Normalization for Normal People, Part I--The "Language" of the Database

In my last post, I promised to explain my approach to the process of normalization. Today, I'll start that explanation, but before we dive into the normalization process itself, it might be helpful to consider a metaphor about the language, or perhaps, the meta-language, of the database.

Normalization for Normal People--Introduction

As an administrator and regular contributor at http://www.utteraccess.com/, I see, and sometimes answer, a lot of questions asking for help in designing forms, or creating queries or writing functions to enter and display, retrieve or update data. Eight times out of ten, the real, underlying, problem turns out to be inappropriate table design.

What in the World is Access Good For?

A recent exchange of emails with a reader in Australia left me thinking about the role MS Access should have in the average person's "toolkit". Her specific question was, "Should I use Access or Excel for this project?" My gut reaction,