4 Salient Points about Validation Rules that Every MS Access User Must Know

Through this article, we attempt to understand Validation Rules in MS Access that users of the application must be aware of.

One of the most common causes of database application errors in MS Access is not adhering to the field validation rules. We are all sick and tired of errors that suddenly comes up in our database leaving us with no option but to get into the complicated procedure of finding out the cause. In some cases, mistakes in attachment data type can lead to Access corruption. As a regular user of the application, we are hoping you would know that such errors is very much avoidable. All you need to do is follow the rules. Make sure you give access of the database to only the relevant people, and always follow the field validation rules.  

Field Validation Rules in MS Access

If you look at it closely and think about its meaning, you will be able to conclude that it is a term that is self-explanatory. Validation means nothing but approval, so these validation rules in Access are like the approval authorities for the data that is being entered in the fields. Before you attempt to use MS Access there are a few key aspects related to validation rules which you always need to keep in mind.

1. Meaning and Definition

There are several validation rules in MS Access, a few of them are applied by default when the user sets properties like field type and more. Others are the ones which are applied by the user to ensure that only a particular type of data is entered in the field. These field validation rules are applied to ensure consistency across the database.

2. User Applied Validation Rules

As mentioned above, validation rules are ones which are applied by default, and can also be applied by the user, to ensure even more regularity in the contents of a field. You can select your preferred validation rules from table design view in MS Access. Here you can specify the character limit for a particular field, and also add ‘lookup’ fields if required.

3. Impact of Validation Rules on Data Entry Forms

When we specify the field validation rules in table design, they are applied in the fields that are present in the form that is created for a given table. Therefore, any attempt to enter data that does not follow the validation rules will not be allowed in the given form.

4. Adding Validation Rules straight to the Form

There are occasions when you might have to add a validation rule of your choice directly to a given form and not in the table design, to make sure that the unique design is applied only to a given form. The steps for this procedure are given below.

• Open form in Design View.
• Select the field where you want to apply the validation rule.
• From the tools section, select property sheet icon
• Select the Data Tab
• Enter the field validation rule that you want to apply.
• Enter the text you want to be displayed when the validation error message pops up.

You have now successfully applied validation rule straight to a form.

Author Introduction:

Vivian Stevens is a data recovery expert in DataNumen, Inc., which is the world leader in data recovery technologies, including sql fix and excel recovery software products. For more information visit www.datanumen.com