Despite the many improvements in software over the years, one feature hasn’t improved a bit: Microsoft’s documentation. In fact, with Office 2010, you get no printed user guide at all. To learn about the thousands of features included in this software collection, Microsoft expects you to read the online help.

Occasionally, these help screens are actually helpful, like when you’re looking for a quick description explaining a mysterious programming command. On the other hand, if you’re trying to learn how to, say, create a summary with subtotals, you’ll find nothing better than terse and occasionally cryptic instructions.

This book is the manual that should have accompanied Access 2010. In these pages, you’ll find step-by-step instructions and tips for using almost every Access feature, including those you haven’t (yet) heard of.