Microsoft Access 2007

The new version of Access, known as Microsoft Access 2007 is the best version of the world's most popular desktop databases so far. If you have been using a previous version of MS Access you will notice a completely new interface. As with other applications in the Microsoft Office 2007 suite it introduces the new Ribbon interface. This replaces the traditional tool bars and menus that were in previous versions. There has been much debate about the Ribbon. Some prefer the old style tool bars and are finding it hard to get to grips with the Ribbon. The Ribbon is made up of a number of tabs each housing it's own set of commands. These commands are grouped under headings. For example to create a new form you would click the create tab and move along to the forms section to locate the form command.   It is now possible to create a basic form simply by highlighting the table in the navigation pane and then clicking on the form button located in the Ribbon.   A new form design mode is introduced called 'Layout View'. This allows you to actually see your data whilst making changes to the form. This is very handy for getting an idea of how the final interface will look.   Calendars were never the easiest to implement. That's all changed in Microsoft Access 2007. Now all you do is declare a date/time data type in the table and in form design mode drag the related text box field to the form. Run the form - when you click in the text box a little calendar icon appears next to it. Click it and select a date. The date is dropped into the text box. You can also turn this feature off. No more fiddling about with code or having to make a reference to a calendar control.   It is no longer possible to set security using a work group file. Gone are the individual permissions for users and groups. Security in Microsoft Access 2007 is limited to setting a password on the database. If you need greater security it is recommended that you upgrade the back end tables to SQL Server.   Overall it is worth looking at Microsoft Access 2007 as it marks a turning point for the product. Future versions are likely to adopt the Ribbon interface and incorporate many other of the new features.Do you want to get a Microsoft Access tutorial series that's jam packed with hints and tips?http://access-databases.com/ms-access-tutorial/