Chapter 2: Creating Access Tables ................................................................................................
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Microsoft established the online templates repository as a way to provide beginners and other busy
people the opportunity to download partially or completely built Access applications. The template
databases cover many common business requirements such as inventory control and sales manage-
ment. You might want to take a moment to explore the online templates, but they aren’t covered in
this book.The Office Backstage View
Our main interest at the moment is the rectangular button (labeled File) in the upper-left corner
of the main Access screen. This button opens the Office Backstage view (shown in Figure 2.2),
which is the gateway to a number of options for creating, opening, or configuring Access data-
bases. The Backstage is shared by all the Office 2010 applications and it features similar options in
Access, Word, Excel, and Outlook. The Backstage options include activities that infrequently are
used when you’re working within the main Access window, but that are necessary for saving,
printing, or maintaining Access databases. Putting these options into the Backstage area means they
don’t have to appear anywhere on the ribbon as you’re working with Access.In Figure 2.2, the Recent tab is selected. Notice that a list of recently opened databases appears to
the right of commands in the Backstage. Near the bottom of the Recent Databases list is a spin but-
ton for selecting the number of databases you’d like to see in the list to the left of Recent Databases.
Each database in the list is accompanied by a button that lets you pin the database to the recent list
so that it’s always available as you work with Access.Instead of discussing each of the other Backstage commands at the moment, I’ll cover each com-
mand in detail as we work through the Access user interface. For the moment, notice the New
command near the middle of the menu on the left side of the Backstage. You’ll use this button to
create a new Access database in the next section.Note
Some confusion exists over the name of the rectangular button you see in the upper-left corner of the main
Access window. Most users call this button the File button, and the drop-down that appears when this button is
clicked, the File menu. However, in Access 2007, Microsoft referred to this button as the Microsoft Office
Button. In Access 2010, the button’s name has returned to its earlier name, and it’s once again called the File
button. As mentioned earlier, the screen you see when the File button is clicked in Access 2010 is the
Backstage — it’s no longer referred to as the File menu.