Database Reference
In-Depth Information
TIP
Fields that have been assigned the Yes/No data type won't accept anything you
enter; you can only switch between two predefined values. The stored value of a Yes/
No field is always either 1 (Yes) or 0 (No). On the General page of the Field Proper-
ties area in Design view, you can set the Format property of the field to interpret the
stored value as True/False, Yes/No, or On/Off. On the Lookup page, you can set the
field to display as a check box, text box, or combo box. (In a combo box, you can
select from a list or enter an entry.)
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Press
Tab
to complete the record.
CLEAN UP
Close the FieldTest table. Keep the GardenCompany06 database open for
use in later exercises.
Setting the field size
In Chapter 2, “Create databases and simple tables,” you changed the Field Size property of
several Short Text fields. You entered the new sizes by making adjustments to the Field Size
setting in the Properties group on the Fields tool tab and to the Field Size property in the
Field Properties area in Design view. As you saw, changing the size of a Short Text field is
a simple matter of estimating the largest number of characters that will be entered in the
field, up to 255.
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Like the Short Text data type, the AutoNumber and Number data types have an associated
Field Size property that restricts the number of digits that can be entered in the field. Of
the two, the Field Size property of the Number data type is the most complex. You can set
Number fields to any of the sizes shown in the following table.
Size
Description
Byte
Whole numbers from 0 to 255
Integer
Whole numbers from -32,768 to 32,767
Long Integer
Whole numbers from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 (the default)
Single
Numeric floating point values from -3.4 x 10 to the 38th to +3.4 x 10 to
the 38th
Double
Numeric floating point values from -1.797 x 10 to the 38th to +1.797 x 10
to the 38th
Replication ID
Randomly generated numbers that are 16 bytes long
Decimal
Numbers from -9.999… x 10 to the 27th to +9.999… x 10 to the 27th
