Week 10 Muddy to Clear Skills Track

This week's lesson on Microsoft Access started off muddy but by the end it had become much clearer. The main reason I say it was muddy is mostly because my only exposure was in my introductory class. Viewing the lectures actually helped me to recall certain functions that are available in Access. So, I have to say there is great value in viewing the lectures, not just to help with the project, but to also bring to the forefront of your mind things that you remember vaguely from lack of use.

The area that was most interesting was the forms and reports sections. Most people equate Access to tables. At least that was how I viewed Access. However,  to manipulate the data and display it in a specific form or to create a variety of reports is a feature that I was very unfamiliar with initially. After being exposed to these features, through the lectures, I see what seems to be endless possibilities with regards to data sets. 

My initial feeling about the Access project was a feeling of trepidation. I have never used any aspect of Access, so the thought of  having to complete a project using it caused me to feel this way. I did find a video prior to viewing the lectures that gave me a good overview of what Access was and it's usefulness with databases. Check it out here below if your not privy to the lectures we have in class. 



Well, I hope that gave you an idea of how to use Access and the different ways to group and display all sorts of data. I particularly like the way they describe how Access understands how lists and their contents relate to each other. The video also calls this "relational databases". Here is where I began to understand how useful Microsoft Access could be in a business setting. 

It is now time to tackle this week's project. I have my "cheat sheet" from the scavenger hunt and feel a whole lot better going into this assignment. Believe it or not, I am actually looking forward to playing around with Access to get a better understanding of what it is capable of doing.  

So, until next week, happy computing!