inls 461
Information Tools

Professor: Serena Fenton
School of Information and Library Science at UNC-Chapel Hill

Database - Week 1 Database -Week 2 Database - Week 3 Database - Week 4

Sample databases for labs

Database- Week 1 - Creating a database

Due on Friday:

  • Reading and labs only this week
  • no assignment; no quiz

Required Readings and Labs:

textbook: Visual Quick Start (VQS) Access

  • Chapter 1 - Database Concepts
  • Chapter 2 - An Overview of Access
  • Pages 165 - 167 - importing from Excel
  • Chapter 3 - Creating Databases
  • Chapter 4 - Tables and Fields
Access Overview Short description of the major parts of an Access database
Creating Tables Reference sheet of the properties and requirements for creating tables
Introduction to Systems Analysis Chapter 1 from Palgrave Macmillan: Systems Analysis by Kevin Bowman
Lab - import Excel

Creating an Access database by Importing an Excel file

Use your Excel addressbook file (or use this sample file)

Your final database file should look like this


Database- Week 2 - Keys and Relationships

Due on Friday:

  • Assignment 3- DB Tables
  • Quiz 2: DB Concepts + Tables

Required Readings and Labs:

textbook: Visual Quick Start (VQS) Access

  • Chapter 5 - Customizing Datasheets
  • Chapter 7 - Creating Relationships

Keys in Relational Databases by Michael J. Hernandez

Planning Your Database Key rule in Information Management: Plan your project before you open any software!
Defining Relationships Overview What is an entity? What is an attribute?
Data Normalization What normalization is and why you should care.
Keys: Primary, Foreign and Candidate A summary of key types and selection criteria
Lab - CD store database Directions for planning a cd store database exercise
   
   

cdstore.mdb (file produced in this exercise)


Database- Week 3 - Access Forms and Queries 1

Due on Friday:

  • Reading and labs only this week
  • no assignment; no quiz

Required Readings and Labs:

  • Chapter 6 - Creating and Customizing Forms
  • Chapter 8 - Data Entry and Editing
  • Chapter 9 - Sorting Records
  • Chapter 10 - Filtering Data
Creating Forms in Access

Forms using AutoForm, Form Wizard or Design View

Modifying Forms Modifying form formatting and properites
Lab: forms

Using your addresses database (or download addresses.mdb),create forms to input data.

  • Modify the background of one form to include a photo
  • Modify the color and formatting of the form titles.
  • Try adding and deleting records

Database- Week 4 - Access Forms and Queries 2

Due on Friday:

  • Assignment 3 - DB Filters + Queries
  • Quiz 3: Database

Required Readings and Labs:

  • Chapter 11- Working with Queries
  • Chapter 14- Creating Reports
Creating Queries Overview of what queries are and how to create some of the basic types using the wizard
Creating a Query in Design View More advanced queries, created in design view
Parameter Queries Create a query based on a condition input by the user
example: "find all customers who live in Chapel Hill"
Query Operators Reference chart of common operators used in queries; includes math, relational, string boolean and other operators.

Sample databases for labs


 


revised September 27, 2006