A4 – Access Lab Project 4 – 5% of final mark

 

Important Note: This, like all Access Labs, is an individual assignment. The College values honesty as a key principle in the College environment and in the workplace. Academic work submitted by a student is evaluated on the assumption that the work presented by the student is his or her own, unless designated otherwise.  The College considers Plagiarism, (presenting someone else’s work, in whole or in part, as your own), and the facilitation of plagiarism, (one student sharing work with other students), to be unacceptable and will impose sanctions, which may be - a requirement that the student complete a course on academic integrity, a requirement that the student submit additional work, a grade of zero for the assignment, a grade of F for the course or suspension from the College. A record will also be kept in the student's file. For full detail, see Algonquin College Directive E43 – Plagiarism.

 

If you have trouble with any part of this Lab, be sure to post questions in the Discussion  Board, or click ‘Staff Info’ to see how to get help from your Prof.

 

Introduction to Lab A4

In this Lab you will prepare and submit one more Access database, and also prepare a Data Access page, and update your online portfolio, so the Query submitted in A3 can be viewed on the web. I hope you will add to it as you continue your education at Algonquin College, and find it useful when you are looking for a job. Have fun!

 

Detailed Instructions

 

Before attempting these steps, be sure that you have worked through the text Projects 7, and 8 and done the Skill Drills at the end of the Projects (except that in Project 7 you may skip Lessons 6 and 7, and Skill Drill 4, and in Project 8 you may skip Lessons 2, 3 and 4 and Skill Drills 4 & 5).

 

Next, do all steps  in Challenge Exercises 1 and 2 on p 313 and 314 exactly as per the text except that in step 1.3 you should add to the report name the words ‘by xxxx, where xxxx is your last name, and skip the printing at step 1.5.

 

Finally, build a data access page to point to the query work you have done (in A3). The instructions below will guide you, but you must have done the work in Lesson 8 (as  per step above)  in order for them to make sense.

  • Open the Fort_Fun_Query database and create a new Data Access Page based on the Manager Phone List query using the Wizard. Include all fields in the query on the data access page, group the page by Department ID, sort by Last Name, and set a theme of your choice.
  • Display the data access page in Design View and add a Title to the page. It should say ‘Manager Phone List by xxxx’ where xxxx is your name (first and last). Also set the properties to display expanded data automatically.
  • Save the data access page in the same folder as the data base using the name Manager Phone List.
  • Find this page in Windows Explorer, and click on it to open, to ensure that it works correctly. If any changes are needed, open the page again in design view and make them.
  • Now you will need to add a link to this page to your on-line portfolio. To do this, open the index.htm file in MS Word, find the place where you put the title ‘A sample of my work with MS Access’, and highlight the word ‘sample’. Right click, choose ‘Hyperlink’ from the menu, then point to the Data Access page you have created (Manager Phone List.htm). Then click OK and save the index.htm file.

When  your work is complete

First, upload a modified index.htm and other needed files for the ‘on-line portfolio’ to your web space. Here’s how:

·        First, use MS Word to modify your Portfolio home page (index.htm) to add the clickable link to your Data Access page  (Manager Phone List.htm).

·        Now upload your files to the Web server, using the same method you used in A3 (remember that this can only be done at the college) ie paste the address ftp://academic.algonquincollege.com  into your Browser address bar, then, when asked, enter your userid and password, find your folder, and ‘drag and drop’ your files from an Explorer window to the FTP window, as demonstrated in class. Here are the files to upload:

-         the Data Access Page (Manager Phone List.htm)

-         the index.htm file (as modified above)

-         the folder called Index_Files  (if it was created for you automatically)

·        When you have uploaded, ensure that your work is viewable correctly on the web. The URL will be: http://academic.algonquincollege.com/students/youruserid

·        P.S. If you follow the above instructions, your Data Access page will appear properly when your web page is accessed from your own computer at the college, but if accessed from any other computer, the page appears, but is not 'live' (ie underlying data cannot be displayed), due to restrictions on the server. Consequently, I will accept the Data Access page appearing without the 'live' data for full marks, when marking A4. I will expect you to show me the ‘live data’ in class, in the last week of classes, for additional marks.

 

Next, submit the database from the Challenge exercises like this:

  • logon to your own section of MGT2338 on Bb (not the combined section site)
  • click the Assignments button
  • click  View/Complete Assignment: A4
  • in the comments box, type the URL for your web page, so your prof can view and mark it (note that this must be typed correctly or the link will not work!).
  • click Browse button, and upload the database (Fort_Fun_Reports)
  • click Submit

 

Deadline  - see weekly planner