Adding Records to a Database Table

So far you have only created one table in the MyAccessAutoAuctions database: tblContacts.

Adding records is as simple as selecting the table name in the database container and clicking on its name to bring up the table in Datasheet view. Once opened, you can type in values for each field. Figure 34-21 shows adding records in datasheet mode to the table.

You can enter information into all fields except the Contact ID field (ContactID). AutoNumber fields automatically provide a number for you.

Although you can add records directly into the table through the Datasheet view, it is not the most efficient way. Adding records using forms is better.

Opening a datasheet

To open a datasheet from the Database window, click Tables in the Navigation Pane. Then, double-click the name of the table you want to open, for example, tblProducts.

An alternative method for opening the datasheet is to right-click on the table name and select Open from the pop-up menu.

Moving within a datasheet

You easily move within the Datasheet window using the mouse to indicate where you want to change or add to your data—just click a field and record location. In addition, the ribbons, scroll bars, and Navigation buttons make it easy to move among fields and records. Think of a datasheet as a spreadsheet without the row numbers and column letters. Instead, columns have field names, and rows are unique records that have identifiable values in each cell.

Table 34-4 lists the navigational keys that you can use for moving within a datasheet.

Table 34-4. Navigating in a Datasheet

Navigational Direction	Keystrokes
Next field	Tab
Previous field	Shift+Tab
First field of current record	Home
Last field of current record	End
Next record	Down arrow (↓)
Previous record	Up arrow (↑)
First field of first record	Ctrl+Home
Last field of last record	Ctrl+End
Scroll up one page	PgUp
Scroll down one page	PgDn

The Navigation buttons

The Navigation buttons (shown in Figure 34-22) are the six controls located at the bottom of the Datasheet window, which you click to move between records. The two leftmost controls move you to the first record or the previous record in the datasheet. The three rightmost controls position you on the next record, last record, or new record in the datasheet. If you know the record number (the row number of a specific record), you can click the record number box, enter a record number, and press Enter.

Entering new data

All the records in your table are visible when you first open it in Datasheet View. If you just created your table, the new datasheet doesn’t contain any data. Figure 34-23 shows an empty datasheet. When the datasheet is empty, the first row contains an asterisk (*) in the record selector—indicating it’s a new record.

The new record appears at the bottom of the datasheet when the datasheet already contains records. Click the New Record command in the ribbon’s Record group, or click the new record navigation button to move the cursor to the new row—or simply click on the last row, which contains the asterisk. The asterisk turns into a pencil when you begin entering data, indicating that the record is being edited. A new row—containing an asterisk—appears below the one you’re entering data into. The new-record pointer always appears in the last row of the datasheet. Figure 34-24 shows adding a new record into tblProducts.

To add a new record to the open Datasheet View of the tblProducts, follow these steps:

1.	Click the New Record button.
2.	Type in values for all fields of the table, moving between fields by pressing the Enter key or the Tab key.

When adding or editing records, you may see three different record pointers:

• Record being edited

• Record is locked (multiuser systems)

• New record

Saving the record

Moving to a different record saves the record you’re editing. Tabbing through all the fields, clicking on the Navigation buttons, clicking Save in the ribbon’s Record group, and closing the table all write the edited record to the database. You’ll know the record is saved when the pencil disappears from the record selector.

To save a record, you must enter valid values into each field. The fields are validated for data type, uniqueness (if indexed for unique values), and any validation rules that you have entered into the Validation Rule property. If your table has a primary key that’s not an AutoNumber field, you’ll have to make sure you enter a unique value in the primary key field to avoid an error message. Using an AutoNumber field as a table’s primary key ensures you won’t get this error message when entering data.

Now you know how to enter, edit, and save data in a new or existing record. Next you learn how Access validates your data as you make entries into the fields.

Understanding automatic data type validation

Access validates certain types of data automatically. Therefore, you don’t have to enter any data-validation rules for these data types when you specify table properties. The data types that Access validates automatically include

• Number/Currency

• Date/Time

• Yes/No

Access validates the data type when you move off the field. When you enter a letter into a Number or Currency field, you don’t initially see a warning not to enter these characters. However, when you tab out of or click on a different field, you get a warning like the one shown in Figure 34-25. This particular warning lets you choose to enter a new value or change the column’s data type to Text. You’ll see this message if you enter other inappropriate characters (symbols, letters, and so on), enter more than one decimal point, or enter a number too large for a certain Number data type.

Access validates Date/Time fields for valid date or time values. You’ll see a warning similar to the one shown in Figure 34-34 if you try to enter a date such as 14/45/05, a time such as 37:39:12, or an invalid character in a Date/Time field.

Yes/No fields require that you enter one of these defined values: Yes, True, -1, or a number other than 0 (it displays as a -1) for Yes; or No, False, Off, or 0 for No. Of course, you can define your own acceptable values in the Format property for the field, but generally these are the only acceptable values. If you enter an invalid value, the warning appears with the message to indicate an inappropriate value.