How to Create Tables

• From scratch in Design view
• From scratch in Datasheet view
• From built-in Access table templates

Creating Tables in Design View

To add a table to a database in Design view, click on the Table Design icon in the Ribbon at Create > Tables. A new blank table will be added to your database that will appear in Design view. Tables in Design view look different from tables in Datasheet view. Instead of the familiar rows and columns, you’ll see just three columns: Field Name, Data Type, and Description.

• Field Name: This column lets you assign names quickly to the fields that appear as vertical columns in Datasheet view. In Design view, you can name fields by typing names directly into this column. Names can have up to 64 characters and may include any combination of letters, numbers, spaces, and special characters except the period, exclamation mark, accent grave, quotation mark, and open/close bracket.
• Data Type: In this column, you can tell Access how to format the type of data you expect to enter into each field. For instance, if a field will contain only dates, you’d choose Date/Time from the pull-down menu that appears when you click on a cell in the Data Type column. If it will contain only text, you’d choose Text, and so on. There are 10 data types to choose from.
• Description: This column lets you add a description that sums up the data in the field. Though descriptions are optional, it’s a good idea to include one for each field—your description will be displayed whenever a user selects the field in a form, which can make forms more user-friendly.

The Property Sheet

Creating Tables in Datasheet View

To add a table to a database in Datasheet view, click on the Table icon in the Ribbon at Create > Tables. A new blank table will be added to your database with two columns: an ID column that Access creates automatically, and a blank column that you can name and begin working with. Once you create a table in Datasheet view, the Datasheet tab appears in the Ribbon, giving you instant access to most of the commands you’ll need to modify your new table.

How to Add, Delete, or Copy Columns and Records

• To add a field (column): Right-click the name of the column to the right of the new column that you’d like to insert, then select Insert Column in the shortcut menu that appears. A new column will appear to the left of the column you selected.
• To delete a field: Right-click the column’s name and then select Delete Column in the shortcut menu.
• To add a record (row): Right-click on the record selector of any record in the table and choose New Record in the shortcut menu that appears. The record selector is the empty blue box at the far left of a record’s row. A new record will appear after the last record in the table.
• To delete a record: Right-click the record selector of the record you wish to delete and select Delete Record.
• To copy a field or record: Right-click the row’s record selector or the column’s name and choose Copy. Right-click the row selector or the name of the column into which you’d like to paste the selected data and choose Paste. The data will appear in the new column or row. Note that if you copy and paste an entire column, pasting won’t change the name of the column into which you’ve pasted the data, but it will change that column’s data.

How to Rename Columns (Fields)

How to Rename Tables