Microsoft Access Training

Microsoft Access is a powerful relational database tool that enables users to efficiently store, manage, and analyse data.

This introductory training series is designed for novice users, particularly professional services staff in higher education, who have little to no experience with Access. Through a series of 9 online workshops (each lasting one hour), participants will gain hands-on experience in building databases, designing queries, creating forms and reports, and automating tasks. By the end of this course, attendees will have the foundational skills to confidently structure and manipulate databases for data management, reporting, and analysis.

Remote/Online
9 one hour sessions
Video recording of the sessions
Certificate of completion
Data packs for practice
Hands on learning
Groups of up to 4 per session

Price: £695*

*Single Session pricing available – contact for details

Pre-requisites: Basic Microsoft 365/Office skills (e.g. using OneDrive, Outlook, Teams). Access installed on your computer.

Overview of Microsoft Access: What it is and why it’s useful
Key terminology (tables, queries, forms, reports, relationships)
Understanding when to use Access vs Excel
Installing and opening Access

Understanding database structure: tables, fields, and records
Creating a new database from scratch
Setting up tables and defining data types
Hands-on: Creating a student records database with basic fields

Importance of relational databases
Setting up primary and foreign keys
Establishing relationships between tables (one-to-many, many-to-many)
Enforcing referential integrity
Hands-on: Linking a student table with a course table

Introduction to queries and why they are useful
Creating simple select queries to retrieve data
Using criteria and filters in queries
Sorting and grouping data
Hands-on: Finding students enrolled in specific courses

Using calculated fields and expressions in queries
Introduction to parameter queries for user-defined searches
Using action queries (append, update, delete)
Hands-on: Creating a query to update tuition fees for all students

Overview of forms and their purpose
Designing a basic data entry form
Adding dropdowns and validation rules
Hands-on: Creating a student enrolment form

Introduction to reports and their purpose
Creating a basic report from a query
Formatting reports for readability
Adding grouped data and totals
Hands-on: Generating a student report card

Introduction to macros in Access
Creating simple macros to automate form navigation and data entry
Hands-on: Automating student record entry with a macro button

Overview of VBA (Visual Basic for Applications)
Writing simple VBA scripts to enhance database functionality
Hands-on: Creating a custom search form with VBA

Importing and exporting data (Excel, CSV, SharePoint)
Understanding split databases (frontend/backend)
Securing and sharing Access databases
Hands-on: Importing student enrolments from an Excel file