Course overview
When a spreadsheet stops being manageable, when it has too many columns, too many sheets, too many people trying to use it at once, the answer is usually a relational database. Microsoft Access is the most practical tool for building one without the cost or complexity of an enterprise system.
This one-day course covers the foundations of proper database design before teaching you the Access tools that implement it. You will learn why relational databases are structured the way they are, how to design a table structure that avoids duplication and inconsistency, and how to build the queries, forms and reports that make a database genuinely useful. By the end of the day, you will have a working database built around a real scenario from your organisation.
What you’ll be able to do
- Design a relational database structure that organises data without duplication or inconsistency
- Create tables with correct field types, validation rules and default values
- Build table relationships and understand how referential integrity protects your data
- Import data into Access from Excel, CSV and other sources
- Build select queries to retrieve and filter data from single and multiple tables
- Use query criteria, calculated fields and aggregate functions
- Create data entry forms with controls, validation and a user-friendly layout
- Build reports that summarise and present data for decision-making or distribution
- Use macros to automate routine database tasks without writing code
Who should attend
- Professionals who need to build or maintain an Access database for business data management
- Teams whose Excel spreadsheets have grown too complex and need proper relational structure
- Anyone new to Access or to relational databases who wants to learn it properly from the start
Delivery options
Onsite
At your workplace, Australia-wide
Live Online
Instructor-led, real-time sessions
Hybrid
Onsite and online participants combined
Courseware
Learning materials are available for purchase at the time of booking. Content covers current Access features within the Microsoft 365 environment. Where possible, session exercises are built around your organisation’s existing Access database or a real data management scenario relevant to your work.
Microsoft Access training
– customised for your team 
Core Access Courses: The Progressive Pathway
