Access Hacks (Paperback)

Description:

As part of the Microsoft Office suite, Access has become the industry's leading desktop database management program for organizing, accessing, and sharing information. But taking advantage of this product to build increasingly complex Access applications requires something more than your typical how-to book. What it calls for is Access Hacks from O'Reilly.

This valuable guide provides direct, hands-on solutions that can help relieve the frustrations felt by users struggling to master the program's various complexities. For experienced users, Access Hacks offers a unique collection of proven techniques and tools that enable them to take their database skills and productivity to the next level. For Access beginners, it helps them acquire a firm grasp of the program's most productive features.

A smart collection of insider tips and tricks, Access Hacks covers all of the program's finer points. Among the multitude of topics addressed, it shows users how to:

• work with Access in multi-user environments
  
• utilize SQL queries
  
• work with external data and programs
  
• integrate Access with third-party products

Just imagine: a learning process without the angst. Well, Access Hacks delivers it with ease, thanks to these down-and-dirty techniques not collected together anywhere else.

Part of O'Reilly's best-selling Hacks series, Access Hacks is based on author Ken Bluttman's two decades of real-world experience in database programming and business application building. It's because of his vast experiences that the book is able to offer such a deep understanding of the program's expanding possibilities.

Table of Contents:

Credits  

Preface  

Chapter 1. Core Access 

      1. Help Users Find the Objects They Need  

      2. Personalize Your Access Application  

      3. Work Fast and Avoid Typos  

      4. Optimize Data Changes  

      5. Transfer Data Between Versions of Access  

      6. Organize and Enhance Your Macros  

      7. Rid Your Database of Clutter  

      8. Protect Valuable Information  

      9. Work with Any Amount of Data  

      10. Find Database Objects in a Snap  

      11. Use a Junction Table  

      12. Stop the Database from Growing  

Chapter 2. Tables 

      13. Create an AutoNumber Field with a Custom Value  

      14. Copy Data Between Tables Without an Append Query  

      15. Steer Clear of System Tables  

      16. Hide Sensitive Information  

      17. Simulate Table Triggers  

      18. Create Tables Faster  

Chapter 3. Entry and Navigation 

      19. Help Users Navigate Through Long Forms  

      20. Help Users Enter Additional Text  

      21. Let Users Add Custom Items to Predesigned Lists  

      22. Populate and Sort Lists with Flair  

      23. Use Custom Controls on Your Forms  

      24. Confirm Record Updates Before Saving  

      25. Put a Clock on a Form  

      26. Be Tab-Smart  

      27. Highlight the Active Control  

Chapter 4. Presentation 

      28. Separate Alphabetically Sorted Records into Letter Groups  

      29. Create Conditional Subtotals  

      30. Use Conditional Formatting to Point Out Important Results  

      31. Provide a Direct Link to a Report  

      32. Protect Intellectual Property  

      33. Create a Slideshow in Access  

      34. Play Videos in Access Forms  

      35. View Reports Embedded in Forms  

      36. Put Line Numbers on a Report  

      37. Shade Alternating Lines on a Report  

      38. Save Paper by Reducing Whitespace  

      39. Include the Date, Time, and Page Count  

Chapter 5. Queries and SQL 

      40. Return a Sample of Records  

      41. Create Bulletproof Insert Operations  

      42. Find Unmatched Records on Multiple Field Keys  

      43. Place a Grand Total in a Query  

      44. Sort Any Arbitrary String of Characters  

      45. Summarize Complex Data  

      46. Get All Combinations of Data  

      47. Don't Let Nulls Ruin Data Summaries  

      48. Use a Custom Function in a Query  

      49. Create Access Tables with SQL Server Scripts  

      50. Use Wildcards in Queries  

      51. Get Cleaner Or-Based Criteria  

      52. Get Cleaner And-Based Criteria  

      53. Create an Outer Join  

      54. Use Regular Expressions in Access Queries  

Chapter 6. Multiuser Issues 

      55. Test for Duplication  

      56. Distribute a Split Database with Predefined Table Links  

      57. Build a Time-Out Feature  

      58. Implement Unique Usernames  

Chapter 7. External Programs and Data 

      59. Import Noncontiguous Ranges of Data from Excel  

      60. Use Excel to Reorient Access Data  

      61. Use Excel Functions Inside Access  

      62. Use Word to Compare Data in Two Access Tables  

      63. Import Varied XML Data into Access  

      64. Export XML Data Sanely  

      65. Break Through VBA's Transformation Barrier  

      66. Leverage SQL Server Power by Calling Stored Procedures  

      67. Manage Word Documents from Access  

      68. Use Access as a Front End to MySQL  

      69. Send Access Data Through Outlook Automatically  

      70. Create Access Tables from Outside Access  

      71. Write VBA with the Macro Recorder in Word and Excel  

Chapter 8. Programming 

      72. Store Initial Control Selections for Later Recall  

      73. Write Code Faster by Turning Off Syntax-Checking  

      74. Substitute Domain Aggregate Functions for SQL Aggregate Functions  

      75. Shrink Your Code with Subroutines  

      76. Shrink Your Code with Optional Arguments  

      77. Protect Programming Code from Curious Users  

      78. Build a Secret Developer Backdoor into Your Applications  

      79. Help Users Drill Down to a Record  

      80. Prevent Users from Disabling Your Startup Options  

      81. Inform Users of a Long Process  

      82. Allow Users to Choose a Back-End Database  

      83. Override the Timeout Interval  

      84. Save Values from Unbound Controls for Later Recall  

      85. Sort Records Randomly  

      86. Bulk-Update Controls on a Form  

      87. Provide Complete XML Control to Any Version of Access  

      88. Use Custom Enumerations  

      89. Convert Text to the Desired Case  

      90. Create a Code Library  

      91. Automatically Check for Database Table Updates  

Chapter 9. Third-Party Applications 

      92. Document Your Database with Total Access Analyzer  

      93. Build an Application Shell with EZ Application Generator  

      94. Load Your Database with Test Data  

      95. Use Access as an XML Database  

Chapter 10. The Internet 

      96. Export a Report as HTML  

      97. Use a Browser Inside Access  

      98. Pull the HTML Source Code from a Web Site  

      99. Download Files Using the Web Browser Control  

      100. Use a Smart Tag to Open a Web Page  

Index