MS Access Databases: Using the Power of Forms

An MS Access database form is both our window and door to the database. As a window, the form gives us a complete, partial or restricted look at our information. As a door, the form is a convenient way to maintain (update, change, or delete) the fields and records that make up our tables

When we join related tables, we harness the power of MS Access as a “relational” database. For example, joining a customer table with a products table instantly allows us to see what products each individual customer bought (in the customer table) and which customers bought each individual product (in the products table).

As your database grows, it not only accumulates more records, but also it acquires more “objects.” Those objects are your new forms, added queries, additional reports, and even new macros -- all of which become indispensable to your daily productivity. Soon those objects accumulate in your object list, and database navigation becomes confusing and cumbersome.

That confusion can be overcome with a switchboard or a personalized navigation form with buttons that take you directly to object you need to display or edit. You can either do this through the MS Access switchboard manager (located on the database tools menu) or prepare your own personalized version of the switchboard.

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The MS Access Switchboard Manager (on the Database Tools menu) composes a switchboard form and is based on the object destinations the user enters. Somewhat “unintuitive,” the switchboard manager can be a bit confusing. If you are planning to create your own switchboard, see Microsoft’s great instruction page on how to make and maintain switchboards.

In addition to using forms for to display and edit data from a single table, we can harness the power of the relational database and maintain multiple forms. We can also use our forms to attach buttons that take us directly the work we want to do and tame the tendency of “object bloat” in MS Access.