Access is a relational database management system. In a relational database, you divide your information into separate, subject-based tables. You then use table relationships to bring the information together as needed.

Access provides several tools that you can use to familiarize yourself with the structure of a particular database. This article also explains how, when, and why you use each tool. In this article

The power of a relational database lies in combining data across tables. To do that, you first need to establish relationships between your tables. Then, put Access to work to combine data in queries, forms, and reports.

Access uses table relationships to decide how to join tables when you need to use them in a database object. There are several reasons why you should create table relationships before you create other database objects, such as forms, queries and reports.

With Access, you can build a database without writing code or being a database expert. Well-designed templates help you quickly build databases. Easily find just the data you want with queries. Instantly create forms for simple data entry. Summarize data in grouped and summary reports. Dozens of Wizards make it easy to get started and get ...

A relationship in Access helps you combine data from two different tables. Each relationship consists of fields in two tables with corresponding data. For example, you might have a ProductID field in a Products table and in an OrderDetails table.

This article provides a brief overview of Access databases -- what they are, why you might want to use one, and what the different parts of a database do.

The process of linking to data in another Access database follows these general steps: Prepare for the link operation. Run the Link Wizard. The following sets of steps explain how to perform each action. Prepare to link tables in an Access database. Locate the source database. The file format can be MDB, MDE, ACCDB, or ACCDE.

Relational databases in Access. Sometimes you need a relational database to track such information — a storehouse of data that has been separated into smaller collections of data (called tables) to eliminate redundancy, and then related together based on common bits of information (called fields).

In a relational database, you organize your information into multiple tables. In a well designed relational database, each table is flat and contains information about only one type of data.