Chapter 15 Creating Database Forms and Reports

Introduction Forms Reports

Form
A Form is a custom-designed screen for entering new records into, or displaying existing records from a database table.

Structure of a Form
1. Heading section at the top. 2. Detail section, usually the largest section, displays record information. 3. Navigation bar at the bottom.

Advantages of a Form
1. Deters accidentally replacing data in a record. 2. All information of a record may be on one form. 3. Customized presentation for the task at hand.

Subforms
A Subform is a form within a form a display of data that is related to the information in the main form.

Some Advantages of Subforms

The ability to display subordinate information related to the information in the main form. A subform can be used for data entry in the same manner as the regular form.

Guidelines for Creating Professional Database Forms Slide 1

1. Plan before you program. 2. The completed form should fit on one screen. 3. Avoid garish colors and unusual fonts.

Guidelines for Creating Professional Database Forms Slide 2

4. Make sure all labels appear completely in the finished form. 5. Provide explanations to assist users in data entry tasks. 6. Not all the input data in a form must use textbooks.

Guidelines for Creating Professional Database Forms Slide 3

7. Stretch or shrink textbooks to accommodate field sizes. 8. Follow manual forms if they are currently used for data input. 9. Group like items together.

Reports
1. Database reports provide custom information to database users. 2. Reports can be simple documents or highly complex outputs that combine information from several tables. 3. Reports are strictly outputs and do not allow users to input data.

A Typical Report Has

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. report heading, page heading, group heading, detail or body, group footer, page footer, and report footer.

Guidelines for Creating Professional Database Reports Slide 1

1. Plan before you program. 2. The completed report should fit on standard-size paper. 3. Avoid garish colors and unusual fonts.

Guidelines for Creating Professional Database Reports Slide 2

4. Minimize the vertical space used for a reports detail lines. 5. Use proper naming conventions and name reports systematically.

Concluding Remarks about Reports

It appears that hard-copy reports will be with us for some time. You can modify the underlying queries for reports that further restrict what is printed on them. Forms and reports are related in many of the formatting techniques.

Copyright
Copyright 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of this work beyond that permitted in Section 117 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without the express written permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Request for further information should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. The purchaser may make backup copies for his/her own use only and not for distribution or resale. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, or damages, caused by the use of these programs or from the use of the information contained herein.

Chapter 15