Capstone Access 3 notes, screenshot

We had an interesting conversation in the 10:40 Stetson class about Access Capstone 3 - so here is an attempt to clear some unclear language up.

There is ALREADY an error list posted in the same folder where you download the instructions:

1. Step 1j "Create a copy of this query – call it Your Name Rentals Money Owed" is in the wrong place. You should ACTUALLY create a copy of the first query you created - Your_ Name Rentals Query - and take the date limitation out of the design view.
   
   The original query should have 86 records - this modified copy should have 89.
   
2. Step 2b "Select By Movie" - i.e. you want the report grouped by the name of the movie.
   
3. Step 2K "Delete the  “Date Rented” column." - that is referring to the column that STARTED out as :"Date Rented", NOT the column you just changed from "Date Rented By Day".

In no particular order :

1. Step 1E - you are to create a calculated field that figures out how many days late the rental was returned. Normally, you would calc DateReturned - DateDue, right? But if it was returned EARLY, then the result would be a negative number - not a good idea! So the instructions state to use the IF function [remember it from Excel?]. It works exactly the same in Access as in Excel, BUT the function is named IIF.   IIF(test, value-If-true, Value-If-false). 
   
   So what you want to happen is to calculate the days late. If they are zero or less, then the days late calculated field will be zero. If it is indeed late, then put in the number of days late it is.
   
2. Step 1J - how do you copy an existing query? Try right-clicking on the query name.
   
3. Step 2F is where you select the Stepped and portrait options - and then you LATER complete the process of creating the report. The "do NOT...." warning there is very important!
   
4. Step 2H - 2page view?????? Well, you could switch to print preview and notice the report doesn't fit on one page, or you could scroll the window to the right and say to yourself, "Hey, i'll bet this doesn't fit on one page".
   
5. Step 2N - you are resizing the fields so they show all the data but they don't waste any space.
   
6. Step 2L - uh, "Grand" total, not Grant!
   
7. Step 2O - mentioned above.
   
8. Steps 2P and 2Q - basically you are making the report easier to read by making some stuff on less verbose and tightening up the deisgn a bit. The "Summary for Shrek" title will be spread across three pages, for example - it needs to be quite a bit narrower. The data summarizing Shrek [or whatever movie] needs to be moved closer to its title. You should also see a line that says "Shrek = " plus some other stuff - carefully work with it so that it says “Summary for Shrek (2 detail records)”
   
9.  Below is a screenshot. Notice that the report is organized by title - then each rental is listed by date, and you can see how many days late it was returned. The "summary" shows how much in late fees the store made for that movie. A lot of  2P and 2Q is dealing with making that one line happen.

We'll be looking at this during part of Thursday's class. We'll also be taking some time to work on this stuff, and I'll be the "floating tech support guy".