In this section we spent a great deal of time learning how to work with Access datasheets: adding and deleting data, displaying data, sorting and filtering data, aggregating data, and previewing and printing records. This is important as an MS Access user will spend a good deal of time taking advantage of the ease-of-use of this view to get work done.

More broadly, we dove in to some important database principles and how database technology can be applied to create useful commercial applications. The fact that multiple users can consume information—even utilize different views at the same time—from a database application is of tremendous value. Database applications as simple as generating mailing lists to as complex as airline reservations rely on the database principles we discussed.