Access Assignment 3: Querying a database
Overview
This assignment will teach you how to ask questions about data
in a database. Please keep in mind that
writing queries is a very powerful method of manipulating a database, and we
will learn only the basics in this class. Other types of queries can create new
tables, split existing tables, or update the values in existing table.
Writing queries that work correctly is harder than it seems.
Most queries will produce a result, but that doesn't mean the result will have
the correct answer for the
intended question. The best defense against making decisions on an incorrect query are
to gain skill at writing queries through lots of practice and to test your
queries extensively.
Deliverable
This assignment builds on the work you did for the Access
2 assignment, so it will extend and revise your MovinOn.mdb database.
The Access 3, Access
4, and Access 5 assignments are independent.
Thus, you can complete them in any order. For example, you might complete
Access 4 assignment without completing the
Access 3 assignment -- but that wouldn't be my
recommended approach. All three assignments are similar in nature in that they
each ask you to add more objects to your MovinOn.mdb database.
Training Exercises
I recommend that you start by working through these activities as a training
exercise:
- Steps to Success: Level 1 on pages 210-212. This will ask
you to open the Hudson.mdb database that you built in the last chapter, and
you will build a bunch of queries inside it. If you skipped the exercises in
the last chapter, I recommend beginning with this
Hudson2-2.mdb file. Note: the link in the previous sentence won't
work if you are off campus or if you are using Monzilla FireFox as your
browser.
Note: If you complete this Level 1 training exercise
successfully, you should end up with a database similar to this
Hudson3-1.mdb file. Note: the link in the previous sentence
won't work if you are off campus or if you are using Monzilla FireFox as
your browser.
- Steps To Success: Level 2 on pages 248-249. Once again,
you will continue using the Hudson.mdb database, and you will build more advanced
queries inside it.
Note: If you complete this Level 2 training exercise
successfully, you should end up with a database similar to this
Hudson3-2.mdb file. Note: the link in the previous sentence
won't work if you are off campus or if you are using Monzilla FireFox as
your browser.
If you skip the exercises described above, expect the actual assignment to be
confusing. Also, when it comes time to show me your skills on an exam, know that
you will have a lot less practice and understanding about what to do.
Ultimately, the choice of how much practice you need is up to you.
Assignment Specifications
Individual Assignment
- This is an individual assignment (not a team assignment). Please
ensure that you address all of the system requirements described in the review
assignment and instructions provided below. If you would like to be creative
and enhance your assignment beyond the listed requirements, you may do so.
However, make sure that you satisfy the requirements of the assignment, since
your work will be evaluated based on those requirements.
- Note: The code for academic honesty applies. All students
are expected to work through this assignment personally with their own set
of fingers. Copying all or a portion of a file from a classmate and
submitting it as your own work will be treated as a violation of OSU's code of
academic honesty.
-
Please pay attention to the specifications of the
assignment. In a multi-developer environment, even the seemingly minor
deviations from these specifications may have profound impacts. If you
spell the name of a query incorrectly, another application that links to the
correctly spelled query may crash. Let me put this another way: if your
queries are named incorrectly, we may not find them when we grade your work,
and you may not get any credit for creating them.
Instructions
For this assignment, you are to complete Case 2--Retrieving Employee
Information for MovinOn Inc. on pages 275-277 of the textbook.
- In Step 1, open the MovinOn.mdb database that you created in the Access
2 assignment. It should be in your P:\classwork\ba271\access folder rather
than in a "Case2" folder as the printed instructions suggest.
- In Step 2a, your query should produce the following result:
- In Step 2b, your query should include the following fields:
- In Step 2c, your query should include a whole bunch of fields, and the
first of these should look like this:
- Step 3 asks interesting questions, and you should be able to write quick
queries to answer them, but it will not be a part of the graded activities.
- In Step 4, your query should include the following fields:
- In Step 5, your query should include the following fields:
- In Step 6, your query should include the following fields:
- In Step 7, your query should include the following fields:
- In Step 8, your query should begin by asking the user to Enter the
warehouse ID, as shown below:
Once a warehouse ID has been entered, it should produce a result with the
following fields:
- In Step 9, your query should include the following fields:
- In Step 10, your query should begin by asking the user to Enter the
warehouse ID, as shown below:
Once a warehouse ID has been entered, it should produce a result with the
following fields:
- In Step 11, your query should include the following fields:
Final Step: Test that you have turned in the assignment correctly
Make sure your work is in the proper location for grading. To do this, click
on your name in this Access listing.
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