MS-Access optimization

I have a small dilema about the work assign开发者_StackOverflow中文版ment that i got. I am a part time student assistant at this institution where my boss wants me to "fix" the MS-Access database we have. The problem is that i don't know where to start. I mean my boss is not so computer savvy and wouldn't be able to tell what exactly is wrong with it. All i know is that it's extremely buggy, inefficient(no cross-sectional automatic update. I mean when i do the new entry and save it in the database, and go to "reports" to print it, i have to erase old info with an employee name and a number and input new info). Anyways, to make the long story short, I was hoping to get some tips on how to assess the entire database structure i.e. figure out the efficiency level and to figure out what is it that i need to fix in order to make it better. I am sorry for being vague but i do accept vague answers :). So if you direct towards certain book, website, or some other source where i can learn what questions i need to ask about the database in order to be able to optimize it, i will be happy.

P.S. My MS-Access efficiency level is effectively 0. I do have some programming experience in JAVA, R, MATLAB and excel of course.

You are going to laugh, but way back many, many years ago when I was first learning about using Access, I found the book Access for Dummies very helpful. See if they have a version for the version of Access you are using.

Allen Browne has a website with excellent tips for beginners through experts. It's as good a starting place as any, but it doesn't change the fact that good database design is more than just a ten-minute tutorial away.

You have some good "starting point" answers on Access specifically in the other answers. Keep in mind that Access is more than a database--it's a database application development system (I do not want to get into any arguments about how good it is for its intended purpose, and the OP probably doesn't want to read them).

For non-specific database basics, which are the foundation on which the rest of the Access sytem depends, I recommend this tutorial. If your database schema design is solid, you can build from there. If your schema is messed up, you'll never be able to salvage anything from it.

Here is a list of books. Access Cookbook, 2nd Edition by Ken Getz, Paul Litwin, Andy Baron has a good reputation.