CREATING A TABLE IN
MICROSOFT ACCESS 2003

Create a new table by completing the following:

• The first step in creating a table is to determine the number of fields that you will need and the size of those fields.
  
• Click the "Tables" object in the Database Control Panel.
  
• Click the "Design" button in the Control Panel menu bar, or double-click the "Create table in Design view" button. The screen below will appear.
  
  

This is the design view window.

1. Enter the first field name in the "Field Name" column by clicking the first blank field name box.

(You have now set up a placeholder for the last name of the baseball players' names on your cards)

2. Move to the "Data Type" column by depressing the "Tab" key, by using the mouse, by using the "Enter" key, or by using the "right arrow" key.

3. Select the "data type." The default data type is "Text," which is correct for this field.

Click the "Data Type" drop-down arrow to reveal the complete Data Type list.

Optional: Enter a field  "Description." The field description will appear above the taskbar on the left side of the screen and serves to both identify the field and provide on-screen instructions.

4. Click in the "Field Size" box in the "Field Properties" section at the bottom of the screen to specify the field size. See item #2 in the figure above.

The default text field size is 50 but it can and should be changed to an appropriate size for the specific data and type. Good database practices specify the smallest field-size possible for the data-type in order to conserve space, reduce file size, and improve efficiency. In the example, the field size for last names is set to 20, which is an appropriate size for that field.

5. Repeat the design procedure for all of the remaining fields. 

Be sure to correctly set the "Data- Type" for each field as shown.

Notice the data type field for "Year" is not number even though it contains numbers. Fields that contain numbers but will not be used for arithmetic operations usually are assigned a data type of Text or General.

7. Save the table by selecting "Save as" from the "File" menu. .

8. Supply a table name or accept the default name.

(NOTE: Name your table so that you can easily recognize the content of the table). You can use up to 64 characters, including spaces.

9. Click OK.

Understanding Databases| Terms Parts Creating a Database |Creating a Report |Creating a Query
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