Right questions, right program

Right questions, right program

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The big question: How do you want to organize your data?

AUDIO TEXT If you're having trouble choosing between Access and Excel, take a moment to answer an important question: Do you need to organize your data into a relational data structure or a flat data structure? Yes, those are geek terms, but don't let them intimidate you. Deciding on a structure isn't hard, and the next sections walk you through each type of data structure and show you how to choose between the two. For now, just keep in mind that Access is designed to work with relational data, while Excel works best with flat data structures.

LESSON TEXT If you want to get started using Access or Excel, see the links in the Quick Reference Card at the end of this course.

Access 2007 training courses: Chapter 1: Get familiar with Access

Confused about whether to use Access or Excel? Learn how to choose the right program for your needs. Don’t have the 2007 Office release? You can download a free 60-day trial or buy it now.

GOALS After completing this course you will be able to: Choose the right program — Microsoft Office Access 2007 or Microsoft Office Excel 2007. Know whether to use a relational or flat data structure.

ABOUT THIS COURSE This course includes: One self-paced lesson. A short test at the end of each lesson; tests are not scored. A Quick Reference Card you can take away from the course. Links in the Quick Reference Card take you to information about getting started with both programs.

AUDIO TEXT Confused about when to use Access or Excel? That's understandable. On the surface, both programs look alike. After all, they store data, and you can enter that data in a grid of cells, right? So how do you choose between the two? One way is to answer a few simple questions about how you want to organize your data, and about related issues such as the amount of data you want to store and manage. Your answers to those questions can help you get more done in less time, so keep an open mind! To learn more about this course, read the text in Goals and About this course, or look at the table of contents. Then click Next to start the first lesson.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN You'll need a bit of experience with Excel, an open mind, and a willingness to try something new.

Top 10 benefits of Word 2010

1 Discover an improved search and navigation experience. Locating the information you need is faster and easier in Word 2010. With the new and improved Find experience, you can now view a summary of search results in a single pane, and click to access any individual result. The improved Navigation Pane provides you a visual outline of your document so you can browse, sort, and find what you need quickly.

2 Work with others without having to wait your turn. Word 2010 redefines the way people can work together on a document. With co-authoring, you can edit papers and share ideas with others at the same time.1 You can also view the availability of others who are authoring a document with you and can easily initiate a conversation without leaving Word.2

3 Access and share your documents from virtually anywhere. Post your documents online and then access, view, and edit them from most any computer or your Windows Mobile-based smartphone.3 With Word 2010, you can take advantage of a best-in-class document experience across multiple locations and devices.

4 Add visual effects to your text. With Word 2010, you can apply formatting effects such as shadow, bevel, glow, and reflection to your document text as easily as applying bold or underline. You can spell-check text that uses visual effects, and add text effects to paragraph styles. Many of the same effects used for images are now available to both text and shapes, enabling you to seamlessly coordinate all of your content.

5 Turn your text into compelling diagrams. Word 2010 offers you more options to add visual impact to your documents. Choose from dozens of additional SmartArt® Graphics to build impressive diagrams just by typing a bulleted list. Use SmartArt to transform basic, bullet-point text into compelling visuals that better illustrate your ideas.

6 Add visual impact to your document. New picture-editing tools in Word 2010 enable you to add special picture effects without additional photo-editing software. You can easily adjust pictures with color saturation and temperature controls. You also get improved tools for easier and more precise cropping and image correction, to help you turn a simple document into a work of art.

7 Recover work you thought was lost. After working on that document for awhile, did you accidentally close it without saving? No problem. Word 2010 lets you recover draft versions of recently edited files as easily as opening any file, even if you never saved the document.

8 Transcend communication barriers. Word 2010 helps you work and communicate effectively across different languages.4 Translate a word, phrase, or document more easily than before. Set separate language settings for ScreenTips, Help content, and displays. And, get additional assistance for English as a second language with English text-to-speech playback.

9 Insert screenshots and handwriting into your documents. Capture and insert screenshots directly from Word 2010 to quickly and easily incorporate visual illustrations into your work. When you use a tablet-enabled device such as a Tablet PC or Wacom tablet, you get improved tools for formatting ink as easily as you format shapes.

10 Accomplish more with an enhanced user experience. Word 2010 simplifies how you access features. The new Microsoft Office Backstage™ view replaces the traditional File menu to let you save, share, print, and publish your documents with just a few clicks. With the improved Ribbon, you can access your favorite commands even more quickly by customizing tabs or creating your own to personalize the experience to your work style.