Microsoft Access - Adding Data

In Microsoft Access, there are two primary methods of adding data to your database. Strictly speaking, there is a third method (using SQL), but we'll save that for later.

Here's an explanation of the two main methods.

Direct entry

You can type directly into the table while it's in Data Sheet view. Initially, this may seem like the quickest and easiest method, but it's not suitable if you have lots of data, and/or if non-technical users need to enter data.

Adding data using the direct entry method


You can set up a form, so that non-technical users can enter data into the form. Once they submit the form, the data is automatically inserted into our table. The form could insert data into multiple tables too - saving you from having to open up each table to manually insert the data.

Access provides a form wizard, which steps you through the process to building a form. We'll cover this in the next lesson.

Adding data using a form