So What's New in Access 2007?

If you've used Microsoft Access before and want to know about the new features in Access 2007, then this article is a good starting place. It covers the main Access 2007 changes to the user interface and to table design, then summarises changes to forms and reports.

• Launching Access 2007 takes you to the new opening screen with more templates choices than before. Once you open an existing database or create a new one, you are taken to the new user interface with its left hand "fluid" Navigation Pane and right hand viewing area.

• Once a database is open, you'll see at the top of the screen, in common with the other Office 2007 applications, the Office button, Quick Access Toolbar and the new Ribbon navigator Tabs. The Office button contains various file management commands, the Quick Launch Toolbar has common Access commands which you can add to and the Ribbon Tabs is the new commands navigation system.

Supersizing Your Databases Via Microsoft Access

As you begin storing important information in regard to the workings of your business it is helpful to be able to save all the data in one location. Microsoft Access gives you the option of creating vast databases that contain an array of files and attachments. For example, if you are trying to locate address details of a supplier on a table you no longer need to look elsewhere for this information, as it can be attached to records within databases.

• The innovative software means that banks of information that you create can hold a lot more data than just figures. As well as additional written information attached to databases, you can link files containing images, photos and spreadsheets to them. This has the advantage that it can save you time that you may have spent searching for extra details, while also modernising your virtual filing system.