Access as a Development Tool

• Why This Section is Important
• What Types of Applications Can You Develop in Access?
• Access as a Scalable Product
• What Exactly Is a Database?
• Getting to Know the Database Objects
• Object Naming Conventions
• Hardware Requirements
• How Do I Get Started Developing an Access Application?

What Every Developer Needs to Know about Tables

• Why This Section Is Important
• Building a New Table
• Selecting Appropriate Field Type for Your Data
• Working with Field Properties
• The All- Important Primary Key
• Working with Table Properties
• Using Indexes to Improve Performance

Relationships: Your Key to Data Integrity

• Why This Section is Important
• Introduction to Database Design
• Establishing Relationship in Access
• Establishing Referential Integrity
• Looking at the Benefits of Relationships
• Examining Indexes & Relationships

What Every Developer Needs to Know about Query Basics

• Why this Section is Important?
• What Is a Query & When Should You Use One?
• Everything You Need to Know about QueryBasics
• Ordering Your Query Result
• Redefining Your Query with Criteria
• Working with Dates in Criteria
• Understanding How Query Results Can Be Updated
• Building Queries Based on Multiple Tables
• Creating Calculated Fields
• Getting Help from the Expression Builder
• Summarizing Data with Totals Queries
• Excluding Fields from the Output
• Nulls & Query Results
• Redefining Your Queries with Field, Field List, & Query Properties
• Building Parameter Queries When You Don’t Know the Criteria at Design Time
• What Every Developer Needs to Know about

Form: Basics

• Why This Section is Important
• Use of Forms
• Anatomy of a Form
• Creating a New Form
• Working With the Form Design Window
• Selecting the Correct Control for the Job
• Control Morphing
• Conditional Formatting
• What Form Properties Are Available & Why Use Them?
• What Control Properties Are Available & Why Use Them?

What Every Developer Needs to Know about Forms: Beyond the Basics

• Why This Section is Important
• Bound, Unbound, & Calculated Controls
• Using Expressions to Enhance Your Forms
• The Command Button Wizards: Programming Without Typing
• Building Forms Based on More Than One Table
• Basing Forms on Queries: They Why & How
• Access Forms & the Internet

What Every Developer Need to Know about Reports

• Why This Section is Important
• Types of Reports Available
• Anatomy of a Report
• Creating a New Report
• Working with the Report Design Window
• Selecting the Correct Control for the Job
• What Report Properties Are Available & Why Use Them?
• What Control Properties Are Available & Why Use Them?
• Inserting Page Breaks
• Unbound, Bound, & Calculated Controls
• Using Expressions to Enhance Your Reports
• Building Reports Based on More Than One Table
• Working with Sorting & Grouping
• Basing Reports on Stored Queries versus Embedded SQL Statements

VBA: An Introduction

• Why This Section is Important
• VBA Explained
• What Are Access Class Modules, Standard Modules, Form Modules, & Report Modules
• Working with Variables
• Adding Comments to Your Code
• Using the Line Continuation Character
• Using the VBA Control Structures
• Passing Parameters & Returning Values
• Executing Procedures from the Module Window
• The DoCmd Object: Performing Macro Actions
• Working with Build-In Functions
• Working with Constants
• Tools for Working in the Visual Basic: Editor
• Customizing the VBE

Objects, Properties, Methods, & Events Explained

• Why This Sections is Important
• Understanding Objects, Properties, Events, & Methods
• Using the Object Browser to Learn About Access’s Objects
• Referring to Objects
• Properties & Methods Made Easy
• Declaring & Assigning Object Variables
• Understanding the Differences Between Objects & Collections
• Passing Objects to Subroutines & Functions
• Determining the Type of a Control
• Special Properties That Refer to Objects
• Understanding Access’s Object Model
• New Access 2002 Properties

Advanced Form Techniques

• Why This Section is Important
• What Are the Form Events & When Do You Use Them?
• What are the Section & Control Events & When Do You Use Them?
• Referring to Me
• What Types of Forms Can I Create & When are They Appropriate?
• Using Built-in Dialogue Boxes
• Adding Custom Menus, Toolbars, & Shortcut Menus to Your Forms
• Taking Advantage of Built-In Form- Filtering Features
• Including Objects from Other Applications: Linking Versus Embedding
• OpenArgs
• Switching a Form’s Record Source
• Power Combo Box & Listing Box Techniques
• Power Sub- form Techniques
• Synchronizing a Form with Its Underlying Recordset
• Creating Custom Properties & Methods

Advanced Report Techniques

• Why This Section is Important
• Events Available for Reports & When to Use Them
• Order of Events for Reports
• Events Available for Report Sections & When to Use Them
• Programmatically Manipulating Report Sections
• Special Report Properties
• Controlling the Printer
• Practical Examples of Report Events & Properties

Advanced Query Techniques

• Why This Section is Important
• Action Queries
• Special Query Properties
• Optimizing Queries
• Crosstab Queries
• Outer Joins
• Self Joins
• Understanding SQL
• Union Queries
• Pass- Through Queries
• The Propagation of Nulls & Query Results
• Subqueries
• Using SQL to Update Data
• Using SQL for Data Definition
• Using the Result of a Function as the Criteria for a Query
• Passing Parameter Query Values from a Form
• Jet 4.0 ANSI- 92 Extensions

Advanced VBA Techniques

• Why This Section is Important
• What Are User- Defined Types & Why Would You Use Them?
• Working with Constants
• Working with Arrays
• Advanced Function Techniques
• Working with Empty & Null
• Creating & Working with Custom Collections
• Low- level File Handling
• Understanding & Effectively Using Compilation Options
• Importing & Exporting Code Modules
• Working with Project Properties

Exploiting the Power of Class Modules

• Exploring the Benefits of Class Modules
• Object Orientation- An Introduction
• Creating & Using Class Module
• Setting Values with Property Set
• Creating Module Class Instances
• The Initialize & Terminate Events
• Working with Enumerated Types
• Building Hierarchies of Classes
• Adding a Parent Property to Classes
• The Implements Keyword
• Working with Custom collections
• Adding Your Own Events
• Practical Examples of Class Modules

What Are ActiveX Data Objects & Why Are They Important?

• Understanding ActiveX Data Objects & Data Access Objects
• Using ActiveX Data Objects Versus Data Access Objects
• Examining the ActiveX Data Object Model
• Understanding ADO Recordset Types
• Working with ADO Recordset Properties & Methods
• Modifying Table Data Using ADO Code
• Creating & Modifying Database Objects Using ADO Code

What Are The Access Objects & Why Are They Important?

• Examining the Data Access Objects Model
• Getting to Know DBEngine
• Using CurrentDB()
• Understanding DAO Recordset Types
• Selecting Among the Types of DAO Recordset Objects Available
• Working With DAO Recordset Properties & Methods
• Modifying Table Data Using DAO Code
• Creating & Modifying Database Objects Using DAO Code
• Using the DAO Containers Collection

Debugging: Your Key to Successful Development

• Why This Section is Important
• Avoiding Bugs
• Harnessing the Power of the Immediate Window
• Invoking the Debugger
• Using Breakpoints to Troubleshoot
• Sleeping Through Code
• Setting the Next Statement to Execute
• Using the Calls Window
• Working with the Locals Window
• Working with Watch Expressions
• Continuing Execution After a Runtime Error
• Looking at Gotchas with the immediate Window
• Using Assertions
• Debugging Tips

Error Handling: Preparing for the Inevitable

• Why This Section is Important
• Implementing Error Handling
• Using On Error Statements
• Using Resume Statements
• Clearing an Error
• Examining the Cascading Error Effect
• Using the Err Object
• Raising an Error
• Using the Errors Collection
• Creating a Generic Error Handler
• Preventing Your Own Error Handling from Being Invoked
• Creating a Call Stack
• Building a Custom Error Handler Class
• Working with Error Events
• Creating a List of Error Codes & Descriptions

Using ActiveX Controls

• Why This Section is Important
• Incorporating ActiveX Controls in Access 2002
• Setting Properties of an ActiveX Control at Design Time
• Coding Events of an ActiveX Control
• Using the Calendar Control
• Using the UpDown Control
• Using the StatusBar Control
• Using the Common Dialogue Control
• Using the Rich Textbox Control
• Using the TabStrip Control
• Using the ImageList Control
• Licensing & Distribution Issues

Automation: Communicating with Other Applications

• Why This Section is Important
• Defining Some Automation Terms
• Declaring an Object Variable to Reference Your Application
• Creating an Automation Object
• Manipulating an Automation Object
• Early Binding Versus Late Binding
• Controlling Excel from Access
• Closing an Excel Automation Object
• Creating a Graph from Access
• Controlling Word from Access
• Controlling PowerPoint from Access
• Automating Outlook from Access
• Controlling Access from Other Applications

Optimizing Your Applications

• Why This Section is Important
• Introducing Optimization
• Modifying Hardware & Software Configurations
• What Jet 3.5 Did to Improve Performance
• Understanding What Jet 4.0 Does for Performance
• Letting the Performance Analyzer Determine Problem Areas
• Designing Tables to Optimize Performance
• Designing Queries to Optimize Performance
• Making Coding Changes to Improve Performance
• Designing Forms & Reports to Improve Performance

Documenting Your Application

• Why This Section is Important
• Preparing Your Application to Be Self Documenting
• Using the Database Documenter
• Writing Code to Create Your Own Documentation

Maintaining Your Application

• Why This Section is Important
• Compacting Your Database
• Converting an Access Database
• Detecting Broken References