Join Mark Swift for an in-depth discussion in this video naming conventions, part of Access 2003 Essential Training.
- [Narrator] Another worthwhile topic that we should get into before we start actually laying out our data inside of Microsoft Access is naming conventions. Naming conventions are used most often by very serious database developers, and the de facto standard in the industry is called the Lezinsky-Reddick naming convention. If you look at the screen in front of us now, the naming conventions that I have listed here follow those two methods. The first on the left hand side is one that you've already seen.
You'll recognize these data objects, and I think that some of the important elements here is that each object begins with a capital letter and is followed by lowercase letters. Never put a space in an object name. These are all tables within our database, but every one of these tables has a single name. For example, SalesReceipts, there is no space between the words. Capitalize the first letter, capitalize the first letter of the next word, and that's the way it reads, but you should never ever use spaces.
It creates complexity when you're trying to use formulas or external database objects. The example on the right hand side closely follows the Lezinsky-Reddick method, and that is that each table is prefixed with the data type, so because these are tables, the lower case tbl, which is the short form for table, gets placed before. Personally I find that a little more difficult to look at. Of course I'm sure that after you look at it for long enough you get very accustomed to it.
I don't object so much to the table prefix because that makes perfect sense, but take a look at this. If I'm going to use a table prefix then I want to put an underscore so that again it becomes easy to read from an English standpoint. tbl_Customers, not a space, allows me to still view customers, inventory, employees, et cetera separately from the date type and still follow Lezinsky-Reddick method. Specifically, if you're going to use the underscore to separate your object from it's prefix query should have a qry, forms frm, subforms, which we'll talk about later, reports rpt, and macros.
These are just a handful of the data types that need to be accounted for, but I think that this is a good compromise between a strict naming convention method that creates confusion and one that adds clarity. I'm going to go back to the previous screen. The left hand column is what I'm going to use for my table names, and here I will use the query, form, subform, report, and macro prefixes for those data objects, so you'll easily at a glance be able to tell the difference from a form and a table.
If I was going to follow the Lezinsky-Reddick method to the letter I would use this. And I think you can understand why this just creates too much confusion. You have a lowercase three letter prefix, or four letter at the most, that defines the data object. So I know that ids is a particular type of data object, chr is a character type so I've got a text object there and that's great, but I can also find that information by simply clicking on the object, and in the meantime it's easier for me to look at the AccountType, LastName, FirstName without the prefix.
Again, I'm sure if you worked with it all the time, the prefixes would melt away and you'd have no problem reading this whatsoever. So depending on the level of proficiency you plan on developing, start mapping out your naming conventions now. And for a full description of the Lezinsky-Reddick method, you can visit any one of 100 websites that describe it, define it, and offer you a printable table so you can follow it. As for me as we're working through this database, we're going to use the prefixes you see on the right hand side here and our table names will be as you see on the left hand side here without prefixes.
Author
Released
6/15/2004Skill Level Beginner
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Introduction
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welcome24s
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1. Database Fundamentals
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what is a database?2m 8s
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system overview4m 3s
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analyze current system1m 52s
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define data elements11m 15s
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normalization7m 40s
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establish relationships8m 8s
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testing and review2m 11s
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naming conventions4m 3s
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2. The User Interface
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exploring the interface2m 32s
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3. Creating Databases
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creating a new database6m 22s
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Office Online2m 36s
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4. Creating Tables
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creating tables5m 36s
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design view3m 51s
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the table wizard4m 48s
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tables by inputting data4m 31s
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data types13m 30s
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setting field properties15m 23s
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object descriptions1m 52s
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5. Working with Table Records
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editing records5m 17s
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display settings7m 4s
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the find feature2m 34s
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sorting and filtering3m 46s
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copying tables2m 31s
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6. Creating Relational Databases
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keys11m 14s
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table relationships17m 33s
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object dependencies2m 6s
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7. Using Select Queries
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what are queries?2m 6s
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creating select queries8m 24s
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using the query wizard4m 34s
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query criteria3m 55s
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8. Calculations in Your Queries
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performing calculations9m 44s
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duplicate records1m 59s
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9. Creating Forms and Controls
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AutoForm3m 18s
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form wizard2m 50s
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working with controls14m 53s
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control properties7m 4s
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form properties1m 35s
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printer forms34s
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adding a subform2m 15s
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adding headers & footers1m 15s
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10. Creating and Using Reports
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AutoReport2m 56s
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report sections1m 40s
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controls & properties4m 3s
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11. Enhancing Forms and Reports
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using AutoFormat1m 57s
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special effects1m 40s
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adding graphics2m 29s
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AutoCorrect & error checking1m 28s
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switchboards5m 9s
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12. Working with External Data
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exporting data1m 37s
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importing external data3m 57s
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linking to external data3m 4s
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13. Adding Security
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passwords4m 49s
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encryption & decryption1m 41s
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using the security wizard9m 28s
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14. Access and the Web
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dynamic vs. static data3m 5s
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data access pages1m 43s
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hyperlinks2m 7s
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importing & linking html3m 6s
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15. Speed Up a Database Application
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modules & call trees3m 30s
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tuning your computer1m 50s
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repair - when it's useful3m 15s
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backing up1m 13s
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Conclusion
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goodbye12s
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Video: naming conventions