2. Contents
 DBMS, Purpose
 Is Excel a Database???
 Microsoft Access…
 Joint Engine Technology
 Architecture of JET
 Queries in Access
 GUI
 Comparisons:
 Excel and Access
 Access and other DBMS
 Introduction to Star office

3. What is a dbms?
 A database is any organized collection of interrelated data.
 Database Applications:
 Banking: all transactions
 Universities: registration, grades
 Sales: customers, products, purchases
 Human resources: employee records, salaries, tax
deductions

4. DBMS
 A database management system (DBMS) such as Access,
Oracle or SQL Server which provides the software tools you
need to organize that data in a flexible manner.
 It includes tools to add, modify or delete data from the
database, ask queries about the data stored in the database
and produce reports summarizing selected contents.

5. What is the purpose of a database management
system?
Is to transform
Data Information Knowledge Action

6. Excel as a database
An Excel list consists of columns and rows of data
structured in a specific way:
 Each column contains the same category of data.
(similar to a field in a database)
 Each row in the list contains all of the fields of data for one
entity (similar to a record in a database), but called sets of
data in Excel’s terminology .
 The first row of the list must contain a unique name at the
top of each column.

7. Excel as Database
 The row containing the column headings must be
formatted (i.e. bold, larger font, italicized, etc.)
 There can be blank cells in a column, but the entire row
cannot be empty.
 Data can be sorted alphabetically or numerically in Excel
using the Quick Sort buttons on the Standard Toolbar.
 Sorts can be in Ascending (A-Z) or Descending (Z-A)
order.

8. Microsoft Access -Introduction
 Microsoft Office Access, previously known as Microsoft
Access, is a database management system from Microsoft
that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine
with a graphical user interface and software-development
tools
 MS Access stores data in its own format based on the
Access Jet Database Engine. It can also import or link
directly to data stored in other applications and databases

9. Joint Engine Technology
 The Microsoft Jet Database Engine is a database engine
on which several Microsoft products have been built.
 A database engine is the underlying component of a
database, a collection of information stored on a computer
in a systematic way.

10. Architecture of JET
 Locking:
 Jet allows multiple users to access the database
concurrently.
 To prevent that data from being corrupted or invalidated
when multiple users try to write to the database, Jet
employs a data write locking policy.
 Any single user can only modify those database records
(that is, items in the database) to which they have
applied a lock that gives them exclusive access to the
record until the lock is released.

11. Architecture of JET
 Transaction processing:
 Jet supports transaction processing for database systems
that have this capability
 A transaction is a series of operations performed on a
database that must be done together — this is known as
atomicity and is a part of ACID (Atomicity, Consistency,
Isolation, and Durability), concepts considered to be the
key transaction processing features of a database
management system.

12. Architecture of JET
 Data integrity:
 Jet enforces entity integrity and referential integrity.
 Entity integrity is one of the key concepts of relational
databases, and ensures that no record is able to be
duplicated and also ensures that no field (or group of
fields) that identify the record (the primary key) are
NULL.
 Referential integrity is where the fields that identify
data that exist in a database table (the foreign key) must
correspond with an existing primary key in that
database

13. Architecture of JET
 Queries:
 They can be defined in Microsoft QBE (Query By
Example), through the Microsoft Access SQL Window or
through Access Basic's Data Access Objects (DAO)
language.
 These are then converted to an SQL SELECT statement.
The query is then compiled — this involves parsing the
query (involves syntax checking and determining the
columns to query in the database table), then converted
into an internal Jet query object format, which is then
tokenized and organised into a tree like structure.

14. MS-Access query
• An MS-Access query is a set of stored SQL
instructions that manipulate and/or select data from
one or more tables.
• Select Query – Data grouping and/or filtering
• Make-Table Query – Select + creates/populates new
table.
• Update Query – Updates fields from specified table
data
• Append Query – Runs query on one table, appends
results to a table
• Delete Query – Delete selected records from table
PA Harris, Vanderbilt University

15. MS Access Queries
• Queries are extremely easy to set up/use and provide an up-
to-date snapshot of your data at any time.
• Queries may be used to calculate values based upon existing
fields, join fields from separate tables, globally update or
delete data, and export linked/calculated data to external
programs.
PA Harris, Vanderbilt University

16. Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Although it is possible to enter data directly into a table,
you can enhance data quality by forcing data entry through
forms.
• Depending upon the users, we may wish to set things up
so they never even see the database window.
• In other words, we can design your application so they
only touch the data through programmed forms.
PA Harris, Vanderbilt University

17. USE EXCEL MS ACCESS
Validate basic user input YES YES
(e.g., for a single field/cell
Complex user input Challenging to accomplish Yes
validation or events (if field
X = Y, and field Z is empty,
perform some action)
Data arranged in a few Yes Yes
columns without much
repetition
Rows/records supported Excel 2000 and Excel 2003: Unlimited (up to 2GB/table)
65,535 rows
Excel 2007 and Excel 2010:
1,048,576 rows

18. USE EXCEL MS ACCESS
Simple cross-references Yes Yes
Complex data Limited Yes
analysis/queries
Events based on user actions No Yes
(when user exits a field/cell
do X, when they mouse over
a field/cell do Y)
Multiple users, but generally No Yes
accessing data at different
times
Multiple users, accessing No Yes (but can be slow
data at the same time depending on network
speed)
Frequent mass-update Challenging to accomplish, Yes
operations time intensive
Multiple data entry forms No Yes
Mail Merge with Word Yes Yes

19. USE EXCEL MS ACCESS
Reporting Challenging to accomplish Yes
Automated backups Challenging to accomplish Possible with VB coding,
backup software,or UI
Builder for Microsoft Access
Record-level auditing No Possible with VB coding or
UI Builder for Microsoft
Access
Expertise Required Low For simple
databases: Low/Moderate
For complex requirements:
Moderate-to-High
Attaching files/links to fields No Yes (MS Access 2007 and
Access 2010)
Sharing information on the Yes (Excel 2007 and Excel Yes (Microsoft Access 2010)
Web 2010)

20. USE EXCEL MS ACCESS
Reporting Challenging to accomplish Yes
Automated backups Challenging to accomplish Possible with VB coding,
backup software,or UI
Builder for Microsoft Access
Record-level auditing No Possible with VB coding or
UI Builder for Microsoft
Access
Expertise Required Low For simple
databases: Low/Moderate
For complex requirements:
Moderate-to-High
Attaching files/links to fields No Yes (MS Access 2007 and
Access 2010)
Sharing information on the Yes (Excel 2007 and Excel Yes (Microsoft Access 2010)
Web 2010)

21. MS Access vs. MS Excel
 MS Excel
 spreadsheet
 flat database
 all information has a one-to-one relationship
 MS Access
 like multiple spreadsheets that are connected to one
another.
 one-to-many relationships
 many-to-many relationships

22. MS Access vs. MS Excel
 The choice is simple:
 IF you have only one-to-one relationships, you need to
use MS Excel.
 IF you have one-to-many or many-to-many
relationships, you need to use MS Access.
06/06/06

23. Examples
 Printed Phone Directory (White Pages)
 Flat database: One-to-one relationships
 Library Catalog
 Relational database: Many-to-many relationships
 Library patrons check out many books.
 Books are checked out by many patrons.
 University Class Schedule
 Students have many professors.
 Professors have many students.
 Classes can be held in many classrooms.
06/06/06

24. MS-Access over Excel and other dbms
• MS Access is best used for long-term data storage and/or
data sharing.
• MS Excel is best used for minor data collection,
manipulation, and especially visualization.
• SPSS is best used for minor data collection and especially
data analysis.
• It is easy to export data from MS Access to Excel
• Cheap, readily available

25. MS Access over Other DBMS
 Easy to use (relative to other systems –Oracle may require
one FTE to maintain the server as a database administrator
and another FTE to serve as an application developer).
 Includes front-end tools for rapid application development
(RAD).

26. Other DBMS systems over MS-Access
 MS-Access can handle a large number of records, but is
somewhat slow compared to some of the high-end
platforms.
 Multiple users may use the database simultaneously, but
MS-Access is known to become unstable with greater than
3-5 users.

27. CALC
 StarOffice Calc:
 It is Similar to Microsoft Excel.
 Any part or whole part of calc can be printed in a
desired format.
 Calc data can viewed in the form of graph or
charts.
 The calc information is transferred to any database or
word processing software.

28. Applications:
-Payment of bills
-Invoices or bills
-Results analysis of student
-Financial accounting
-Income tax calculation

29. BASE
 StarOffice Base:
 AdabasD database, a program of similar scale to Microsoft
Access. Front end to access Oracle, Informix, Sybase and
others.
 They include over 30 predefined table schemas to help in
design.
 Create Simple Queries without any SQL Knowledge
 Graphical Interface in Forms
 Share information through reports

30.  StarOffice Base supports 11 database formats including
Microsoft Access, Sql, MySql, Oracle, dBase and Excel.
Examples:
 your address book
 the telephone book
 a price list
 a product catalogue.

31. THANK YOU