DATABASE CREATION

Launch Access from Windows, then choose File then New Database, specify the path as H:\ipt\is\ then specify the File Name as yourname.mdb and finally click on Ok. This will create an empty database container for you to use as storage for your database objects.

TABLE CREATION

• In the Tables Database Window, choose New then the New Table button. Enter each of the field's details of the Albums Table carefully into the field builder grid.
• Select the SerNum column (via the field selector button on the left edge of the field builder grid) and press the KEY button on the button bar to nominate it as the PRIMARY KEY
  
• Press the DISK button on the button bar to save this table definition into your database container, use the name Albums, then click on OK.
  
• Close the Albums field builder grid, and notice that a new icon representing the newly created table is now part of the database window.
• Repeat the steps above for both the Performers and the Tracks tables.

REFERENTIAL INTEGRITY

• Press the RELATIONSHIPS button,
  
  then Add all three of the defined tables, then Close the Add Table window.
• Point to SerNum in the Albums table, click and drag it on top of the SerNum column in Tracks to begin the inter-table relationship definition. Check Enforce REFERENTIAL Integrity
  
  then Cascade Update Related Fields and then Cascade Delete Related fields. Ensure that it is a One to Many relationship and then click on Create.
• Repeat step 8 for SerNum in the Performers table.
• Drag the tables to resemble the diagram that follows,
  
  and then SAVE the definition into your Database container. Finish up by closing the Relationships Window.

INSTANTIATION

• Access will allow you to enter tuples directly by hand into each of the newly created table objects. To do this, DOUBLE-CLICK on the newly created Albums table icon to open it. Add values to each of the fields, pressing ENTER to move to the next. At THE END of a row, Access verifies the data, If it is OK, it is automatically saved in the table, and a new row prompt is offered. Attempt to enter duplicate SerNum values in successive rows and you should receive a uniqueness constraint violation.
• Remove the tuples you entered in step 11 by highlighting the rows (Drag down the record selector buttons on the left edge of the table display window), then press the DELETE key. You will need to confirm the intention to delete rows by clicking OK.
• Save each of the following delimited ASCII text versions of ALBUMS | TRACKS and PERFORMERS into your working directory . To bring the ALBUMS data in, press the IMPORT button on the button bar,
  
  and select Text(Delimited) and then OK. Nominate the source drive and directory and enter the filemask *.txt.
• Choose ALBUMS.TXT and press the IMPORT button.
  
  Nominate to Append to Existing Table, select ALBUMS from the droplist as the destination and OK the choice.
• If you have the relationships and table definitions correct you will get a REFERENTIAL INTEGRITY VIOLATION (as there is a foreign key in TRACKS that references ALBUMS) if you attempt to do the TRACKS before the ALBUMS - since ALBUMS is empty, this update would not be allowed to proceed.
• Repeat step 15 above for ALBUMS first, then TRACKS and PERFORMERS.
• Close the import file selection window and return to the TABLES database window. To view the contents of your newly instantiated tables, double click on the required table icon.

Cascade effects can be tested by opening the ALBUMS table, then choosing Edit from the top menu, and Select All Records from the edit menu, then pressing the DELETE key:

you will be presented with the informative (and alarming) news that the current and other tables populations have been effected - I suggest that you CANCEL (unless you wish to re-instantiate ALL 3 tables again).