Begin by selecting the Create tab on the Ribbon at the top of the Access screen. The Create tab (see Figure 34-12) contains all of the tools necessary to create not only tables, but also forms, reports, and other database objects.

FIGURE 34-12
The Create tab contains tools necessary for adding new objects to your Access database.

There are two main ways to add new tables to an Access database, both of which are invoked from the Tables group on the Create tab:

• Clicking on the Table button: Adds a complete new table to the database.
• Clicking on the Table Design button: Adds a table in Design view to the database.

For our example, we’ll be using the Table Design button, but first, let’s take a look at the Table button. Clicking on the Table button adds a new table to the Access environment. The new table appears in Datasheet view in the tabbed region of the Access screen. A portion of the new table is shown in Figure 34-13. Notice that the new table appears in Datasheet view, with an ID column already inserted, and an Add New Field column to the right of the ID field.

FIGURE 34-13
A portion of the new table in Datasheet view in the Access environment.

The Add New Field column is intended to permit users to quickly add tables to an Access database. All that is needed is to simply begin entering data into the Add New Field column. You assign the field a name by right-clicking the field’s heading, selecting Rename Column, and entering a name for the field. In other words, building an Access table can be very much like creating a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel. This approach was usually referred to as “creating a table in Datasheet view” in previous versions of Microsoft Access.

Although it is entirely possible to build an access table without ever switching to Design view, we believe that this is a terrible idea. Building tables by entering data and casually providing names for the table’s fields
circumvents one of the most critical steps in building a serious database system.

Relational database systems such as Access are constructed by breaking data into constituent entities, and then building a table for each entity. The tables in an Access database should carefully and accurately reflect the entities they describe. Seemingly small issues, such as deciding which data type to assign to a field, has a dramatic impact on the utility, performance, and integrity of the database and its data.

Each table added to an Access database, and each field added to every table, should have a purpose in the overall database design. Even when adding tables using the Table button, it is far too easy to add tables that do not conform to good design rules, and which do not fit well into the database’s design.

The second approach to add new tables is to use the Table Design button, located on the right side of the Tables grouping on the Create tab. Access opens a new table in Design view, as shown in Figure 34-14. The table designer is quite easy to understand, and each column is clearly labeled. At the far left is the Field Name column, where you input the names of fields you add to the table. You assign a data type to each field in the table and (optionally) provide a description for the field.

FIGURE 34-14
A new table added in Design view.

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