Security levels

High:

A computer user can open without a prompt a digitally signed project from a trusted publisher. Otherwise, the application blocks opening signed projects from untrusted publishers as well as unsigned projects.

Medium:

A computer user can open without a prompt a digitally signed project from a trusted publisher. In addition, you can also designate the publisher of a signed project as trusted so their projects will open without a prompt in the future. Unsigned projects are always prompted with a reminder that the file may contain potentially harmful code, but users can elect to open them anyway.

Low:

A computer user can open an unsigned project without a prompt. When users make a Low security setting, they're reminded that they aren't protected from potentially unsafe macros.

"If you've used Access 2003, you've probably seen several security warning messages - Access 2003 cares about your security. An important part of Access 2003 security is digitally signing your code. As Rick Dobson shows, you can do it, but preparing for digital signing is critical.

A digital signature acts like shrink-wrap on your project: Clients know that they're getting a copy directly from you that no one else modified. Clients will also know that they're working with "your" code and not any version of it modified by a third party. As computing moves forward into a "security conscious" era, learning how to acquire and use a digital certificate is also important for interfacing with organizations that adopt policies of only running digitally signed Access 2003 projects: Your users may refuse to accept software from you that isn't shrink-wrapped."

Labels: General, Macros, Reference, Tips, Tutorials, VBA

Just the check

1. Use the Report Wizard to create a report that is based on the Northwind Products table. Use the ProductName field and the Discontinued field.
   
   
2. In Design view, add a TextBox control to the Detail section.
   
   
3. Right-click TextBox, and then click Properties.
   
   
4. In the TextBox properties dialog box, click the Format tab. For Border Style, click Transparent. For Font Name, click Wingdings.
   Note You can adjust the size of the check mark by changing Font Size.
   
   
5. Click the Data tab.
   
   
6. For Control Source, type =IIF([Discontinued]=-1,"Alt+0252")
   Note "ALT+0252" is the check mark character. To enter this character, hold down ALT, and then type 0252 by using the keypad. The check mark character appears as "ü" in the IIF statement.
   
   
   Note If you want to display an "X" instead of a check mark,
   
   
   1. In the TextBox properties dialog box, click the Format tab. For Border Style, click Transparent. For Font Name, click Arial.
      
      
   2. Click the Data tab.
      
      
   3. For Control Source, type =IIF([Discontinued]=-1,"X")
      
7. Close Design view.
   
   
8. Click Preview.

Labels: Customize, Fonts, General, Tips, Tutorials

Don't peek

Labels: Customize, General, Tables, Tips, Tutorials

Labels: Forms, General, Tips, Troubleshoot

As Tables

1. Select File>Get External Data Import from the menu bar.
   (External Data tab, Import in 2007)
   
2. Select the appropriate database and click Import.
   
3. Select the queries you want to import on the Import Objects dialog box's Queries sheet.
   
4. Next, click the Options >> button and select the As Tables option button on the Import Queries panel.
   
5. Finally, click OK

Labels: General, Queries, Tables, Tips, Tutorials

Beyond AutoNumber

"In relational database theory, the records in a table cannot have any physical order, so record numbers represent faulty thinking. In place of record numbers, Access uses the Primary Key of the table, or the Bookmark of a recordset. If you are accustomed from another database and find it difficult to conceive of life without record numbers, check out What, no record numbers?"

Labels: Entries, General, Tips

Outlook Contacts in Access

1. Choose File >Open from the menu bar.
   (Office button>Open in 2007)
   
2. Under Files Of Type choose Outlook().
   
3. Locate your Outlook PST files.
   
4. Choose Contacts, or if you have set up separate files for different groups choose an appropriate one.
   
5. The wizard walks you through the process of creating an Access database with a linked Contact table.

Labels: E-mail, General, List, Tips, Tutorials

More data

"Every day we create reams of data in customer relationship management applications, order entry applications, and warehouse management systems. We're drowning in a sea of data. However, even with all that data we don't have a large amount of information. We have the ones and zeros of the transactions, but we don't have the answers we need to simple questions like:

• "Why was March better than February?"
  
• "Where is the sales force having the most success?"
  
• "In what conditions does the sales team struggle with making sales?"

• Oracle 9i makes data warehousing easy to implement
  
• Seven highly effective steps to a smooth data warehouse implementation
  
• Business intelligence is just a few steps away for SAP R/3 users
  
• Resources for designing, planning, and implementing a data warehouse strategy
  
• Making the operational case for data warehousing
  
• TechRepublic Tutorial: Data warehousing defined

Labels: Reference, Tips, Tutorials

PowerPoint in Access

"Create a PowerPoint slide presentation from scratch using Access data. In addition, display and control a slide show from within an Access form. Walk through the solution and explore ways to extend the sample for your own applications.

This article looks at two ways of interaction between Access and PowerPoint.

The first sample illustrates how to create a PowerPoint presentation from the data in an Access table using Automation.

The second sample shows how to display and manipulate an existing PowerPoint presentation inside of an Access form, also using Automation."

Here is an MSDN article:
Working with PowerPoint Presentations from Access Using Automation

If you have some knowledge of VBA, you can probably figure it out from the code on the Access Form.



Office 2003 Sample:
Working with PowerPoint 2003 Presentations from Access 2003 Using Automation


See all Topics access

Labels: Forms, Reference, Tips, Tutorials

Examples to part out

Database of Access 2000 sample forms

The sample forms in this database demonstrate a variety of form types and techniques, including how to manipulate data, use controls, and create undo and redo operations.

• Bring a subtotal from a subform to a main form
  
• Create a running sum
  
• Create a stopwatch form
  
• Display line numbers on subform records
  
• Fill current record with data from previous record automatically
  
• Hide the combo box drop-down arrow
  
• Simulate drag-and-drop capabilities

Database of Access 2000 sample reports

The sample reports in this database demonstrate a number of techniques, including how to shade every other row or every nth row in a report, how to create a table of contents or an index for a report, and how to create a top 10 report.

Labels: Forms, Queries, Reports, Templates, Tips, Tutorials

Everything's connected

"Cascading combo boxes are used to help aid the user in determining a choice when entering data into a form.
They help to breakdown the options available into selectable sub-groups such a State & City, Product Type & Product, Department & Employees.
The user can select, for example, Customer Services in a combo box and the second combo box's list will reflect this selection and only list those employees within Customer Services.
Switch to Finance and all the Finance employees become selectable, etc."

Labels: Combo, General, Tips, Tutorials

Multiple selections

"How to open a report based on a multiple selection in a list box. For example, you may have a list of makes of car and a report that shows various details for each make of car. You want to allow the users to select a range of cars and pull up the report according to that selection."

Labels: Customize, General, List, Reference, Tips, Tutorials

Automatic Input masks

Private Sub Country_AfterUpdate()
Dim strCountry As String
strCountry = Me.Country

Select Case strCountry
Case "Canada"
Me.[PostalCode].InputMask = ">L0L\ 0L0;;_"
Case "USA"
Me.[PostalCode].InputMask = "00000-9999;;_"
Case Else
'If the country is not Canada or USA no input mask will be used
Me.[PostalCode].InputMask = ""
End Select
End Sub

Labels: Entries, Forms, Properties, Reference, Tips, Tutorials, VBA

Drag drop trick

Labels: Shortcuts, Tables, Tips

Who's counting?

"Under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 8601, a week always begins on a Monday, and ends on a Sunday. The first week of a year is that week which contains the first Thursday of the year, or, equivalently, contains Jan-4.

While this provides some standardization, it can lead to unexpected results - namely that the first few days of a year may not be in week 1 at all. Instead, they will be in week 52 of the preceding year! For example, the year 2000 began on Saturday. Under the ISO standard, weeks always begin on a Monday. In 2000, the first Thursday was Jan-6, so week 1 begins the preceding Monday, or Jan-3. Therefore, the first two days of 2000, Jan-1 and Jan-2, fall into week 52 of 1999.

An ISO week number may be between 1 and 53. Under the ISO standard, week 1 will always have at least 4 days. If 1-Jan falls on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, the first few days of the year are defined as being in the last (52nd or 53rd) week of the previous year.

Unlike absolute week numbers, not every year will have a week 53. For example, the year 2000 does not have a week 53. Week 52 begins on Monday, 25-Dec, and ends on Sunday, 31-Dec. But the year 2004 does have a week 53, from Monday, 27-Dec , through Friday, 31-Dec."

"The function WEEKNUM() in the Analysis Toolpack addin calculates the correct week number for a given date, if you are in the U.S. The user defined function shown here will calculate the correct week number depending on the national language settings on your computer."

Labels: Tips, VBA

A second chance

"In Microsoft Office Access 2007, by default, users are not prompted to confirm changes after modifying and saving records on a form. But often you might want to prompt users to confirm their changes before the record is saved.

You can use a BeforeUpdate event procedure to display a confirmation prompt and handle a user's response to either cancel or continue with the save.

This visual how-to topic illustrates how to display a custom dialog box to prompt users to cancel or continue with saving changes to a record.

Labels: Customize, Entries, Tutorials

Sent from Access

"If you have a table that contains a date field, and you want to make sure that something happens on that date, one way is to create an Outlook task with a reminder that will pop up on the specified date; you can even use the Outlook reminder to create an email message that will be sent on the specified date.

This article will show how to create an Outlook task from Access VBA code, and send an email message when the task's reminder fires."

Helen Feddema has been working with Word since v. 1.1, Access since the beta of v. 1.0, and Outlook since the beta of v. 8.0 (that's where Outlook started its version numbering).

Labels: E-mail, General, Tips, Tutorials

Choose your own location

Word

you can change the default location by going to Tools>Options. On the "File Locations" tab you can modify the storage location.

Excel

Tools>Options. On the "General" tab change the default location.

PowerPoint

uses Tools>Options and the "Save" tab.

Access

Tools>Options and the "General" tab for Databases and Projects

Publisher

Tools>Options "General".

Outlook

will make you take an underground tour into the Registry to change the location to save e-mail attachments.

FrontPage/Expression Web

appears to require the same sort of spelunking.

Labels: Customize, General, Tips

Good combo

"While working with forms, a split form can be a very useful view because you simultaneously get two views of the form that are connected to the same data source.
This demo shows you how to create a split form view where you can use the datasheet part of the form to quickly locate a record and the form portion to view or modify the record.

You will also learn how to enhance and customize a split form view to suit your needs."

Labels: Customize, Forms, General, Tips, Tutorials

More dimensions than Star trek

Labels: General, Reference, Tutorials

Speed up table creation with default field settings

1. Choose Tools> Options from the menu bar and switch to the Tables/Queries sheet.
   
   
2. Select the data type you use most from the Default Field Type dropdown list.
   
   
3. Set the Text and Number sizes you usually want to use in the Default Field Sizes panel and
   
   
4. Click OK.

Labels: Customize, General, Tips, Tutorials

Go back

"When you use Windows Explorer or the desktop to create a new 2007 Microsoft Office file, a new Office file is created in an XML file format (.dox or .xlsx). For example, this behavior occurs when you right-click the desktop, you point to New, and then you click Microsoft Office Word Document. By default, files that you create in the 2007 Office system are in XML file formats.

This article is about how to create legacy Office files, such as .doc files, .xls files, .ppt files, or .mdb files in the 2007 Office system. You can create legacy Office files without opening any Office applications. To do this, you must modify some settings. The modified settings will apply to all the users who log on to the computer."

Labels: Reference

An easier read

MsgBox(prompt[, buttons] [, title] [, helpfile, context])

MsgBox "Hello World!", , "My Message Box"

MsgBox Title:="My Message Box", _
Prompt:="Hello World!"

Labels: VBA

Without navigation

Private Sub Form_Current()
MyTextBox = Me.CurrentRecord
End Sub

Labels: Customize, General, Tips

Drag 'em on over

Labels: Forms, Reports, Shortcuts, Tips

Table sorts

Labels: Shortcuts, Tables, Tips, Tutorials

Question and collection

"You begin with the Collect Data Through E-mail Messages Wizard, which guides you through the steps of creating a form.

The form is sent through Microsoft Office Outlook 2007-10 to your recipients, with your request for new or updated information.

When the recipients reply to your message, Access automatically enters their data into your database.

Labels: E-mail, Forms

Macros to Modules

Labels: Macros, Tips, VBA

Truncated Numbers

Labels: Customize, General, Tips

Fewer steps

1. While holding down the [Shift] key, select adjacent fields with data you want to copy. You can also select fields from adjacent records.
   
2. When you've finished, press Ctrl+C to copy the data.
   
3. Then, choose Edit>Paste Append (Paste>Paste Append in 2007)
   
4. Click Yes when Access asks for confirmation.

Labels: General, Tables, Tips

2009-2010

• What's new in Access security
  
• Use an Access database in a trusted location
  
• Package, sign, and distribute an Access 2010 database
  
• Enable disabled content when you open a database
  
• Use a database password to encrypt an Access database
  
• How security works with databases from earlier versions of Access opened in Access 2010
  
• Run unsafe expressions (disable sandbox mode)

Labels: General, Tips