subject: Access Database Templates - Adding New Fields in an Existing Access Database Can Save You Time! [print this page] Access Database Templates - Adding New Fields in an Existing Access Database Can Save You Time!
Creating an access database from scratch can be difficult if you don't know where to start. Access database templates are available for free from your computer. You just have to know where to find them. When you download the database template, you can then modify it to your needs. Some of the common modifications are adding new fields to the database to customize it!
Downloading Templates
To download a 2003 database template, open Access. Once it is open, select File and New. Your task pane should open on the right side of your computer screen. Find the task pane section labeled templates.Type the word database in the search box and a host of available databases will appear. Select one to examine.
To download a 2007 template, open Access. Locate the office button and select the New option. You should see several categories on the left side of your computer screen. Select the one of categories. Once you have selected a category, you will have several databases templates to pick from.
Adding new fields
Once you have downloaded a template, press F11 to view the contents of the database. Pressing F11 lets you see all of the tables, forms, reports, queries, modules, and macros. Select one of the tables and change your view to design view. Explore the different fields in the table.
After exploring the table in design view, you should see an available row. This is where you can add a new field. You can add the field name and data type. The description is typically optional but I always add one to remind me of what I was planning while I created the table.
After adding a new field, change your view to data sheet view to see how this new field appears. Test it out by adding data to see if it is working properly. Once you are sure it is working properly, save your table with your new fields!
Access templates give you flexibility when you are starting a database project. Access database templates do most of the hard work for you! You can tweak them by adding new fields in the existing database to customize it to your needs. This easy step can save you lots of time you would spend if you were creating this database from scratch!
