After you design the tables for your database, defining them in a Microsoft Access desktop database (.mdb file) is incredibly easy. This chapter shows you how it’s done. You’ll learn how to
Create a new database application using a database template
Create a new empty database for your own custom application
Create a simple table by entering data directly in the table
Get a jump start on defining custom tables by using the Table Wizard to
Define your own tables from scratch by using table Design view
Select the best data type for each field
Define the primary key for your table
Set validation rules for your fields and tables
Tell Access what relationships to maintain between your tables
Optimize data retrieval by adding indexes
Set options that affect how you work in table Design view
Print a table definition
Note
All the screen images in this chapter were taken on a Windows XP system with the display theme set to Windows XP.