Show Me Microsoft Office Access 2003

The objects in a database most "on display" are the forms and reports designed for those individuals responsible for data entry and those who receive reports from the database. For this reason, database designers often give extra attention to the visual appearance and clarity of those objects.

Microsoft Office Access 2003 offers database designers many aids in creating attractive data entry and display objects. The wizards that create databases, forms, and reports format those objects attractively, but if you want to go beyond the design provided by a wizard, Access provides numerous formatting, layout, and style options. You can enhance the appearance of your forms and reports with different fonts and font styles, borders and lines, and judicious use of color . You can also add special effects to certain objects, giving them an embossed or 3-D effect. Access formatting features help you give your customized reports and forms the exact look you want. Although most design changes take place within Design view, you can make color, line, and special effect formatting changes from within a form or report without having to switch to Design view.

You can also insert pictures, charts, and graphs to enhance the appearance of database forms and reports. Access allows you to insert Microsoft Excel charts and objects such as graphs created with other software programs that display data from database tables or queries. When you insert an object, you can edit the inserted information without having to leave Access.