Microsoft Office 2010: The best new features in Access

If you have never used a relational database because you felt it was just too complicated, give a look at Access. Access 2010 has simplified database functions and added ready-to-go templates to get you started. Information stored in spreadsheets and documents can be easier to understand and less time consuming to manage in a relational database model. Not only can you save time, but you can make your data more meaningful and perform more meaningful analysis. And if you are using a product that uses Access to store your data, you will be able to better understand the tables, reports and relationships.


Fast, easy database creation

Ready-to-go Templates - Use the available templates to create a marketing list or sales pipeline without being a database expert. The templates are designed to give you the structure you need to get started and let you expand as you become more familiar with using Access.

Use modular components - These prebuild components allow you to build the most common tasks into your database. Go to Create – Application Parts after making your selection, the wizard will guide you through the setup and make your choices obvious. There are on-demand help videos that explain how to use Access. The videos are surprisingly easy to follow with clear language and demos that take you through the screens step-by-step.

Forms and reports with realistic, targeted analysis

Conditional formatting - Use data bars to manage your rules and create professional reports that are understandable and informative. Rather than trying to “crowbar” your data into available formats, you can customize the presentation and make your data mean more to organization. Stay focused at your sales and marketing meetings by using reports that everyone will recognize and appreciate.

Office themes - Choose themes with fonts, colors and designs that match your other Microsoft Office products that demonstrate consistency and branding.

Backstage – The Microsoft Office Backstage view replaces the traditional file menu with an ergonomic approach that uses In and Out features for efficiency. The improved Ribbon lets you access your favorite commands quickly and create custom tabs to personalize the way you work.

Developer quality without writing code

Expression Builder - Enhanced functionality with IntelliSense to greatly simplify formula and expression building. With these intuitive tools you will spend less time troubleshooting relationship errors and more time building a valuable database.

Macro Designer - Add basic logic to your database, quickly and easily even if you are not familiar with databases. If you’re an experienced Access user, you’ll find the enhancements allow you to use the complex logic move efficiently than ever. Extend your database application with increased performance and confidence.

Work from anywhere

Online – Post your database online and then access, view, and edit them from the Web. Users without an Access client can open Web forms and reports via a browser and their changes are automatically synchronized.

For organizations of all types and sizes, Access 2010 allows you to be more productive, flexible and cost-effective. You can combine tasks in Access that previously required several programs and labor intensive analysis to make better decisions for your business.

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If you have any questions or need help with the instructions, email me at: mary@lansystems.com.

A non-technical post: My tomato garden

Usually, I write about computer and engineering topics but today it's all about my tomato garden.

I'm not a great gardener, but I have good luck with tomatoes. For years, Early Girl, Big Boy, Beefsteak and Parks Whoppers (my favorite) have given us tomato sandwiches, tomato pies and ratatouille. It's not just a tomato garden but has eggplant, maybe some squash and cucumbers.

Even though Georgia has been droughty for several years, my tomatoes have been well watered and have flourished. We like big tomatoes where one slice gives you the perfect sandwich and cucumbers fresh off the vine. Over the years, the tomatoes have become tastier and tastier. We don’t buy those tasteless, hot house grown tomatoes and even at a restaurant the tomatoes are disappointing.

My husband is from South Georgia and insists that you have to put your tomatoes in on Good Friday for the best crop. This year I was late in planting, over a month late, so I bought some 3 and 5 gallon tomatoes to make up for my tardiness. Some of the plants even had little tomatoes on them. I carefully planted and tended them knowing I was going to have the best harvest ever.

This year my garden had big problems. Most of my tomato plants drooped away or dried up. Those little tomatoes already on the vine died and even my Parks Whoppers have only average size fruit. We had a few red tomatoes early and I taught my granddaughter to pick them, but when we ran out of red ones, she started picking the green. Any other year, she would have had loads of tomatoes to pick and wash. But not this year.

Usually, I start with seedlings, so I don't know if the problems this year are the larger plants or the weather. It is disappointing especially now that we are at the peak of the season and it doesn't look like a bumper crop. But it's not all bad - haven't had many bugs this year!

My tomato troubles this year, made me realize that there is more skill and technology to tomato farming than I thought. I am looking for advice and am going to find some blogs for tomato growers.

For technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If you have suggestions or advice, email me at: mary@lansystems.com.

August 2010 Puzzle - This month a Riddle

This thing all things devours
Birds, beasts, trees, flower,
Gnaws iron, bites steel,
Grinds hard stones to meal,
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down!

What is this thing?

On a scale of effortless to diabolical, this rates special literary knowledge!


Send your answer to puzzle@lansystems.com. All correct answers will be entered in our monthly drawing.

Or visit:  http://www.lansystems.com/Monthly_puzzle.html

Microsoft Office 2010 - The best new features in Excel

Excel is arguably the most under-utilized Microsoft Office product when it comes to advanced features. Ask people what features they most like in Excel and they usually describe the spreadsheet and graphing tools. But that is just a very small part of the capabilities built into Excel. From tools for statistical, engineering and financial functions, to pivot tables, to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming, you can use Excel for simple to complex data analysis and display with easy to read graphs and charts.

If you haven't used the advanced tools in Excel, start by trying the new features to get the most from your software investment. Analyze your data to discover patterns or trends, then display with graphs and charts that illuminate the best course of action. With a little practice, you will improve your ability to study large data sets and make the most informed decisions.

Make fast, effective comparisons

Sparklines - Use sparklines to graphically display data in a single cell. You can display data in line, column or win/loss format to highlight trends. On the Insert tab, choose the type of Sparkline and your data range. Customize your sparklines for optimum effect by selecting the sparkline and choosing the Design tab.

Slicer - Slicers are filtering components that allow you to slice-and-dice your data without having to open drop down lists. Slicers make it easier to segment and filter data in PivotTables for high powered business intelligence.

Step up your analysis

Search Filter - Use the new Search Filter to quickly and easily narrow your search in tables, PivotTable, and PivotChart views. You can instantly sort through a million or more items.

PowerPivot (formerly called Project "Gemini") Add-In - Groundbreaking technology that allows you streamlined integration of data from multiple sources and lightning-fast manipulation of large data sets with up to millions of rows. Effortlessly publish and share analysis through Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and have other users enjoy the same Slicer and fast-query capabilities when working on their Excel Services report.

Backstage - The Microsoft Office Backstage view replaces the traditional file menu with an ergonomic approach that uses In and Out features for efficiency. The improved Ribbon lets you access your favorite commands quickly and create custom tabs to personalize the way you work.

Jazz up your data presentations

Conditional Formatting - Excel 2010 adds sophistication to conditional formatting. Give your document a professional look by adding eye-catching formats. You have more choices and control over styles and icons, improved data bars, and the ability to highlight specific items in a few clicks. You can also display data bars for negative values and use color for effect.

Work from anywhere

Online - Post your spreadsheets online and work on them from virtually anywhere from the Web or your Windows Mobile-based Smartphone. With Excel 2010, you can take advantage of a best-in-class spreadsheet experience across multiple locations and devices.

Excel Web App - Extend your Office experience to the Web, and view and edit your spreadsheets through the Excel Web App when you’re away.

Excel Mobile 2010 - Stay up-to-the-minute and communicate on-demand by using a mobile version of Excel specifically suited to your Smartphone.

For other interesting features and functions, try Goal Seek to give you a what-if analysis to test your scenarios, experiment with linear regression to understand relationships in your data or just play with the new formatting tools. But once you uncover the "hidden" features in Excel, you will be enthusiastically hooked.

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If you have any questions or need help with the instructions, email me at: mary@lansystems.com.

Hard drive basics: Data in motion

Today's electronics go with us everywhere and keep us connected. We are accustomed to using our electronics while moving, but not all devices are designed to be used on the go. Hard drives have moving parts and that is an important point to remember.


As a refresher, let's simply look at how a hard drive (sometimes called a hard disc) works. The drive includes a platter to hold the data, a head to read the data and electronics to control the process. The platter is mirror smooth and stores the magnetized data. If you have never seen the inside of a hard drive, the surface looks like a mirror. The head is attached to an arm that rides just above the platter surface. If the head touches the platter, damage and data lose almost always occurs. The electronics control the storage and retrieval of data.

Servers, workstations and desktops are stationary units. You should never move them while the unit is on. When the unit is off, the head is "parked" so that it will not accidently touch the platter. Vibrations can also cause the head to impact the platter, so it is important not to install computers in areas that can shake them. For instance, don't locate computers near air conditioner compressors or other motorized equipment. If you can't eliminate the vibrations, consider installing a vibration pad.

Notebooks, laptops and netbooks are often used as mobile devices, but are still susceptible to hard drive damage. Many high-end or hardened mobile computers have motion sensing protection. This protection will temporarily stop or park the head to prevent damage. Sophisticated motion protection is available but adds cost. Vibration pads are a lower cost option. In general, your mobile computer should be used on a stationary surface.

Camcorders and other mobile devices with hard drives have a suspension system and sensors that protect the hard drive in case of sudden acceleration. This safeguards the data by keeping the head from touching the platter even if the unit is dropped. This often works very well, but is not an absolute guarantee that the hard drive will not be damaged.

To protect your data, always use care when operating and make sure you have a good backup!

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If you have any questions or comments, email me at: mary@lansystems.com.

Microsoft Office 2010: The best new features in Word

Word has become the standard for creating and formatting documents of all types from simple letters to documents with a table of contents, index and glossary. Word has made the task of creating and editing documents easy. Tools like spell check and thesaurus have made us look smart and polished. Thankfully, long gone are the days of typewriters, carbon paper and correction fluid.


Word 2010 has bold new features to enhance your document-formatting. It also bundles mobile features so you can take your documents with you almost-anywhere. With just a little practice, you can impress everyone with content-rich, visually compelling, professional documents for home, school or work.

Add flair to your documents and get noticed!
Transform with photos - New and improved photo-editing tools let you transform pictures right in Word 2010 – no extra software needed. Change color saturation, temperature, brightness, and contrast to turn a simple Word document into a work of art.
Turn text into visual effects - Add more visual impact with enhanced text effects and SmartArt graphics. Change basic bullet-points into compelling visuals and add text effects like shadow, glow, reflection, and 3-D in just a few clicks. From Font, choose Text Effects and make your choice.

Work with anyone – anywhere, anytime

Easily co-author documents - Word 2010 redefines the way people can work together on one document. With co-authoring, you can edit at the same time as others, even if you're working from different locations, and keep versions in sync with version control.

Access your information from more places - Microsoft Word Web App is an online companion to Microsoft Word that enables you to extend your Word experience to the browser. View a high fidelity version of your documents and make light edits as well. Access some of the same formatting and editing tools that are in Word 2010, and work in a familiar editing environment, from almost any computer with a Web browser.

Microsoft Word Mobile 2010 gives you a lightweight editor for your documents that’s especially designed for easy use on your Windows phone.

For more technical notes and information go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If you have any questions or need help with the instructions, email me at: mary@lansystems.com.

Creating an Outlook signature with hyperlinks

Now that you have your LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook accounts all jazzed up, it’s time to add links to your email signature. You can make a hyperlink to your social media sites and mail recipients can “click” right to them. Follow these simple steps to add your signature. For instructions with screen images, go to: http://www.lansystems.com/Creating-an-Outlook-signature-with-hyperlinks.html

1.Get your logos. You will need your company logo and logos for the social media sites to hyperlink. There are many logos to choose from that are in the public domain. If you want to use a logo that requires payment or special permission, make sure to satisfy all requirements before using.

2.Get your hyperlinks. Go to each of your social media sites and cut/copy the links to that site. Be sure that you use the links that do not require login to the site. For instance, when you login to Twitter your homepage is: http://twitter.com/home For others to see you, use the link to your account: http://twitter.com/LANSystems

3.Open Outlook and go to Tools – Options – Mail Format – Signatures – Edit

4.Since graphics/logos and hyperlinks will be added, we will use Word as our editor. Choose Advanced Edit and you will see a message that an external editor will be launched, select Yes.

5.Use Word to create your signature. You can start with a format line above the signature and then add your name, phone and other contact information.

6.Add the logo, by inserting a picture. Right click on the logo and choose- Edit Hyperlink. Add your hyperlink here.

7.Adjust until you like the look.

8.Save as Your_Name.rtf.

9.Create a new email message and check the signature format. Make sure to verify all links.

10.Use with all email messages. And be sure to add logos as you add new social media sites.

For more technical notes go to: www.lansystems.com/technotes.html

If you have any questions or need help with the instructions, email me at: mary@lansystems.com.