How to create a searchable database?

[BobCarolgees]

Good Afternoon,



I have been tasked with creating a database but I have no previous experience using access. I will be using version 2007. I have to create a database of vendors. These are vendors from all round the world who sell my company different products. So far I have 9 spreadsheets with lists of hundreds of vendors from different sections of the company.

I need to create a database that allows someone to search for a vendor and all the details will appear. The excel sheets have columns for vendor name, country based in, commodity type, address, contact name, phone number, email address and which part of my company use the vendor (an abbreviation). Not all of the information is available for each vendor.

Ideally I would be looking for something with search buttons, filters and the option to just show all vendors.


I appreciate this will probably be a task better suited to someone more experienced but such is luck I have to do it.


Where would I start and what do I need to do?


Thanks

[June7]

Look at the Contacts database template offered with Access 2007. Open Access and select the Contacts db for download.

[BobCarolgees]

Ok thanks. Then what steps do I take to populate it? Can I just load up data straight from excel then add some search buttons?

[June7]

If the Excel sheets have structure that is compatible with the tables, then yes can simply import records.

Otherwise, maybe can set links to the Excel sheets and use UPDATE sql action to transfer data from the linked sheets to appropriate fields in table(s).

Anything else will require VBA code.

Modify the database as you see fit or use it as a teaching aid to build your own from scratch.