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Building a New Table
There are several ways to add a new table to an Access 2003 database: using a wizard to help you with the design process, designing the table from scratch, building the table from a spreadsheet-like format, importing the table from another source, and linking to an external table. This chapter discusses the process of designing a table from scratch; importing and linking are covered extensively throughout this book. Because the other two options are not appropriate for most business solutions, this book does not cover them.Regardless of which method you choose, start by selecting the Tables icon from the list of objects in the Database window. Icons appear allowing you to create a table in Design view, create a table using a wizard, and create a table by entering data (see Figure 2.7).
Figure 2.7. To create a new table, click the Tables icon of the Database window.
NOTEAccess 2002 and 2003 natively support the Access 2000 file format so that you can read and write to Access 2000 files under Access 2002 and 2003 without converting the file format. Access 2002 and 2003 give you the option of choosing which file format to use as their defaults. From the menu bar, click Tools, Options, and select the Advanced tab. Select either Access 2000 or Access 20022003 as the Default File Format that you prefer from the drop-down list box.
Designing a Table from Scratch
Designing tables from scratch offers flexibility and encourages good design principles. It is almost always the best choice when creating a custom business solution. To design a table from scratch, select Tables from the list of objects, and double-click the Create Table in Design View icon. The Table Design view window, pictured in Figure 2.8, appears. Follow these steps:
Figure 2.9. The Field Builder dialog box lets you select from predefined fields with predefined properties.
Figure 2.10. Use the Save As dialog box to name a table.
Figure 2.8. You use the Table Design view window to enter field names, data types, and descriptions for all the fields in a table.
The naming conventions for table names are similar to those for field names, except that the standard for table names is that they should begin with the tag tbl . Chapter 1, "Access as a Development Tool," and Appendix B, "Naming Conventions," cover the details of naming conventions.Chapter 29, "Documenting Your Application," covers the details of documenting your application.TIPIt is important to be aware how the field names you select affect the potential for upsizing your tables to a client/server database. Database servers often have much more stringent rules than Access does regarding the naming of fields. For example, most back ends do not allow spaces in field names. Furthermore, most back ends limit the length of object names to 30 characters or fewer. If you create Access field names that cannot be upsized and later need to move your data to a back-end database server, you will increase the amount of work involved in the upsizing process. This is because you must modify any queries, forms, reports, macros, and modules that use the invalid field names to reference the new field names when you move your tables to a back-end database server.
