used for information you see on-screen — error mes- sages, expressions, and formulas, for example. Icons and Alerts You’ll notice special graphic symbols, or icons, used in the margins throughout this book. These icons are intended to alert you to points that are particularly impor- tant or noteworthy. The following icons are used in this book: This icon highlights a special point of interest about the topic under discussion. This icon points to a useful hint that may save you time or trouble. This icon alerts you that the operation being described can cause problems if you’re not careful. This icon points to a more complete discussion in another chapter of the book. Cross- Reference Caution Tip Note 3596-X FM.F 5/30/01 11:30 AM Page ix [...]... 3596-X FM.F xx 5/30/01 11:30 AM Page xx Access 2002 Bible Converting Access 1.x, 2.0, 95, 97, and 2000 Files Troubleshooting Getting Started with Access 2002 Starting from the Windows Start menu Starting from an Access shortcut icon Starting Access from the Start menu Starting from an Access icon created in the Office folder... 20 Database manipulation 21 Chapter 2: Installing and Running Access 2002 23 Determining What You Need Hardware requirements Software requirements Upgrading to Access 2002 from Access 2.0, 95, 97, or 2000 Installing Access 2002 or Office XP Activating Your Product Activating by... Acknowledgments xv Part I: First Things First 1 Chapter 1: What Is Access 2002? 3 Chapter 2: Installing and Running Access 2002 23 Chapter 3: A Hands-on Tour of Access 2002 55 Chapter 4: Database Concepts and Design 81 Part II: Creating the Objects ... Part VI: Access and the External World 1111 Chapter 33: Moving from Jet to the SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine Chapter 34: Working with Access Projects Chapter 35: Using and Creating Access Objects for Intranets and the Internet Chapter 36: Building Web Applications, Data Access Pages, and XML 1179 1217 Appendix A: Access 2002 Specifications... 34 shows how to work with Access Projects and the advantage of using them Chapters 35 and 36 cover the Web and Access Chapter 35 shows how to create and maintain HTML documents from Access Objects Chapter 36 is dedicated to Data Access Pages and XML and how they are used for creating live data links to intranet web pages and the other incredible web capabilities of Access 2002 Appendixes and Reference... book for all the incredible new features in Access 2002 We’ve covered every new feature we could think of for the beginning user and especially enhanced our programming section Over 450,000 copies of our Access Bibles have been sold for all versions of Microsoft Access; for this we thank all of our loyal readers Our first acknowledgment is to all the users of Access who have profited and benefited beyond... installation — what you need in terms of hardware and software, as well as how to get Access running properly You also learn how to start and stop Access, plus several techniques for moving between Access and other applications Chapter 3 provides a quick hands-on test drive of Access, offering you a quick look at the features of access Chapter 4 gives an in-depth explanation of database concepts for new users... Acknowledgments W hen we first saw Access in July of 1992, we were instantly sold on this newgeneration database management and access tool Both of us have spent the last nine years using Access daily In fact, we eat, breathe, live, and sleep Access! The fact that we can earn a living from our work on principally one product is a tribute to the designers of Microsoft Access This product has changed the... bars used to build menus and toolbars Part VI: Access and the External World The four chapters of Part VI are the last part of the book and focuses on using Access to work SQL Server, Access projects and Data Access Pages, XML, and the Internet In Chapter 33, you will learn about client/server topics including installing, starting, connecting to, and building Access Data Projects using the new Microsoft... tasks and deadlines (I don’t care if the software doesn’t work yet — write the book anyway, 3596-X FM.F xiv 5/30/01 11:30 AM Page xiv Access 2002 Bible use your imagination – we must get this book out first) Cary thinks he wants us to get started on the Access 2004 Bible next month, although the software won’t be in Beta for another 18 months Special acknowledgements go to our technical editors Janet . Hall), Microsoft Access 2000 Bible, Microsoft Access 2000 Bible Gold Edition (co-authored), and Working with the Internet. The Access Bible series have. re-written for Access 2002. It examines Access 2002 with more examples than any other Access book ever writ- ten. We think that Microsoft Access is an excellent