MYOD - Make Your Own Database - a tutorial
by Cindy O'Hora

Planning

Begin

Define Fields

Radio buttons

Pop-up Menu

Date

Value List

Checkbox

Number

Summary

Grand Summary

Sort & Page view

Data Entry

Harnessing

Loverly Layout

New View

Find

Find by date

Calculating Radio Buttons

 

 

Typical Fields: Name, address, phone, grade, gender, school, teacher/advisor, project name, category (I'll explain this one when we make this field). Other data: Entry date, fee paid, paper work received, ranking/ award.

Step 3. Making the database. Creating Fields. Text fields

Your database window should now show one field First Name

Define Database Fields Dialog box

Notice that I highlighted only the word First in the Field Name: box.

1. Enter Last and Click Create. You now have 2 entries in the Database Fields box First Name and Last Name.

A common error newbies make is to fail to click the Create button after each new field is entered. You'll know you made this mistake when the new field's name does not appear in the large white box showing the existing fields.

2. Continue this field creation process adding: Title (Mrs, Ms, Mr, Sir, Dr.), Street Address, City, State, Zip, Teacher/Advisor, phone, Project name, award/rank. Leave them all set as Field Type: Text

Why don't we change the zip code field to number format?

Good question. Although a zip code is indeed made of numbers, we will not calculate with those numbers. Additionally, many computer programs will not allow number formatted fields to lead with a zero. They will snip off the leading zero of a zip. So 01234 becomes 1234. In a text formatted field this will not happen. Is there another time I would do this? Yes - social security numbers. Can you think of a third example of a number you would enter in a text field?

3. Click Done.

4. Save your database so you do not lose your work. Call it Sci Fair.

Next - Make a variety of specialized fields. Radio Bullet, Popup Menu, Value List, Auto Date, Checkbox, Number

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Copyright 3/2004 Cynthia O'Hora All Rights Reserved. posted 3/2004 by Cindy O'Hora