The images below depict two different ways to view table components
design view
datasheet view
Each column contains a field (aka field name; column heading) which is a column label describing the type of information in the column. A field is a single kind of fact that may apply to each person, event, or other record.
Entering, or importing, data, by using existing data
You can import data from an Excel workbook (for example) by using the External Data tool which allows you to find the needed file type.
This will start the import wizard that permits you to select the worksheets and the columns that you want to import.
The import wizard is very sensitive and often will not import data directly into an existing table because there may be an unseen formatting difference between the data in Excel and how it appears in Access
to get around this problem, set up your import data to look exactly like an existing table, but have the Wizard create a new table
once the data imports into a new table, you can modify the new table so that it is an exact copy of the existing table
once this is done, delete the original table and rename the new table with the name of the deleted table
You will need to set up your Excel table header rows to match your Access table fields
after you have imported the data to a new table, you will find that Access will not allow you to change the ID field from a number to an Autonumber
to get around this, you can create a new ID field that uses autonumbers and make the new field the primary key
once you have done this, you may delete the old ID field and the new autonumber ID field will create new ID numbers for each record
limits formats that can be entered (zip code, phone number, etc.)
Should it be stored in the database in a specified format?
Use the wizard by highlighting the field and click on the expression builder button (...) which starts the Wizard and steps you through the process of creating a specified way to display data.
Caption:
label that will be attached to the field on a form or report. Can be different than the actual field name
Default Value:
default for new entries
Validation Rule:
a range of acceptable entries; checks values
Validation Text:
appears in status bar when field is selected
Required:
a yes/no field that indicates if a value is mandatory
Allow Zero Length:
a yes/no type setting that indicates whether a text string with no length ("") is valid
Indexed:
creates an index for the field; improves searching & sorting
primary keys are always indexed (No Duplicates)
index fields that are frequently used
Unicode Compression: improves performance
You can edit in either Design View or Datasheet view, however, the only place to make permanent changes is in Design View.