Microsoft Access Training and Certification Pays Off

Craig Friesen, July 11, 2007

The Microsoft Office Specialist certification (MOS) requires that you pass three required exams: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. You also have to choose an elective of either Access or Outlook to complete your training. As information management becomes increasingly important to businesses, the Access elective may be the way to go. Here's what to expect!

MS Access Training and Certification: What You'll Learn

When you have achieved your Microsoft Specialist certification, it indicates that you have met Microsoft's standards for someone able to work with Microsoft Office products at an entry level position. MS Access training and certification ensures that you will be ready to handle day-to-day usage of this powerful information management tool. This means being able to perform basic functions such as:

• Understanding the difference between records and fields
• Managing data including adding, altering, and removing records
• Becoming proficient at searching and shifting records around
• Creating, editing, modifying, and manipulating tables
• Identifying, setting, and altering field types
• Having a solid understanding and ability to bring outside data records into Access
• Understanding the "one-to-many" concept of data relationships

MS Access Training: Beyond the Basics

If you master the basic day to day functions of MS Access, you'll have an edge over your peers. Mastering more advanced functions, however, can give your resume a major boost and ensure MOS certification. Some of these more advanced tasks include:

• Building forms and applying, changing, and removing form controls and properties
• Calling reports, including setting, altering, and removing control properties
• Creating a data access page
• Manipulating data-making calculations, sorting, and filtering
• Formatting and modifying form and datasheet layouts and page setups
• Being prepared to perform backups, compact data, and repair the Access database
• Being able to export data from Access

In an era when data collection and manipulation is so significant, you are sure to find your Microsoft Access training to be an asset to your career.

Sources
Microsoft: MS Access Skill Standards