Worksheet: Downloading, E-mail attachments, and Introduction to
Databases using MS-Access (In Class Version)
Prerequisites for this Worksheet:
You should be able to navigate your way around a PC with MS Office. In addition,
this worksheet assumes that you have completed the Worksheet on downloading
files.
Assignment:
- An Excel spreadsheet entitled “forensic_case_for_access.xls” has been
uploaded on the website in Rockefeller College. This spreadsheet contains
data on inmates in a forensic mental health program in a state prison. Download
this Excel Spreadsheet from the
website, using Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, or any other browser
you are familiar with.
- Import the Excel Spreadsheet into an MS Access database. Next using
the report Wizard in Access, generate a table of output from the database
that looks like the this linked report
. Export the report from Access as a word processing document in Rich Text
Format (RFT). Refer to the Access Guide as
needed.
- Attach the word processing version of the report to an e-mail message
and mail it to the course TA.
Discussion:
The Internet provides a cornucopia of tools for moving files and information
around from one location to another. This assignment introduces two of the
more commonly used tools and gives you a start at using them - downloading
using a browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer, etc.), and attaching files to
email.
Most modern Internet browsers (such as Netscape Navigator) allow you to
move a file from a central server to your PC (sometimes referred to as a
client). This operation can be referred to as “downloading”. In this exercise,
you will download a spreadsheet file and them import it to Access. Using
the report generator in Access, you will create an easy-to-read report and
then export it to a word processor. The Rich Text Format (RTF) is a standard
format for word processing documents that can move between MS Word, WordPerfect,
and most major word processing packages. Use the RTF format to export your
report.
Finally, the assignment asks you to use the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) portion
of Netscape Navigator to move your word processing version of the report to your
UNIX account at the University at Albany. The
Attachment Guide shows you how to attach your file to an email message, using
Webmail or PINE. (Note that the handout also shows you how to ‘detach’
a file from an e-mail message).
There are many ways to move files around on the Internet and there are many
formats in which the same information can exist (word processed document,
spreadsheet, or database, for example). This worksheet introduces you to just
one of the many ways that this information can be moved around and reformatted
using PC and Internet tools.