Jnimmers Week 4
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Contents
File Containing Microsoft Access FDA Database
Electronic Notebook
Purpose
The purpose of this investigation was to get a better understanding of how to operate the Microsoft Access Database by using data collected from the Federal Drug Agency to create my own database. Besides that, this assignment was meant to allow for a visualization of how complex databases, such as the FDA database, is formed and how relationships between tables can be formed to create a cohesive and understandable database to provide as much information as possible to those who access it.
Methods
Task 1
- For this Task, I went to the [| FDA Drug Information Website] and downloaded the available drug data from that source. There is a link at the bottom of the page instructing you on how to download the .zip file.
- From there, I found the files that contained relative data and extracted them from their .zip folder by finding a simple area to extract, right-clicking the folder, and selecting "Extract All" from the drop-down menu.
Task 2
- Once the Text documents had been downloaded, I went into Microsoft (MS) Access and, under the "External Data" tab, I selected the "Import Text File" option and found the files that needed to be imported from the FDA folder. Each file imported will create a new table. The list of these tables can be found on the left side of the screen in MS Access. Most formatting was done automatically by Access, however, make sure to check the box that says "First Row Contains Field Names", it will allow for the automatic formatting of your column names. This makes the inclusion of IDs easier because if you delete an ID row, it forces you to start the process of importing over so that your first row doesn't start as ID:2.
Task 3
- In order to make sure that all Field Names and product names/ingredients are visible, hover your mouse over the right edge of the column you want to edit. A two sided arrow should appear, indicating you can now edit the column length. Click and hold down at that point and drag you mouse left or right to adjust the size of your column in order to allow for all words to be properly viewed, including the field header.
Task 4
- Once my database was formatted correctly, I created relationships among my tables to show how each table corresponded with the other tables in the database. To do this,I clicked on the "Database Tools" tab and and selected "Relationships". This will open up a new page with a list of your current tables. From here, you can select all of your relevant tables by pressing Control on your keyboard while clicking on each individual table that you want to make a relationship for another table. The tables will pop up and the menu will disappear, giving you each table' field headers. From here, you want to connect tables by clicking and dragging on a field header from one box and overlapping it with another field header with the same name in a different table box. This pulls up a menu for you to confirm that you're making the right connection, if the field headers are identical then you can confirm the relationship and do the same process for the other fields that have relationships in separate tables. These relationships establish a connection between categories in one table and confirming that they're the same categories in a separate table. .
- From here, you should be done! Your tables are now relationship verified, formatted, and contain all necessary data provided by the FDA in a neat compilation. Be sure to Save your work under the "File" tab. Select "Save as", put it in a safe and simple place to find, name it appropriately, and do any last minute edits that you may like to spruce up your database and make it unique.
Creating a Query
- To create a Query to draw relationships between sections of highlight a single field within your database, you can follow these steps.
- Under the "Create" Tab, click on the 'Query Wizard" option and select "Simple Query Wizard"
- From there, you'll have the option to select which table you want to highlight, and within that table, you can select a field to highlight.
- Once you have decided which field to highlight, click on it and press the single right-facing arrow to set it aside for the query.
- Click "Next", confirm your settings, and click "Finish" to create a query of the field(s) that you selected for analysis.
- And now you're done creating your first query! You can add more items to the query by repeating the "right-facing arrow" step for more than one field.
Scientific Conclusion
- This project was given in order to learn the basic structure and function of the Microsoft Access program. It is meant to equip me with the skill and knowledge of how to operate the system and sue it to create a database of my own using pre-made data fro the FDA. In terms of learning, I feel that I learned a lot from this program, and I think it can be a useful asset for anyone in the working world; it allows for organization at a level that can't be done with pen and paper, and it can store far more information than Excel, making it more optimal for a work or company setting, which can be useful for almost anyone.
Data and Files
- File:Jnimmers Certificate.png|thumb| Certificate of Completion from LinkedIn Learning
- File:JnimmersFDAProducts.zip |FDA Database
- File:Database File:JnimmersDatabaseinstruction1.png|thumb| Example of Access and highlighting of Text File Importing Button
- File:Database File:JnimmersDatabaseinstruction2.png|thumb| Example of Relationships Tab and Confirmation of Relationship Creation
- http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/InformationOnDrugs/ucm079750.htm | FDA Drug Information Website
Acknowledgements
- I would like to thank Dr. Kam Dahlquist for her introduction of the Microsoft Access Software as well as instruction on how to access it and information on learning the database system as well
- Thank you to LinkedIn Learning for assisting and teaching how to create a successful database [[1]]
- Thank you to my homework partner Marcus Avila. We met in person and he assited me in formatting issues, learing to zip my file correctly and gave information on how to correctly update my database in Access.
"Except for what is noted above, this individual journal entry was completed by me and not copied from another source." Jnimmers (talk) 19:39, 25 September 2019 (PDT)
References
- Week 4 Assignment Page: LMU BioDB 2019. (2019). Week 4. Retrieved September 5th, 2019, from https://xmlpipedb.cs.lmu.edu/biodb/fall2019/index.php/Week_4
Biological Databases
Jnimmers
Assignment Table
