Learn Access Now! Chapter 16 Previous Section in Chapter 17 Chapter 18

Chapter 17: Using OLE

(This is section 5 of 5 in this chapter)

Summary

OLE lets you take advantage of the strengths of other programs. Using OLE, you can manage the data (objects) from those programs through Access. In this chapter, you have learned what OLE is and how it is implemented in Access.

Before you move on to Chapter 18, make sure you understand the following key concepts:

OLE is an acronym for object linking and embedding. It is a technology that permits you to dynamically insert information from other programs into your Access tables.
Access is an OLE client, meaning it accepts information prepared by OLE servers. The information that Access accepts is an object.
There are literally dozens of different programs which can be OLE servers. This means there are just as many different types of objects you can embed or link to your tables.
You can place objects in any Access field which is set to the OLE Object data type.
You insert objects in Access using the Edit menu Insert Object option. You can also insert objects using the Clipboard.
You can use the OLE/DDE Links option from the Edit menu to modify links between objects in your table and a server program.
You can edit linked objects by double-clicking your mouse on the object field. This starts the server program (if necessary) and lets you make any changes you desire. When you are done, the original information and the information in the Access table are both updated.

In Chapter 18, you will learn how you can use macros to automate many of your routine Access tasks.

Learn Access Now! Chapter 16 Previous Section in Chapter 17 Chapter 18