Here's an effective use of InfoPath: Design a form that will help people work with data in an existing Access database.

Users of the form can then add new records to the database by typing data into the form.

Other form controls enable users to query the database, modify records that the query returns to the form, and submit the updated information back to the database.

This course tells you how to create a form that's connected to an Access database and how to add functionality to the form. To learn more, read this page fully, and then click Next.

• For this course, you should be familiar with relational database terminology.
• To do the practice sessions, you need to have Access 2003 installed, from which you'll install the Northwind Sample Database. You must also have Microsoft Office InfoPath™ 2003 Service Pack 1 installed.

InfoPath or Access?

Since you can create robust forms in both Access and InfoPath, what are the advantages of using one over the other to create your form?

Short answer: InfoPath's strength is in form creation and form usability in the collection of data. Access's strength is in managing databases, particularly data storage and reporting. Using the programs together combines the strengths of each.

For a full disucussion on this question, see Collect and store data using Access, InfoPath, or both.