Database Reference
In-Depth Information
In this chapter, you'll get an overview of the new features in recent versions of Access to
help you identify changes if you're upgrading from a previous version. You'll explore the
program's user interface, and the concepts and structure of data storage in Access. Then
you'll look at database objects such as tables, forms, queries, and reports, while learning
about Access features and functionality that you'll explore in more depth in later chapters.
Finally, you'll preview and print database objects.
PRACTICE FILES
To complete the exercises in this chapter, you need the practice file
contained in the Chapter01 practice file folder. For more information, see “Download
the practice iles” in this topic's Introduction.
Identifying new features of Access 2013
Access 2013 builds on previous versions to provide powerful tools for all your database
needs. If you're upgrading to Access 2013 from a previous version, you're probably most
interested in the differences between the old and new versions and how they will affect
you, and you probably want to find out about them in the quickest possible way. The fol-
lowing sections list new features you will want to be aware of, depending on the version of
Access you are upgrading from. Start with the first section and work down to your previous
version to get the complete picture.
If you are upgrading from Access 2010
If you have been using Access 2010, you might be wondering how Microsoft could have
improved on what seemed like a pretty comprehensive set of features and tools. The new
features introduced between Access 2010 and Access 2013 include the following:
▪
Access web apps
You can still create powerful database applications that are stored
locally or in a central location. But if your organization is running Microsoft SharePoint
with Access Services, you can now create a web form of a database that anyone with
the correct permissions can view and manipulate from a web browser. Judging by the
amount of effort Microsoft is putting into Access web apps, it is likely that this sophis-
ticated evolution of the web capabilities introduced with Access 2010 will be the wave
of the future, at least for larger enterprises.
