As you open Access 2007, the default environment (see Figure 34-1) is revealed. We’ll examine the Access environment in more detail later in this chapter, but you should understand the major components of the user interface as you get started using Access 2007. Even experienced Access developers are surprised at how different Access 2007 looks from previous versions.

Each time you open Access, the welcome screen may or may not look different, depending on whether you have elected to have Office Online periodically updated. In an effort to provide a high level of support for Microsoft Office users, Microsoft has equipped each of the Office applications with the ability to communicate directly with Microsoft’s Web servers and download new content to the user’s desktop. Notice the Automatically Update This Content from Office Online button in the Office Online box near the bottom-center of this main screen.

This button configures Microsoft Access to look for new Office Online content each time you open Access. In fact, your Access Welcome Screen will likely look quite different from Figure 34-1 because of the content continuously released by Microsoft Office Online.

The center of the screen is dominated by the Microsoft Office Online “templates,” which are described in the next section. The right side of the screen contains a list of recently opened databases, while the left side of the screen contains a navigation bar for templates.

FIGURE 34-1
The Access 2007 welcome screen provides a wealth of information.

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