3.2 Common Object Tasks: Objects, Views, Navigation, Sorting

Once you can open the application and create a database, the next skill set covers the everyday actions you will repeat constantly while using any database: working with objects. This section maps to syllabus references 2.2.1 through 2.2.5 and introduces the four object types that reappear throughout the rest of the ICDL Using Databases syllabus.

The Four Main Object Types

A database file is really a container for several kinds of building blocks, called objects. The ICDL syllabus focuses on four:

A simple way to remember the relationship: tables hold the data, queries ask questions of the data, forms make entering and viewing data easier, and reports present the data for others to read or print. Later chapters of this study guide cover each object type in depth; this section covers what they have in common.

Opening, Saving, and Closing Objects (2.2.1)

Regardless of object type, the same general workflow applies:

• Open an object by double-clicking it in the navigation pane/object list, or selecting it and choosing Open
• Save an object to store either structural changes (made in Design view) or, for tables, to make sure entered data is committed — though many database applications save typed record data automatically as you move off a record
• Close an object using its window's close control or a Close command, which prompts you to save unsaved design changes if any exist

An important exam distinction: saving a table's design (its fields and properties) is a deliberate action you must remember to do, but saving data you type into records often happens automatically the moment you move to another record.

Switching View Modes (2.2.2)

Every object type can typically be viewed in more than one way, and knowing which view to use for which task is one of the most frequently tested ideas in this section.

You switch between views using a View button or drop-down, usually found at the left end of the ribbon's Home tab or via a right-click on the object's tab. A useful rule of thumb for the exam: if a question describes changing what data looks like on screen while browsing, that is Datasheet or Form view; if it describes changing the object's underlying structure or rules, that is Design view.

Navigating Records and Pages (2.2.4)

When viewing a table, query result, or form, a navigation bar at the bottom of the window typically provides controls to:

• Move to the first record
• Move to the previous record
• Jump to a specific record number by typing it into a box
• Move to the next record
• Move to the last record
• Move to a new (blank) record ready for data entry

Reports use a similar navigation bar, but it moves between pages rather than individual records, since a report can span many pages once printed or previewed.

Sorting Records Ascending and Descending (2.2.5)

Sorting temporarily reorders the records displayed in a table, query result, or form based on the values in one chosen field — it does not change the values themselves, only the order they are displayed in.

• Ascending order: A to Z (alphabetic) or smallest to largest (numeric), and earliest to latest (dates)
• Descending order: Z to A (alphabetic) or largest to smallest (numeric), and latest to earliest (dates)

To sort, click into the field's column and use a Sort Ascending or Sort Descending button (often shown as an A→Z or Z→A icon), or right-click the column header and choose the appropriate sort option. Sorting can be applied to text, number, and date/time fields alike, and applies immediately to the displayed data.

Exam tip: Sorting is a display operation, similar to hiding a toolbar — it changes what you see, not what is stored. This distinguishes sorting from actions that permanently alter data, such as editing a record's contents.

Deleting Objects (2.2.3)

When a table, query, form, or report is no longer needed, it can be deleted by selecting it in the navigation pane and choosing Delete (or pressing the Delete key), usually followed by a confirmation prompt. Deleting an object is a significant action:

• Deleting a table removes all the data stored in it, along with any relationships built on it
• Deleting a query, form, or report removes only that object's design — the underlying table data it was built from is unaffected

Because deleting a table is destructive to actual data, candidates should always confirm they are deleting the intended object, and understand this consequence is different from deleting a query, form, or report that merely presents or retrieves that data.

Bringing It Together

Tables, queries, forms, and reports are the four objects you will work with throughout the rest of this module. The shared actions covered here — opening, saving, closing, switching views, navigating, sorting, and deleting — apply across all four object types, so mastering them now means every later chapter builds on familiar ground rather than new mechanics.