Lesson 5 · Year 8 Databases

Forms & Reports

Your database is powerful but the raw table view is ugly and easy to break. Forms let users add data safely. Reports present data clearly. Today you build both.

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Learning Objectives

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Explain why forms are better than datasheet view for data entry

User-friendly, reduces errors, looks professional

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Create a data entry form using the Form Wizard

Auto-generates a form from a table or query

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Customise the form — labels, colours, layout

Design View lets you style the form

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Create a report based on a query

Generate a printable, formatted view of filtered data

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Forms vs Datasheet View

❌ Datasheet View

Looks like a confusing spreadsheet
Easy to accidentally delete a row
All fields visible — overwhelming
No labels or guidance for users

✅ Form View

Clean, professional layout
Hard to accidentally delete data
Can hide fields users don't need
Can add labels, help text, colour

Think about it: Spotify employees don't add songs by typing directly into a database table. They use a form that looks like an app — clean, guided, and easy to use. That's exactly what you're building today.

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Before You Start — Quick Discussion

Think of a website form you've used recently (e.g., booking cinema tickets, creating an account, filling in a school form). What made it easy — or frustrating — to use?

Step 2 of 4 · Part A

Part A — Build the Songs Form

Create a form that DataDrop staff can use to add new songs to the database — without ever seeing the raw table.

📁 Use: Your DataDrop database from Lesson 2/3, or DataDrop_L5.accdb provided by your teacher.

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Step 1 — Create with Form Wizard

1

Open the Form Wizard

Go to Create → Form Wizard. Select the Songs table as your data source.

2

Add all fields

Click the >> button to move all available fields to the selected list. Click Next.

3

Choose layout and style

Select Columnar layout. Choose Blank or Office style. Click Finish. Save the form as Songs Entry Form.

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Step 2 — Customise the Form

Switch to Design View (Home → View → Design View) to customise.

4

Add a title label

Click the Label tool in the Controls group and draw a label at the top. Type: "DataDrop — Add New Song". Make it bold and large using the Format tab.

5

Change the background colour

Click the form background (not a field). In Format → Background Colour, choose a dark colour that fits the DataDrop brand. Click any text box background and adjust as needed.

6

Rename the field labels

Double-click each label (left side of each field) and edit the text to be clearer. E.g., "DurationMins" → "Duration (mins)", "IsExplicit" → "Explicit Content?"

7

Test your form

Switch to Form View. Add a new song using the navigation button at the bottom (the * button). Can you successfully add a record? Screenshot your completed form.

Step 3 of 4 · Part B

Part B — Build the Top Songs Report

Reports present database data in a clean, printable format. You'll create a "Top Streamed Songs" report — the kind of thing a music exec would want on their desk.

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Step 1 — Create the Query First

Reports are based on queries, not raw tables. First create the query that the report will use.

1

Create a "Top Songs" query

Go to Create → Query Design. Add the Songs table. Add fields: Title, Artist, Genre, ReleaseYear, Streams. In the Streams field, set Sort to Descending. Save as Top Songs Query.

2

Run the query to check it

Click Run (!). Is the most streamed song at the top? Close and save.

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Step 2 — Create the Report

3

Open Report Wizard

Go to Create → Report Wizard. In the "Tables/Queries" dropdown, select Query: Top Songs Query. Add all fields and click Next.

4

Set layout and orientation

Choose Tabular layout and Landscape orientation. Click Finish. Save as Top Songs Report.

5

Edit in Design View

Switch to Design View. Make these changes:

Change the report title to: "DataDrop — Top Streamed Songs"
Widen the Title column so titles aren't cut off
Change header background to dark (matching your form)
Change header text colour to green

6

Print Preview

Switch to Print Preview. Does it look professional and readable? Screenshot your finished report.

What changes did you make to improve the report's look?

🚀 Extension

Report for Each Genre

Create a second report based on a parameterised query — so when the report runs, it asks for a genre and shows only those songs. This is how real reporting tools (Power BI, Google Looker) work at their core.

Final Check

Exit Quiz

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Lesson 5 Check

1. Give two reasons why a data entry form is better than typing directly into a database table.

2. Why should a report be based on a query, rather than directly on a table?

3. What is the difference between Design View and Form View in Access?

4. Describe two customisations you made to your Songs Entry Form.

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Export Your Answers

Download all your answers from every section as a text file — then upload to Google Classroom.

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Almost There!

One lesson left. You'll apply everything — build a complete database from scratch, write SQL queries, and present your work to the class.

Go to L6 — Mini Project →