CD Direkt 1995 #1/Image.iso/cdd/winanw/datacess/datacess.doc

Text File | 1994-01-17 | 11.3 KB | 400 lines

               Data Accessor 1.0 For Windows


Data Accessor For Windows is a Microsoft (TM)Access Database Filer.
It reads and writes Microsoft (TM)Access databases without (TM)Access!
Create Tables, Design Databases, or just browse through them!



                 Installation:

After Unzipping the file, at the DOS prompt type:
        COPY *.DLL C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
        COPY *.VBX C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM

AND YOU CAN LEAVE THE OTHER FILES THERE IN THE DIRECTORY.

Note: This program requires VBRUN300.DLL which is not supplied.
Your program will not run without it.



                   Basic Operation:


                          Adding Fields to a Table


To add a field to a table

    1.    Open an existing database. The Tables window is
displayed.
    2.    Select the desired table and choose the Design
button.
    3.    Choose the Add button in the Fields grid to add
fields to the table.  The Add Field dialog is
displayed.
    4.    Enter the field name.

    For Data Accessor databases, the field name must
follow the same rules as any Data Accessor  object
name.  For external databases, field names must
comply with the rules established by each
database vendor.

    5.    Enter the data type for the field.

    The field's data type determines what kind of
information is to be stored in the fielda number or a
string, for example.  If the field data type is string,
you must also enter a value in the Field Size text
box.  The field size represents the maximum
number of characters that can be entered in the
field.  The combined size of all the fields in a table
cannot exceed 2000 bytes (each character in a
string field requires one byte).


Note
You can add additional fields to a database table,
but you cannot rename, modify, or delete fields
without deleting the entire table and rebuilding each
field.  For this reason, double check your design
before choosing OK in the Add Field window.



Repeat steps 3  5 to add additional fields to your
table.

                            Closing a Database

When you are finished using a database, you should
close the database so it becomes available for
others to use.

     To close a database

    1.    Choose the Close Database command from the
File menu.


                              Compacting a Database

Use the Compact Database command to copy all
data from one database to another and to organize
the data in the resulting database contiguously so
that disk space can be recovered.


  To compact a database

    1.    Make sure the database you want to compact is
closed.
    2.    Choose the Compact Database command on the
File menu.

3.    In the displayed dialog, enter the name of the
database you want to compact from and choose
OK.  Another dialog is displayed.

    4.    Enter the name of the file where the new
compacted database is to be copied.



Warning   Do not specify the same name for both
the original (step 3) and compacted (step 4) files.  If
you do, and the Compact Database operation is not
completed, your database will be deleted.  In
addition, if both files are on the same disk, be sure to
provide enough room for both the original and the
compacted database.


                           Creating a Database

To create a Data Accessor database

    1.    Choose the New Database command from the
File menu.
        From the submenu, select the type of database you
want to create (Microsoft Access version 1.0, or
Microsoft Access version 1.1).

2.    Enter the name of the database you want to create
in the displayed dialog.


Note    The file extension must be .MDB.  Do not enter
or choose the name of an existing .MDB file.


3.    Choose OK to accept the new database name, or
Choose Network (if available) to connect to a
network drive.
    Once the database file has been created, use the
Data Accessor to add new tables and indexes to
store the data.


                Creating an Index

Indexes improve performance and prevent
duplicate records in your tables.

To create an index:

    1.    Use the Data Accessor to create a new
database, or open an existing database.
    2.    From the database window, choose the New
button to create a new table, or choose the
Design button to modify an existing table.  The
Table Design window is displayed.
    3.    Choose the Add button in the Indexes portion of
the Table Design window.  The Add Index
dialog is displayed.
    4.    Enter a name for the index in the Index Name
text box.
    5.    Select a field name from the Fields in Table
list.  Choose Add (Asc) to create an ascending
index, or Add (Dec) to create a descending
index.


Note    There is no limit to the number of fields in
an index.  However, the combined length of the
field names in an index must be less than 254
characters.



    6.    Select the appropriate check boxes in the
bottom of the dialog.
        Select the Require Unique Index Values check box
to prevent duplicate records in the table.



Note    If a database contains duplicate records or
Null values in an index, the Data Accessor cannot
create a new index with either the Require Unique
Index Values or Primary Index check boxes
selected.



        Select the Primary Index check box to indicate the
index is to serve as the primary basis for
sorting the table.  Setting this check box also
indicates that the index is to be unique.
    7.    Choose Done to create the index.



Note    Not all fields may be used in an index.  For
example, MEMO or binary object fields cannot be
specified in an index.


                 Creating New Tables

All the data in your database are stored in tables.  A
table is defined as a set of one or more fields.  The
type of data a field can contain is determined by
attributes such as data type and size.



                            To Create a New Table

    1.    Open an existing database, or create a new
database.

    Once a database has been opened, the Tables
window is displayed.

    2.    Choose the New button and enter the name of the
table you want to create.  Choose OK to accept the
new table name and display the Table Design
window.

    3.    Create the tables fields.
    4.    Add any desired indexes.
    5.    Repeat steps 2  4 to create the remaining tables in
your database.
    6.    Close the Table window using the window's
Control menu.


                         Deleting an Existing Table

To delete a table in a database

    1.    Choose Open Database from the File menu to
open an existing database.  The Database
window is displayed.
    2.    Select the table you want to delete and choose
the Delete button.

Warning:   When you use the Data Accessor to
delete a table, all the data stored in that table is also
deleted.

                             Modifying Table Data

Once a database has been created, you use the Data Accessor to add
records to a table, delete records from a table, or modify the data
in a table.  To perform any of these tasks, you must first open a table.

To open a table:

    1.    Open an existing database.  The Tables window is displayed.
        2.      Select the table you want to modify and choose the Open button.
The Table Access window is displayed.  This window displays each of the table's
fields and any data it contains.

You use the Table Access window to perform the following tasks:

    Add a record to a table.
    Delete a record from a table.
    Modify data in a record.
    View the current records in a table.

To add a record to a table

    1.    Choose the Add button.
    2.    Enter data as desired in each field.
        3.      To save the new record choose the Update button, or move to
        another record.  To return the table to its previous state
        (without saving changes), choose the Refresh button.

To delete a record from a table

    1.    Select the record you want to delete.

    There are two ways to locate a record in the Table Access window:

        Use the data control at the bottom of the Table Access window to view
the first, previous, next, or last record in the table.
    Use the Find button to locate a record in a large database.

        2.      Choose the Delete button and respond to the prompt.  If you
answer 'Yes,' the record is immediately deleted and cannot be recovered.

To modify the data in a record

    1.    Select the record you want to modify (see step 1 above).
    2.    Enter data as desired.
        3.      To save the new record choose the Update button, or move to
 another record.  To return the table to its previous state
 (without saving changes), choose the Refresh button.

To view the current records in the table

    1.    Choose the Refresh button.

    Use the Refresh button to retrieve the current records from the table.
        If the database is being used by more than one user, use the Refresh
        button to ensure you are working on the most recent data.



Note   If you add or change a record, and the values in the record's fields do
 not meet the requirements set by the data type, or violate one of the
restrictions established by the index, an error occurs. The maximum length for
 a record is 2000 characters.


                              Opening a Database


To open an existing database

    1.    Choose the Open Database command from the File menu.


        2.      Enter the name of the database you want to open in the displayed
        dialog.

        3.      Choose OK to open the database, or choose Network (if available)
        to connect to a network drive.

Once the database file has been opened, use the Data Accessor to add new tables
and indexes or to modify the existing tables or data.


                               Repairing a Database

You may need to repair the database if Data Accessor quits unexpectedly: for
example, if there is a power outage or your computer experiences a hardware
problem.  If your Data Accessor database is damaged, you can use the Data
Accessor to attempt to repair it.


  To repair a database

    1.    From the File menu, choose Repair Database.

        The Repair Database dialog is displayed.  Use the dialog to specify the
        name of the database you want to repair.

    2.    Choose OK.



Warning   Not all database damage can be repaired.  Remember to back up your
database files regularly to avoid data loss that cannot be recovered with the
Repair Database operation.



The Repair Database operation checks all pages in the database for correct
linkage, validates all system tables, and validates all indexes.
All pages that cannot be salvaged  such as invalid references to other pages
are discarded.
When a database is repaired, it may increase in size. This is because the
process of creating indexes may leave some deleted pages in the database.
It is always a good idea to compact the database after any repair to
eliminate unneeded pages.



   I hope this helps you get started managing your own databases with
   Data Accessor.

                        Richard Ratayczak
                        Disk And Desk Software



THERE IS NO EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTY. USE THIS PROGRAM AT YOUR OWN RISK.
DISK AND DESK SOFTWARE WILL NOT BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR ANY OR ALL DAMAGE TO
HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE WHILE USING THIS PROGRAM.

Access(TM) and Microsoft Access(TM) are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.