Access Basics:
Table: Datasheet View

Step-by-Step: Table Datasheet View

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What you will learn:

to open an existing database from File menu to add records to save a changed record to navigate from record to record and field to field

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Start with: Access open but no database open, mytrips.mdb from previous lesson

Open an Existing Database from Menu

1. Click on  File  from the Menu bar.
    
2. At the bottom of the File menu, click on mytrips.mdb, which will be the #1 document if you have just finished the previous lesson.
    
   Problem: Do not see mytrips.mdb in the list:
   You either have not done the previous lesson or you have opened enough databases since then to move mytrips.mdb off of the list.
   
   Solution: Either create the database - previous lesson
   OR, Choose Open on the File menu instead, and navigate to where you saved mytrips.mdb and open it.
    

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Add a Record

Now you can put in your first record. It's not much fun working directly in the datasheet, but it can be done! The TAB key is your friend here! It will move you to the next field to the right.

1. With the table design view open, click on the View button on the toolbar, which currently shows the Datasheet view icon. The blank datasheet for the Trips table opens. The first field is highlighted, TripID.

   

   The only field with anything in it is Cost, which show the default value of zero. None of the other fields have a default value.
    
   Problem: Cannot type in field TripID: Since that field is an AutoNumber, you cannot type in anything. Access will automatically enter a number once you have data in the record. If you try to type in an AutoNumber field, you will hear the error sound and the Status bar displays an error message:
    
    

2. Press the TAB key. The cursor moves from the TripID field to the next field to the right, TripName.
    
3. Type the data below, using the TAB key to move on to the next column:
   Note: The datasheet columns cannot show all of the text in the memo fields. That is OK! It's still there. Just keep typing. Later we will create a form that will handle this better.
    

   TripName	Kauai
   DateStarted	2/26/1990
   DateEnded	3/5/1990
   Description	Convention. Flew TWA from Nashville to Honolulu, then Hawaiian Air to the island of Kauai. Stayed at the Westin Kauai.
   Cost	$950.00
   Travel Agent	Arranged through company sponsoring the convention.
   Diary	Just us two. Beautiful weather. Rented car and drove around the island, well… as far as you can get on a road! Lovely canyon park - Grand Canyon of Hawaii. Smelled and looked just like the Great Smokey Mountains. Who knew! Flew over to the Big Island and and took a helicopter tour of the volcano. It was erupting with smooth lava flow that fell into the sea! Such heat and steam!!

   

   Your datasheet window may not be wide enough to show all of the fields at once.
    

4. Close the table by clicking its Close button, but do not close the database.

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Open Existing Table

1. In the Database Window, double-click on the Trips table.
    
   The table opens in Datasheet View with the first field in the first record selected.
    

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Add More Records

A table with only 1 record is not of much use. You need to add some more trips!

1. At the bottom of the window, click on the Next Record arrow to move to the next record. The cursor appears in the first field of the blank record.
   You cannot type in this first field because it is an AutoNumber field.
    
2. Press the TAB key to move to the second field, TripName.
    
3. Type the following in the appropriate fields to create a new record:
    

   TripName	Alaska cruise
   DateStarted	8/7/2005
   DateEnded	8/14/2005
   Description	Norwegian Star, port Seattle. Flew in on Southwest through Dallas.
   Cost	$5,500.00
   Travel Agent	Jorge Martinez, World Travel Inc, jmartinez@worldtravelinc.net
   Diary	Just us two. Rainy to start but the Inside Passage was smooth and beautiful. Saw Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. Jumping salmon right by the ship. Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau was so cool! We took a boat out to look for whales and saw three different kinds.

Some columns are too narrow to show all of the text. Some are wider than needed. You will work on that in the next lesson.

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Save Records

Your new records are saved as you go!

1. Save the changes by moving to another record. (You can TAB or use arrow keys or just click in another record).

   When you leave a record, all of your data changes are automatically saved!!

   The Status bar has the message Calculating... while it is saving the record. Did you see it? For small tables the process can be too fast to show the message.

A database programmer can change Access' behavior so that records are not automatically saved. Know your database!!

To save data changes without leaving the record:
                  from the menu,  Records | Save Record
        from the keyboard, SHIFT + ENTER.

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Add Another Record

1. Type the following in the appropriate fields to create a new record:
    

   TripName	Disney World
   DateStarted	6-4-03
   DateEnded	6-11-03
   Description	Drove to Orlando. Stayed at Disney Polynesian Resort.
   Cost	$5,000.00
   Travel Agent	none
   Diary	Left 2 hours late due to a flat tire. Arrived in Orlando in a rain storm. Reservations were not correct, but the desk clerk was very cooperative and straightened it out. No yelling required! Kids slept like logs but woke up at first light. So excited!!

Note that when you type the date as 6-4-03, it is automatically reformatted to the style mm/dd/yyyy.

Trips table after entering more trip records

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Navigating Records

There are several methods for navigating between fields and between records. Now that you have some records in your table, you can do a little practice.

1. Practice moving from field to field with the TAB key and the other keystroke methods listed at the top of this page.
    

2. Practice moving from record to record with the navigation buttons at the bottom of the Datasheet window.