Access 2013: The Missing Manual / Matthew MacDonald

Q&A with Matthew , author of "Access 2013: The Missing Manual"

Q. Why is your book timely-- what makes it important right now?

A. Office 2013 was recently released.

Q. What information do you hope that readers of your book will walk away with?

A. First, readers will learn how to create a properly structured database-- one that can hold all the information they need without running into the common pitfalls of bad table design. Then, readers will learn how to enter information with customized forms, print it out with attractive reports, and guide the whole process with two basic programming building blocks: macros and Visual Basic code. Finally, readers will learn how a whole team of people can share a database-- for example, how one person can design a database that other people in a company can use, even if they know absolutely nothing about Access.

Q. What's the most exciting and/or important thing happening in your space?

A. Access 2013 is making a renewed attempt to bring its databases to the Web with a new feature called Web Apps. The basic idea is that you, the Access developer, create a database using the familiar Access tools and place it on a SharePoint server. As with a desktop database, you create the views that determine how other people see the information in your database. However, there's a key difference: to view or edit your database, other people need only visit the website in their browsers. They don't need to have a copy of Access, a special plug-in, or even a Microsoft computer. (In fact, even a tablet like the iPad works perfectly well.)