Updated Articles and Resources

By Mike Chapple, About.com Guide since 2000

Installing SQL Server 2012 Express Edition Created: Sunday, May 06, 2012 Updated: Sunday, May 06, 2012
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Express Edition is a free, compact version of the popular enterprise database server. The Express Edition is ideal for database professionals seeking a desktop testing env...
Top 7 Microsoft Access 2010 Books for Beginners Created: Sunday, May 06, 2012 Updated: Sunday, May 06, 2012
So, you'd like to learn more about Microsoft Access 2010 and you don't know where to begin. I've selected seven of my favorite introductory-level Access books for your perusal. Follow the
Converting an Access Database to SQL Server Created: Sunday, January 23, 2011 Updated: Friday, April 06, 2012
Is your Access database growing too large or unwieldy? Perhaps you need to allow more robust multiuser access to the database? Converting your Access database to Microsoft SQL Server might be the..
SQL Server Migration Assistant 2012 Created: Friday, April 06, 2012 Updated: Friday, April 06, 2012
SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) provides database administrators with a smooth way to transition from their existing database platform to Microsoft SQL Server. The migration assistants are a..
Introduction to SQL Server 2012 Created: Friday, April 06, 2012 Updated: Friday, April 06, 2012
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 is a full-featured relational database management system (RDBMS) that offers a variety of administrative tools to ease the burdens of database development, maintenance and..
SQL Server 2012 Backup Types and Scopes Created: Sunday, March 18, 2012 Updated: Sunday, March 18, 2012
One of the major advantages that enterprise-class databases offer over their desktop counterparts is a robust backup and recovery feature set. Microsoft SQL Server provides database administrators..
Free Genealogy Database in Microsoft Access Created: Sunday, March 11, 2012 Updated: Sunday, March 11, 2012
Are you interested in tracing your family roots but don’t have a good place to store all of your genealogical information? While there are several full-featured family tree software packages..
Installing SQL Server 2008 R2 Express Edition Created: Sunday, February 05, 2012 Updated: Sunday, February 05, 2012
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express Edition is a free, compact version of the popular enterprise database server. The Express Edition is ideal for database professionals seeking a desktop testing env..
Installing MySQL on Windows 7 Created: Sunday, February 05, 2012 Updated: Sunday, February 05, 2012
The MySQL database server is one of the most popular open source databases in the world. Although administrators typically install MySQL on a server operating system, it’s certainly possible ..
Introduction to MySQL Created: Sunday, October 03, 2004 Updated: Thursday, January 19, 2012
Fed up with the world of commercial software licensing? Are you looking for a stable database platform for your organization but sweating at the hefty price tags attached to mainstream products fr..
Database Insecurity: How did it happen? Created: Saturday, November 27, 2004 Updated: Thursday, January 19, 2012
Hackers recently penetrated the security measures put in place by one of the nation's leading credit card processors. Are you vulnerable?
Database Insecurity: Securing SQL Server Created: Thursday, September 29, 2005 Updated: Thursday, January 19, 2012
Hackers recently penetrated the security measures put in place by one of the nation's leading credit card processors. Are you vulnerable?
SQL Server Constraints Created: Saturday, January 03, 2009 Updated: Sunday, January 01, 2012
SQL Server constraints allow you to enforce rules in your database. These rules may affect business logic, database integrity and/or table structures. Each one plays an important role in your dat..
What is a Database? Created: Sunday, July 09, 2006 Updated: Sunday, January 01, 2012
Databases are designed to offer an organized mechanism for storing, managing and retrieving information. They do so through the use of tables. If you’re familiar with spreadsheets like Microso..
Foreign Key Created: Sunday, September 14, 2003 Updated: Sunday, January 01, 2012
What is a foreign key? Find out here!
Referential Integrity Definition Created: Sunday, January 04, 2004 Updated: Sunday, January 01, 2012
What is Referential Integrity? Find out in our database glossary!
Foreign Keys in Microsoft SQL Server Created: Sunday, January 01, 2012 Updated: Sunday, January 01, 2012
One of the most important concepts in databases is creating relationships between database tables. These relationships provide a mechanism for linking data stored in multiple tables and retrieving..
Database Keys Created: Sunday, July 16, 2006 Updated: Sunday, January 01, 2012
As you may already know, databases use tables to organize information. Each table consists of a number of rows, each of which corresponds to a single database record. So, how do databases keep all..
SQL Server 2012: Top Five New Features in SQL Server Denali Created: Sunday, May 01, 2011 Updated: Sunday, January 01, 2012
Microsoft recently released the first Community Technical Preview (CTP) of the newest version of SQL Server, code-named Denali. Three years after the release of SQL Server 2008, this new version o..
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Editions and Pricing: Choosing the Right SQL Server For Your Needs Created: Sunday, January 01, 2012 Updated: Sunday, January 01, 2012
SQL Server 2012
Database Naming Conventions: Developing Names for Database Fields, Tables, Reports and More Created: Sunday, December 04, 2011 Updated: Sunday, December 04, 2011
It’s very tempting to simply come up with something off the top of your head and run with it, but that’s not a great practice. Either you or your successors will curse the difficult fi..
Microsoft Access Reports Tutorial Created: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 Updated: Sunday, December 04, 2011
Would you like to create professional-looking reports from your Microsoft Access database with the click of a mouse? Follow along as we walk through the simple process of designing a reusable repo..
Microsoft Access 2010 Reports Tutorial; Creating a Report in Microsoft Access 2010 Created: Sunday, December 04, 2011 Updated: Sunday, December 04, 2011
Microsoft Access 2010 allows you to easily create professionally formatted reports automatically from information stored in a database. In tis tutorial, we're going to design a nicely-formatted li..
Microsoft Access 2010 Fundamentals: Introduction to Microsoft Access 2010 Created: Sunday, November 06, 2011 Updated: Sunday, December 04, 2011
Are you overwhelmed by the large quantities of data that need to be tracked in your organization? Perhaps you're currently using a paper filing system, text documents or a spreadsheet to keep track..
MySQL 5 Overview Created: Sunday, December 11, 2005 Updated: Saturday, December 03, 2011
Database professionals around the world are heralding the release of MySQL 5, just in time for the holiday season! This major new release of the popular open-source database packs in quite a few n..
Access 2010 Queries - Creating a Simple Query in Microsoft Access 2010 Created: Sunday, November 06, 2011 Updated: Monday, November 07, 2011
Have you ever wanted to combine information from multiple tables in your database in an efficient manner? Microsoft Access 2010 offers a powerful query function with an easy-to-learn interface tha..
Microsoft Access Fundamentals Created: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 Updated: Sunday, November 06, 2011
Want to learn how to use Microsoft Access? Find out on the About.com Databases site!
Creating a Simple Query in Microsoft Access Created: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 Updated: Sunday, November 06, 2011
Want to learn how to create a query in Microsoft Access? Find out on the About.com Databases site!
Installing the Northwind Sample Database in Microsoft Access 2010 Created: Sunday, November 06, 2011 Updated: Sunday, November 06, 2011
The Northwind database contains some great sample tables, queries, reports and other database features. Here's how to install it in Microsoft Access 2010
Install the Northwind Sample Database in Microsoft Access Created: Sunday, May 01, 2005 Updated: Sunday, November 06, 2011
The Northwind database contains some great sample tables, queries, reports and other database features. Here's how to install it.
Pivot Tables - The Power of Database in a Spreadsheet Created: Sunday, September 25, 2011 Updated: Sunday, October 09, 2011
If you’re looking for some of the flexible query power of a database but don’t want to mess with relational database design, pivot tables may be just the technology you need. Chances a..
Introducing Pivot Tables in Google Docs Created: Sunday, October 09, 2011 Updated: Sunday, October 09, 2011
Pivot tables provide a powerful data analysis tool embedded within your current spreadsheet software. They offer the ability to summarize data without the use of a relational database or aggregate ..

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