Database Reference
In-Depth Information
exporting
The process of converting an Access
table or database into a format that can
be used by other programs. See also
importing
.
expression
A combination of functions, field
values, constants, and operators that can
be used to assign properties to tables or
forms, to determine values in fields or re-
ports, as part of a query, and in many other
places. Also known as a
formula
.
Expression Builder
A tool used to create an ex-
pression. The Expression Builder includes
a list of common expressions that you can
select from to define the properties you
want to target.
ield
An element of a table that contains a spe-
cific item of information, such as a last
name. A field is represented in Access as a
column in a database table. See also
record
.
field alias
A label assigned to a field. You can
change the labels Access assigns to make
them more meaningful.
field names
The names assigned to fields that
appear as column headings in the first row
of a database table.
field property
A property that controls what
data can be entered in a field, how it must
look, and what Access should do with it.
filter
A set of criteria that specifies what table
data should be displayed.
fixed-width text file
A common text file format
that is often used to transfer data from
older programs. The same field in every
record contains the same number of char-
acters. If the actual data doesn't fill a field,
the field is padded with spaces so that the
starting point of the data in the next field
is the same number of characters from the
beginning of every record.
flat database
A simple database that can store
information in only one table. Also known
as a
flat file database
. See also
relational
database
.
foreign key
In related tables, the foreign key
field in one table corresponds with the
primary key field in the other table.
form
An organized and formatted view of some
or all of the fields from one or more tables
or query results. Forms work interactively
with the tables in a database and are often
used to simplify data entry.
form selector
The box at the intersection of the
vertical and horizontal rulers when a form
is displayed in Design view. You click the
form selector to select the entire form.
front-end database
The portion of a split data-
base that contains the forms, queries, and
reports people use to work with data. The
front end can be copied to the local com-
puter of any user who needs to work with
the database. See also
back-end database
and
split database
.
function
A named procedure or routine,
often used for mathematical or financial
calculations.
group
On a ribbon tab, an area containing but-
tons related to a specific database object,
element, or function. On the Navigation
bar, a list that is part of a category.
grouping level
The level by which records are
grouped in a report. When you group on
a field, the report adds a group header
and footer around each group of records
that have the same value in that field.
HTML
A markup language used to create hyper-
text documents that are portable from one
platform to another. HTML files are simple
ASCII text files with embedded markup
tags that control formatting and hypertext
links. See also
XML
.
