QCA Seminar, Steinhoff

Access Data Entry Forms

How to Make a Data Entry Form in Access (2007)

A data entry form simplifies data entry and utilizes the power of the relational database. First, it lets you create a form to enter your data in a more user friendly way than simply enterin! it into the columns in a table. Second, a data entry form allows you to automate the relationship between a main table and subtables, by embeddin! a subform into the main form and specifyin! what field should lin" the two. And third, you can embed a loo"up table into the form in order to standardize data entry for "nown codes. #here are also ways to add to the code, or collect uncoded entries, so ha$in! a data entry form enhances your fle%ibility for handlin! &ualitati$e data and does not constrain it. 'n order to create a data entry form you must first create the table(s) that will hold the data. #his tutorial assumes you ha$e already created at least one main table that collects data from your ma*or unit of analysis, at least one sub table that stands on the many side of a one to many relationship to the main data table, and at least one loo"up table whose codes refer to a field on either the main table or sub table.

Creating the Form for the Main Table

Access +,,- tries to be too helpful, and can do thin!s you do not want. ' am !oin! to teach you the most basic ways to create the form, so you will ha$e the most fle%ibility to !et the form to do e%actly what you want it to do. .e will start with the Form .izard so you can see the steps, but then we will wor" from a blan" form.

Using the Form Wizard

1. /pen your Access +,,- database. 't will be displayin! #ables in the menu section at the left. 'f you clic" on the Dropdown arrow at the top, it will display a list of choices. #here is a section called 01a$i!ate to a Cate!ory2 and a section below that called 0Filter by 3roup.2 4nder 0Filter by 3roup2 find the one called F/56S and clic" on that. 'f it displays your table in the main window, close the table. +. At the $ery top of the Access screen, find the C5EA#E tab to the ri!ht of the 7/6E tab and clic" on it. 't has sections for creatin! #ables, Forms, 5eports, and Queries. 'n the Forms section, D/ 1/# clic" on the first icon to create a form for one table. 't will !i$e you an instant form, but one that you cannot adapt. 8. 'nstead, clic" on 6/5E F/56S and in the little window that opens up, clic" on F/56 .'9A5D. :. #his opens a Form .izard that will wal" you throu!h the basic process. #he first pa!e as"s which fields you want on your form. #here is a bo% to select the #ables or Queries you want in your form. Clic" on the main table you ha$e created and in the left window below you will see a list of the A$ailable Fields in that table. 'f you want all the fields on the table to be on your form, clic" on the icon with two ri!ht arrows and all of the fields will shift to the Selected Fields list on the ri!ht. ;ou could also use the sin!le ri!ht arrow to mo$e fields one at a time to the Selected Fields list. 1otice that now the left arrow buttons are a$ailable if you want to un select either the whole list or indi$idual fields. .hen you are satisfied with the Selected Fields list, clic" on 1e%t. <. #his opens a new window as"in! what layout you would li"e for your form. ;ou can clic" throu!h the a$ailable choices and see how they differ. 'f you are ma"in! the main data entry form, choose Columnar. ;ou are !oin! to mo$e thin!s around later, and this is the easiest way to be!in. (For a subform to collect data for a subtable, you would choose #abular.) Clic" on Columnar and clic" on 1e%t. =. 1ow you are as"ed what style you would li"e for your table, and offered se$eral aesthetic choices. Choose one that appeals to you, but do 1/# choose one that !i$es too 0busy2 a

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bac"!round. ;ou want to be able to see the labels and the data fields $ery clearly. 'f you don>t li"e the fancier bac"!rounds, choose 1one. ;ou can always chan!e the color of the bac"!round later. #hen clic" on 1e%t. #he ne%t window as"s what title you want for your form and displays the name of the table you used to create it. #his is a form, not a table, so you want to put Form into the name instead of table, and you may also want to call it ?? Data Entry Form. ;ou also ha$e the options to /pen the form or to 6odify the form>s desi!n. Choose 6odify the form>s desi!n and clic" on Finish. #he form will open in desi!n $iew. Clic" on the datasheet icon in the upper left corner of the Access ribbon to loo" at the actual finished form, which will be displayin! the data for 5ecord A1 of your table. #he form will ha$e the ri!ht name, and you can see how the wizard laid out the fields and how much space it allowed for each one. 1ote that a memo field !ets a fairly lar!e bo%, but some of the other fields may not be sized to fit your data. 1ow comes the critical tric" that will let you ma"e chan!es to a form created with the Form .izard. 7old the shift "ey down and clic" on all of the fields on your form. #hen at the top of the ribbon, clic" on the Arran!e tab that is *ust to the ri!ht of the Desi!n tab that you are already on. /n the Arran!e tab, in the Control Cayout section, clic" on the 5E6/DE icon. 'f you do not clic" on remo$e, Access loc"s all the fields to each other and won>t let you mo$e them around. Clic"in! on 5emo$e releases that annoyin! feature and lets you mo$e each field around the way you want to. 'f somehow they mana!e to !et stuc" to!ether, or if you *ust need to wor" with one field, you can clic" on that field to hi!hli!ht it and then clic" on the 5emo$e icon to release it. #he basic principle is that you 4SE the form in Datasheet $iew, but you can 6/D'F; it in Desi!n $iew. ;ou will to!!le bac" and forth to chec" your chan!es and fi% problems.

Making a Form from a Blank Form

1. .ith your database open but all the tables and forms closed, clic" on the Create tab at the top of the Access screen. #hen in the Forms section, clic" on the bi! icon at the ri!ht called Form Desi!n. #hat opens a window in desi!n $iew that shows Form1 with a simple !rid. +. 'f you clic" on the Add E%istin! Fields icon in the #ools section to the ri!ht, it will open the field list for your table. 'f you ha$e multiple tables it will probably list all the tables, so be careful. 'nitially, you should *ust ha$e the fields for one table a$ailable and use only those. 8. Clic" on a field name in the Field Cist and then dra! that field onto your blan" !rid. Access will put the field>s name and the field for the data onto the form. ;ou can clic" on either part and mo$e them around. Elay with this a little. 'f you clic" on the label (the part on the left, and then mo$e it, usually both the label and the field for enterin! data will mo$e to!ether. 7owe$er, you can also mo$e them separately by usin! the little blac" s&uare in the corner to mo$e *ust one part. 'f you clic" and release, you can also see little tabs that allow you to chan!e the size of the field. 7o$er o$er the little tab and there will be an arrow, which you can then clic" to dra! the field>s ed!e to ma"e it bi!!er or smaller. :. .hen you ha$e clic"ed on the data part of a field, at the top of the screen on the left there is a familiar section that allows you to chan!e the font for the field. 'f you are enterin! data in another lan!ua!e, you may need to chan!e the font to reflect one that wor"s for that lan!ua!e, such as a 6incho font for Fapanese, or a 4nicode font that has all the special characters needed for $arious lan!ua!es. <. Add the fields you need in your form and mo$e them around to ma"e the form easier to use. ;ou can put multiple fields on one horizontal row, if they are *ust numeric fields that

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Access Data Entry Forms

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do not ta"e up much space. 3enerally you would put the 'D fields first and any other really basic stuff that identifies the records in the table. 'f you ha$e a bi!!er te%t field for a title or somethin!, you may want to put it on the row below, and !i$e it enou!h space to fit what you anticipate you>ll need. A te%t field can ha$e up to +<< characters, half that if it is in Fapanese or Chinese. 'f Access did not !i$e you enou!h space when the field was initially assi!ned, you can !o bac" to the #AGCE, in desi!n $iew, and ma"e the field lar!er by usin! the field properties at the bottom of the screen. #he data is actually bein! stored in the table, not the form, so you ha$e to chan!e the table first, and then probably close and re open the form in order for the form part to "now that the size of the field has been increased. A memo field automatically e%pands, so you don>t ha$e to chan!e the table, but you can *ust ma"e the space for the memo field as bi! as you thin" you>ll need. Don>t worry if it does somethin! you don>t want it to do. ;ou can mo$e it a!ain, and if you ha$e deleted somethin! accidentally you can use the re$erse cur$ed arrow at the $ery top of the screen to undo what you *ust did. At some point, you should either clic" on the dis" icon at the $ery top left in order to sa$e the form, or *ust close the form, which will tri!!er Access to as" you if you want to sa$e it. Say yes. Since you created it from a blan", it is now *ust called Form 1, but this is your chan!e to !i$e it a proper name so you can reco!nize it. Ge sure to put F/56 as part of the name. /nce you>$e sa$ed it, the form will appear with its name in the menu list at the left side of the screen under Forms, and when you open it a!ain the name will appear on a file tab at the top of the form. ;ou can chec" the effect of your chan!es at any time, but ' recommend that you SADE first and then switch to Datasheet $iew (usin! the icon abo$e the menu part on the left side of the ribbon) to ensure that the chan!es are recorded. /nce you are in Datasheet $iew, notice that if you clic" in any field, at the $ery bottom of the Access screen on the left, you will see displayed whate$er you put into the Description field when you created the table. 1ow !o bac" to desi!n $iew so you can ma"e further modifications. 'f you created the form from a blan", it has only its details. 't does not ha$e a #itle section at the top of the form and it does not ha$e one of the pretty styles Access pro$ides. a. 'f you switch to the Arran!e #ab, at the far left there is an icon called Autoformat. 't has a drop down arrow that will display the $arious color combinations a$ailable. ;ou can clic" on one and it will add those colors to your form>s fields. #o see the effect, you ha$e to !o bac" to Desi!n or 7ome, and !et bac" into Datasheet $iew. b. #o add a title, !et into Desi!n $iew. Fust below the Desi!n tab you>ll see an icon for addin! a Co!o (which you don>t want unless you want to add an ima!e at the top of the form) and three stac"ed small icons to the ri!ht of Co!o. 'f you ho$er o$er the top one, it says #itle. Clic" on it and instantly your form will ha$e a section at the top called Form 7eader and the name of the form will appear thereH #he other icons are to add a pa!e number or the date and time, and they are more appropriate for reports, so s"ip those. 'f you then close and sa$e the form and open it in form or layout $iew, you can see the title at the top of your form. 't will also still ha$e that little inde% tab at the top, which will be handy later if you ha$e multiple forms open at the same time.

Changing the Tab Order

1. 'f you mo$e fields around so that they are in a different se&uence from the ori!inal display, or add $arious bells and whistles later on, you will probably want to chan!e the

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Access Data Entry Forms

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#ab /rder so you can use the tab "ey to mo$e throu!h the form. 4sin! the tab "ey ensures that you don>t s"ip important fields on your form. .ith the form open in desi!n $iew and showin! the Desi!n tab at the top of the ribbon, Clic" on the Arran!e tab. 'n the Control Cayout section of the ribbon find the #ab /rder icon and clic" on it. #he #ab /rder menu bo% will appear on top of your form. /n the ri!ht side under Custom /rder you>ll see the list of fields in the order they were put into the form ori!inally. #here is a small bo% to the left of each field. Find a field whose location in the tab order you want to chan!e and clic" to hi!hli!ht it. #hen clic" and hold the mouse in the same bo% and you can dra! the field up or down to where you want it in the list. Gy holdin! down the shift "ey you can hi!hli!ht se$eral conti!uous fields at once, and then if you>re careful, you can clic" and hold to dra! all of them to a different location to!ether. .hen you ha$e finished mo$in! fields around, clic" on /I to confirm your new order and close the window. (Do not clic" on Auto/rder, which will ta"e the list bac" to its ori!inal confi!uration.). #o chec" the new tab order, SADE and then switch to Datasheet Diew. 1ow use the tab "ey and see if it mo$es throu!h the fields in the order you want. 'f not, you can !o bac" and chan!e the tab order a!ain until you are satisfied with it.

Adding Action Buttons to the Form

Data entry can be made easier if you add a couple of buttons to the bottom of your form, althou!h you can accomplish the same actions usin! other features that are already a$ailable. 1. .hen you are in the Datasheet $iew of your form, you can use the 5ecord Selector at the bottom of the form to mo$e between records. .arnin!H #he number displayed in the window on the record selector is based on a simple count of the number of records, and it does not necessarily correspond to the 'D number of the record. #he arrows mo$e bac" and forth one record at a time, and the arrows with $ertical bars mo$e to the first or last record. #he arrow with an asteris" opens a new record for data entry, and the number to the ri!ht of the selector shows you the total number of records you ha$e in the data table underlyin! the form. +. /f course, you can always close the form usin! either the ? in the upper ri!ht hand corner of the form, or usin! FileJClose on the top na$i!ation bar in the Access window. 'f you happen to be in Desi!n $iew when you want to close the form, it is a !ood idea to SADE before you close it to ma"e sure any chan!es are recorded.

Adding a New Record B tton

An easier way to be!in addin! a new record, and to proceed to the ne%t new record when you are enterin! a lot of data, is to put an Add 5ecord button on the bottom ri!ht corner of your formKri!ht where you will be when you finish enterin! the data for one record. 7ere>s how. 1. 'n Desi!n Diew of the form, mo$e to the bottom where you want to put the button and ma"e sure there is enou!h room. ;ou can add more space to the bottom of the form *ust by clic"in! on the Form Footer and then clic"in! and dra!!in! on the icon in the center that is a cross with $ertical arrows. +. 1ow Coo" at the top ri!ht half of the ribbon under the Desi!n tab. ;ou>ll see a bunch of little icons in a section called 0controls2. .hen you ho$er on any of the icons, a bo% will appear to tell you what that particular tool does. 7owe$er, the Gutton icon already says 0button2 ri!ht underneath the icon. 8. #o add an action button to your form, clic" on the Gutton icon to hi!hli!ht it and then clic" on your F/56, in the !eneral area where you want the button to be located. Don>t

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Access Data Entry Forms

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worry if Access puts it in a sli!htly different place, because you already "now how to mo$e thin!s around. 'n addition to puttin! a button on the form, this has opened the Command Gutton .izard, which will wal" you throu!h !ettin! the button to actually perform some action when the user clic"s on it. #he first pa!e as"s you want action you want to happen when the button is pressed. Gy hi!hli!htin! a cate!ory in the left side list under Cate!ories, you can see what Actions are a$ailable for that cate!ory in the ri!ht side list. 'n this case, you want a button for 5ecord /perations, and you want it to Add 1ew 5ecord. Clic" on 1e%t to see the ne%t step in the wizard. 7ere you can choose whether to put te%t on your button or a symbol. 't is less confusin! to ha$e the word on the button, so clic" on #e%t and then on 1e%t. #his time it as"s you to name the button. Fust !i$e it the name of the function it performs, in this case Add 1ew 5ecord Gutton. (#his new name may 1/# appear in the #ab /rder list, but it will appear in other places where you mi!ht need it.) Clic" on Finish and you will see the button now has its proper name. ;ou can dra! it to where$er you want it, then SADE and switch to Datasheet Diew to see what you>$e done and chec" that it wor"s. 'f you put the button at the bottom of the form, it will appear at the end of the #ab /rder list. 7owe$er, if you put more than one button and don>t arran!e them in the order you created them, then you probably will need to !o to the #ab /rder section as described abo$e and fi% the tab order.

Adding a Close Form B tton

;ou can use the same procedure outlined abo$e to add a button to close the form when you ha$e finished enterin! new data. 1. Follow steps 1 : of the instructions for addin! a Command Gutton to mo$e to a new blan" record. +. #his time you want the button to perform a Form /peration (Close the Form) so na$i!ate to the Form /perations in the Cate!ories list and then choose the Action Close Form. 8. Follow the remainin! steps in the wizard, but name your button Close Form Gutton in Step -.

Creating a Subform Linked to the Main Form

;ou can create one or more subforms that collect information for a sub table on the 6A1; side of a relationship to the table underlyin! your main form. #hat form is embedded into the main form, and Access will automatically add the 'D number from the main record to all of the records in the sub table. ;ou must first create the subform, and then embed it in the main form.

Creating the ! bForm

1. First, chec" your sub table to ma"e sure it has the necessary fields to ma"e the lin" and collect multiple instances of somethin! per record in the main table. /pen the table in Desi!n Diew and ma"e sure it contains G/#7 a uni&ue identifier for all the records in this table A1D a field for the 'D of the main table to which these records will be lin"ed. 'f you do not ha$e both fields, you cannot lin" the tables on the form, or lin" the data between the two tables. 5emember that on your sub table (the many side) the 'D field for the main table is 1/# the primary "ey, because it can ha$e multiple records for one main table record. 't is a number field that is set as 0Con! 'nte!er2 in the properties at the bottom of the pa!e. #he actual primary "ey for the sub table is the field that counts

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records in the sub table and it should be set as an Auto1umber field and mar"ed as the primary "ey. Also add a Se&uence field, set as a number field, so that you can record how many sub table records you are creatin! for each main record. .hen the table is set up properly, sa$e and close it. For a subform you usually want to display thin!s in tabular $iew, which means the names of the fields !o across the top with the data entry place below, and you can display more than one record at a time on the form. #his allows you to enter multiple records on the subform that are lin"ed to the one record that is displayed on the main form. ;ou can do this with the Form .izard. Follow the direction abo$e to use the Form .izard, but when it as"s you what layout you want for the form (step A< abo$e), say #abular instead of Columnar. #hen !o throu!h the rest of the process to create the subform. 1ow name your subform, and be sure to put the word S4GF/56 into the name to a$oid confusion later. Chec" that you want to 6odify the Form, and clic" on Finish to e%ist the wizard and see the new subform in desi!n $iew. #his form will loo" a bit different from the main form. 't will ha$e a row across the top called Form 7eader that !i$es the labels for each field, and then below the bar called Detail, it will ha$e the data bo% for each field. 5emember that in Access +,,-, before you can ma"e any ad*ustments you need to hold down the shift "ey, clic" on all the fields in the form, then clic" on the Arran!e tab, and then clic" on the 5emo$e icon in the Control Cayout section of the ribbon. /nce you do that, you can ad*ust the size of the fields as needed. ;ou can also simplify the name in the label field if you want. (Sometimes it has a lon! name but only needs a little space, such as for a numeric field, so deletin! the unnecessary part of the name lets you shrin" the space it ta"es.) /nce it is on your main form, this subform will e%pand automatically to capture multiple records. Ad*ust the Form Footer so that there isn>t blan" space left at the bottom of the form. ;ou can ad*ust for how many records you want to display at once after you !et it onto the main form. Sa$e the subform and switch to Datasheet $iew to see what it loo"s li"e. 'f you are satisfied with the form, you are now ready to attach it to the 6ain Form. Close the Form, which will return you to the main menu pa!e and you should still be on the Forms part of the menu. Goth the main form and your new SubForm should be listed.

"mbedding the ! bForm on the Main Form

1. /n the Forms menu, hi!hli!ht your 6ain data entry form and then clic" on the Desi!n icon, to open the form in Desi!n Diew. +. Decide where on the form you want to put the subform, based on where it would lo!ically belon! in the codin! se&uence. #hen mo$e thin!s around and e%pand the len!th of the form so you ha$e room to put the subform onto the main form. ;ou already ha$e some sense of its size, but you can ma"e further ad*ustments later. (6a"e sure you ha$e already !one throu!h the procedure described abo$e to unloc" the parts of the main form by hi!hli!htin! the fields and usin! Arran!eJControl CayoutJ5emo$e on the ribbon.) 8. 'n desi!n $iew, in the Controls section, find the SubFormJSubreport 'con *ust abo$e the word Control and clic" on it once. #hen mo$e your cursor rou!hly where you want the subform to appear on your form and clic" once. #his will open the SubForm .izard. #he first pa!e as"s where the data is. Clic" on 4se an e%istin! form, and then clic" on the Subform you want in the list and clic" on 1e%t.

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Access Data Entry Forms

:. 1ow the wizard as"s what fields to lin". 5ead what it has written below the bo%. 'f that is correct, you can ma"e sure it is hi!hli!hted and that 0Choose from a list2 is chec"ed abo$e, and then clic" on 1e%t. (/n the other hand, if you don>t li"e or trust the options Access pro$ided, choose Define my own. #his opens one column for the Form fields and another for the Subform fields, and you can choose the lin"in! field from both lists. ) .hen you>$e established the lin", clic" 1e%t. <. 1ow you !et to name your subform as it will appear on the main form. 't should display the name you already !a$e it, and you can *ust accept that and clic" on Finish. =. #he wizard will close and your subform will appear on your main form. Ad*ust its placement and ma"e sure you can see both the labels and at least one row of the data fields, and that you ha$en>t hidden somethin! behind the subform on your main form. -. #his will ha$e affected the tab order if there is anythin! after the subform, so !o to Arran!eJ#ab /rder and mo$e the combo bo% up to its proper place in the se&uence. #hen Sa$e your form and ta"e a loo" at it in Datasheet $iew.

Attaching the Code List from a Lookup Table to a Form or SubForm

't is helpful to ha$e all the code cate!ories from a loo"up table ri!ht on your form so you can simply choose the desired cate!ory and ha$e the code added to your data. A loo"up table may be added either to the main form (for a code that has only one instance per record on the main table) or to a subform (for a code that would apply to each record on the many side of a relationship and be collected throu!h a subform and added to records on a sub table.) 1. ;ou must first ha$e a Coo"up #able that contains a field for the numeric code and a field for the name of the code cate!ory. 't may also ha$e one or more additional fields, but these usually will not be displayed on the form. +. ;ou also need to identify the table that will collect the data for this code. 'f it is a sin!le instance per main record, then you *ust need to ha$e that code field on the main table, with a name that is the same or similar to the code field on the loo"up table. 'f there can be more than one instance per main record, then the loo"up table will need to ha$e a correspondin! collection table, which will collect these instances onto a sub table, throu!h a subform. 8. 'f you are collectin! the data on a sub table, often you will only "now part of the code when you be!in. #herefore, you will need an additional field on your collection table for cases in which you *ust enter the raw data because you do not yet "now how to code it. #his should be a #E?# field if possible, so it can be sorted. ;ou can also add a memo field to the collection table if you want to preser$e bi!!er chun"s of conte%tual information. :. 'f you find that you need to add some fields to your collection sub table, do that first so that e$erythin! will wor" properly. 'f you ha$e already created a subform and now realize it needs some more fields, you can add the fields to the table, and then open the subform in Desi!n Diew, e%pand the subform horizontally, and use the Field Cist on the top na$i!ation bar to add the additional fields. (/r you can *ust delete the subform and start o$er with the Form wizard. <. .hen you are ready to attach the loo"up table>s list of code cate!ories, open the Form that will hold the list in Desi!n Diew. =. Cocate the field on the form that is already set up to hold the code. 't will ha$e a label field and code field. Delete the data field. -. 1ow, on the Desi!n 5ibbon in the Control section, find the Combo Go% icon. 't is the top one abo$e the word Control. 't loo"s li"e a list but has a little blue down arrow in the upper ri!ht corner. Clic" on it once to hi!hli!ht it, then mo$e the cursor to your Form and clic" a!ain. #his will place a mar"er on the form and open the Combo Go% .izard.

QCA Seminar, Steinhoff

Access Data Entry Forms

@. 't as"s you where the bo% will !et its $alues. Clic" on the first option, 0' want the combo bo% to loo" up the $alues in a table or &uery.2 #hen clic" on 1e%t. B. #he ne%t pa!e shows a list of the tables in your database. ;our loo"up tables should be identified with Coo"up in the name. Find the one you want, and clic" on it. Clic" on 1e%t. 1,. #he ne%t pa!e as"s which fields you want in your combo bo%. ;ou need the Code field and the field that !i$es the name of the cate!ory. /nce these are selected, clic" on 1e%t. 11. 1ow you are as"ed how you want the list sorted. Eic" the field to sort, and clic" ascendin! to !et it in alphabetical order. Clic" on 1e%t. 1+. #he ne%t pa!e allows you to ad*ust the width of the bo%. 4sually it has the code field too wide, and the name field too narrow, so fi% those to ma"e the list easy to read. #hen clic" on 1e%t. 18. #he ne%t pa!e as"s you which field has the $alue you want to store. Clic" on the C/DE field, not the name field. #hen clic" on 1e%t. 1:. #he ne%t pa!e as"s you where you want to store the $alue. Clic" on 0Store that $alue in this field2 and then identify the C/DE field in the collection table and clic" on it. #hen clic" on 1e%t. 1<. 1ow you can name the combo bo%. '>d put combo bo% into the name, or loo"up, so you can identify it easily. #hen clic" on Finish. 1=. #he wizard will close and you will see your combo bo% on the form. 'f it is on a subform, it probably is co$erin! up other fields. ('t may be easier to do this if you add some temporary space below the line of data fields, mo$e the label out of the way, and then ad*ust the field with the down arrow. #hen clic" somewhere else on the pa!e and then carefully clic" on the label, use the little bo% in the upper left corner of the label to mo$e it a bit more to ma"e sure it is mo$in! separately from the data bo%, and then delete the label. ;ou may need to !o throu!h the Arran!eJ5emo$e routine to !et the two parts to separate, and then play with it a bit in Desi!n $iew, but you can !et it to wor". #hen sa$e the form and chec" it. 1-. #he tab order may be wron! now, because the new combo bo% will appear at the end of the list. So fi% the tab order, sa$e, and then chec" a!ain.

Best Practice for Maintaining Your Access Database

1ow that you ha$e an Access database and you are startin! to code data into it, you need to ma"e sure that you protect the database and maintain its relation to the ori!inal data. 1. 'f your raw data are on paper or are stored in your computer as files, de$elop a simple system so that the 'D number for the main records in your Access database is also recorded on the raw data in some way. 'n some cases, you don>t need the 'D because you are codin! articles and you ha$e the date of the article both in the database and on the ori!inal. #hen you simply need a filin! system that "eeps the raw data in order so you can find thin!s if you need to !o bac" to the raw data. +. ;ou also need a simple procedure so you can tell what has been coded and what has not. .ith pieces of paper, this is as simple as "eepin! two stac"s, for coded and uncoded items. For computer files, it may be better to create two separate folders, for coded and uncoded materials, and mo$e them from one folder to the other as you complete the codin!. 8. 'f your data source is relati$ely small indi$idual items, such as newspaper articles, and particularly (but not only) if the data are already in computer files, you can add a memo field to your main table where the items are initially coded, and then arran!e the data entry form so that there is a $ery lar!e memo field at the ri!ht of the pa!e, elon!ated if needed. #hen you can actually start your data entry by copyin! and pastin! the entire articles into the records, and then pastin! in the title and other identifyin! information.

QCA Seminar, Steinhoff

Access Data Entry Forms

;ou can fairly &uic"ly copy and paste all of the articles into the database, with Access assi!nin! the 'D number to each record as you proceed. /nce you ha$e that basic information in the database for all your cases, it is much easier to !o bac" and code the rest of the information because the raw data is ri!ht there and thin!s can easily be copied and pasted and other fields can be filled in. #hat also means you are much less li"ely to lose trac" of the data, and it is much easier if you later need to !o bac" and code additional information. 'f you do this at the be!innin! and later find that you>$e copied and pasted and assi!ned 'D numbers to some articles that you do not want to include in your study, you can either delete those records, or add a field to the table that indicates whether you will be usin! a record in the sample. #hen you can easily mar" the records. Fust don>t for!et to use that code to filter the records whene$er you are wor"in! with them, so the irrele$ant ones are left out. :. For any raw or coded data you are storin! on a computer, you need to ma"e bac"up copies. Gurn a copy to a CD, date the CD, and put it somewhere safe. Gurn a new copy periodically if you are doin! any codin! or annotatin! on the computer files. <. For Access databases, you need to create and sa$e bac"up copies re!ularly and "eep them in more than one place. a. For lar!er pro*ects in which there is an Access database on a standalone computer, ' !enerally maintain a set of three zip dis"s and ha$e coders copy the database to a zip dis" at the end of EDE5; codin! session, put the date on that dis", and mo$e it to the bottom of the set. #hat means the three dis"s are bein! rotated and we always ha$e three bac"up copies to protect that last three sessions of wor". b. For your current pro*ect, a simpler solution is to copy the database at the end of each codin! session to a different location, '1 ADD'#'/1 #/ #7E 6A'1 F'CE ;/4 4SE EAC7 #'6E, and put the date into the file name of the copy. ;ou will accumulate a !rowin! set of these bac"up copies, and when you run out of stora!e space, you can delete the oldest ones. Ieep these bac"ups separate from the one wor"in! file that you always open and wor" on (in a different folder, computer or 4SG "ey), so that you don>t !et confused and start wor"in! on the wron! copy. c. As you wor" with an Access database, it !ets bi!!er, but a lot of the e%tra space is wasted. ;ou can periodically use the Compact and 5epair function to clean up the database and you will be amazed at how much smaller it becomes. 'n /ffice +,,- this can be set to happen automatically when you close the database. 'n older $ersions you !enerally need to do it manually. Always ma"e sure you ha$e a copy before you do that, *ust in caseH