It is important that you read about and understand the Database application of AppleWorks before you begin this assignment. Some commands of the AppleWorks database tool are less intuitive than features in word processing, spreadsheet, and graphics, and there are a number of key operations to concentrate on as you create and use the database tool.  For example, you need to know how to:

• create, delete, and modify fields;
• use special types of fields; for example, fields with default values, calculation fields, summary fields and fields containing a specific list of values;
• design a new layout, modify an existing layout, move fields around, adjust field size to accommodate data, and select different formats to display information in a field;
• create new records;
• enter, edit, delete, and copy data;
• browse the database in different layouts;
• create a report layout and select fields to appear in the report;
• sort the datafile;
• find records that meet specific search criteria;
• generate subsets of the database, being aware of the differences between Visible, All, Omit, and New Request.

• How do you create fields for the database?
• How do you set field types?
• How do you set a default value in a field (a value which is automatically entered when nothing is specified by the user)?
• How do you set up a selection of choices; for example, a value list, radio buttons, etc.?
• How do you create a calculation field?
• How do you add a new record to the datafile?

• After the initial round of creating fields, how can you later go back and add more fields?
• How can you edit the name of a field? How can you change the type of a field after it has already been set?
• How do you switch around to the different modes: Browse, Find, Layout and List? What is the purpose of each mode? Which mode do you use when you create fields? Which mode do you use when you are trying to search for a particular record?
• How do you create a new layout?
• How do you delete fields from a layout?
• How do you make more room within a layout (stretch out the body of the field or file)?
• How do you add a header or footer to a layout?
• How do you move field names and the actual field around within a layout?
• How do you increase the amount of space into which you will later enter data?
• How do you add a new record to the datafile?
• How do you modify existing records?
• How do you change the information currently entered in a field?
• How do you copy information from one record to another?
• How do you delete information from a field?
• How do you delete a whole record?

• How do you view the database in different modes?
• How many different ways are there to move among fields in a record? Can you do this by clicking the mouse, pressing the tab and arrow keys?
• How do you make a simple find request for a particular record? For example, if you have a field called Name, can you find a person called John?
• How can you make a find request based on numeric relationships? For example, in a field named Age , how do you find all people older than 50 years?
• How can you make a find request to handle more complex queries such as finding someone named John who is older than 25 in one request?
• How can you make a request to find everything but what you enter? For example, can you find all the records where the person is not named John? (Hint: use the Omit button)
• How can you make a find request to deal with the logical concept known as an AND; can you find all the people who are older than 25 AND less than 50 years old? (Hint: use the Visible button)
• How can you write a Find request to deal with the concept of a logical OR? Can you find all the people named either John OR George by using the New Request command?
• Can you enter more complicated requests that use more than one of the above ideas at the same time. For example, can you find people not named John OR George? Can you find all the people named John who are over 25 but less than 50 years old? Can you make a request to find anyone named John or George who is over 25 years old?

• How do you SORT the information in a database? Can you sort in alphabetic order? In numeric order?
• How do you set the primary key when sorting? How do you set the secondary key? What purpose does the secondary key serve? How many keys can you use when sorting?
• Can you create a new layout for a columnar report? How do you select only certain fields to appear on a report? How do you order the fields in a report? How can you make more space for each of the columns if you need it?
• Can you add a title to a report using the Header Part on the layout and adding text?
• How can you get all the numbers in one column of a report to be totaled? For example, if you have a database containing names and weights of a number of people and you want to see their total weight on a report? (Hint: To get a column total involves making a summary field, using the SUM function, placing the correct field name as an argument to SUM, inserting a Trailing Grand Summary Part into your report layout and inserting the summary field into this part of the datafile.

• Can you use the Mail Merge command to insert merge markers in a word processing document and create a form letter? (Remember that both the database file and word processing file must be open when using the mail merge command.)
• Can you use the Find command to create a subset of the datafile which includes only certain records?
• Can you use the Print Merge command to print form letters from the datafile subset?

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