I worked with someone today on an Access Database that they use to generate very complex reports. They had been given the database to work with. She was very knowledgeable and could explain very clearly what she wanted…

Here is the problem she had: because the structure was designed in a “non-normalized” way, she had trouble reporting…

I can’t even begin to tell you the importance of setting up database table correctly. Yes, you can make it work for data, but when you report the inconsistencies, the redundancy will kill you.

Most people have the “light bulb” moment in the Access level 1 class. That’s the class that covers table design, and relationships… the two most important elements of any relational database!