How to Find a Free Microsoft Access Tutorial

By Deborah Cohn

Overview

Microsoft Access, which in later versions is known as Microsoft Office Access, is a relational database management software program created by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Office Suite, which includes such popular programs as MS Word, MS Excel and MS Powerpoint. It is a combination of Microsoft 's Jet Database Engine that was created with computer experts and engineers in mind, with a more user-friendly GUI (graphical user interface), as well as software development tools for customizing the functionality of the program. It allows users to create their own database systems by customizing tables, fields, reference functionality, queries, data entry and reports. Though the program is designed for ease of use, at least a modicum of instruction and training is suggested before tackling the creation of an Access database. Finding a free online tutorial is a simple task.

Step 1

Determine what version of MS Access you have. If you have the box the software came in, the version is clearly labeled on the box. If you don't have the box, move on to step two.

Step 2

Click on the Start button. Click on Programs. In the program list, find MS Access, and right-click. Choose to get info on this program. This will tell you the version of MS Access you are working with.

Step 3

Go to Quakit for a general online MS access tutorial. Or head to Function X for a web-based tutorial for the 2007 version of Access. BCSchool.com has an introductory MS Access 2000 tutorial. And Microsoft offers a very helpful how-to section on the 2003 version of Access that can help you locate instructions for specific tasks. There are dozens of free tutorials, but the version of Access can vary from tutorial to tutorial. See additional resources for exact URLs.

Step 4

Go to the tutorial website and make sure that it comes in the format you are looking for. Some tutorials come in PDF format, in which you download each lesson piece by piece or download a larger document with the entire tutorial. Other tutorials use a web interface and take you step-by-step through instructions online. And other resources are more like user manuals that let you search for specific questions.