Have trouble remembering function names or arguments in Microsoft Access? We all do! Access' Expression Builder is a great tool that walks you through the process of creating expressions for your forms, tables, reports and queries while keeping a handy reference at your fingertips.

Read the full article: Expression Builder in Microsoft Access

In a recent forum message, Jay S wrote:

"Does anyone know why MS Access closes whenever you try to work in the VBA module? I tried reinstalling it but received the same error. I tried different operating systems, some it will work on but other times it will not.

The error message is that "Microsft Access needs to close".

If anyone can help that would be great!"

Can you help Jay? Interested in solutions to the same problem? Join the discussion in the About Databases forum

The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist program provides database professionals with an opportunity to showcase their SQL Server skills. If you'd like to prove your prowess to a prospective employer, take a step up the career ladder in your current job, or simply earn a nice certificate to hang on the wall, the MCTS credential may be a great step for you.


Read about the MCTS Certification Program.
Learn about other database certification programs

SQL Server allows you to automatically notify database administrators when unusual circumstances occur. This powerful alerting mechanism enables 24-hour monitoring of your database performance without staffing a 24-hour operations center.



Read the tutorial: Creating Alerts with SQL Server Agent

Once you've configured a distributor and created a publication, the last step in configuring SQL Server replication is to create a subscriber who will receive publication updates from the publisher. In this tutorial, we walk through the process of subscribing to a publication, step-by-step. The process may be accomplished either at the publisher or the subscriber.

Read the full article: Subscribing to a SQL Server Publication

CHECK constraints allow you to limit the types of data that users may insert in a database. They go beyond data types and allow you to define the specific values that may be included in a column.

Read the full article: CHECK Constraints in Microsoft SQL Server 2008

SQL Server provides three different recovery models that allow you to specify the way SQL Server manages log files and prepares your enterprise for a disaster. Each of these models represents a different approach to balancing the tradeoff between conserving disk space and providing for granular disaster recovery options. The three disaster recovery models supported by SQL Server are:

• Full recovery model


• Simple recovery model


• Bulk-logged recovery model

Read the full article: SQL Server Recovery Models

In a recent forum message, Wolfman wrote:

"We have a large form based application. The form has several sections which the user fills in and they have a vast amount of information on each section, around 150 items of char, numbers and text. These sections are always read/written as a block.

If I have a table- FormSection2Physical which contains 150 columns which describe each of the questions on the form is this a violation of normalization in any way?

We also have a doctor invoice:

id, doctor_id, location_id, diagnosis1, diagnosis2, diagnosis3, patient_charge, amount, location_different (boolean)

Are there any issues here?"

Can you help Wolfman? Interested in answers to the same question? Visit the About Databases forum and join the discussion!

Once you've created a publisher/distributor, you can then use SQL Server Management Studio to create publications that subscribing servers may receive. Each publication contains a collection of database objects that will be replicated to all subscriber servers.



Read the full article: Creating a Publication in SQL Server

If you're looking to create an inventory of your possessions for insurance purposes, this home inventory database template provides an excellent starting point.

Download the Home Inventory Database Template from Microsoft.