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Note  The information in this topic applies only to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb).

In table Design view, you can create an entire table from scratch, or add, delete, or customize the fields in an existing table.

If you want to track additional data in a table, add more fields. If an existing field name isn't descriptive enough, you can rename the field.

Setting a field's data type (field data type: A characteristic of a field that determines what kind of data it can store. For example, a field whose data type is Text can store data consisting of either text or number characters, but a Number field can store only numerical data.) defines what kind of values you can enter in a field. For example, if you want a field to store numerical values that you can use in calculations, set its data type to Number or Currency.

You use a unique tag, called a primary key (primary key: One or more fields (columns) whose values uniquely identify each record in a table. A primary key cannot allow Null values and must always have a unique index. A primary key is used to relate a table to foreign keys in other tables.), to identify each record in your table. A table's primary key is used to refer to related records in other tables.

Field properties are a set of characteristics that provide additional control over how the data in a field is stored, entered, or displayed. Which properties are available depends on a field's data type.

For more information, see the following topics:

• Add a field to a table
• Set or change a field's data type or size
• Set the display format for data in a field
• Set or change the primary key
• Set a default value for a field or control