Microsoft Exam 77-730: Access 2016 Interview Questions
Passing the Microsoft Exam 77-730: Access 2016 and earning the credential will demonstrate that you can design efficient database applications to help automate your company’s record-keeping needs. To pass the interview, you need to harness the power of Microsoft Access to design and build professional web-based apps. Apart from developing, organizing, and managing your data with ease, you need to master the fundamentals of web database development.
In order to get a leg up on your competition, we’ve put together a list of the most common questions asked in the Microsoft Exam 77-730 interviews. Here you go!
1. Can you tell me what a Microsoft Access database is?
Microsoft Access is a great database management tool that is easy to use. It also comes with a large number of support options, both in-person and online. Access is the most powerful database software on the market. It is simple enough for an independent developer or a small organization to use, yet powerful enough to handle the most complex application development and data construction projects.
2. Is there anything special about MS Access?
Microsoft Access is an easy-to-understand program for individuals and small groups working on a project. There exist several important features, such as:
- Firstly, it is ideal for both individual users and small teams
- Secondly, it is simpler than a client-server database
- Also, it offers import and export to another Microsoft Office and other apps
- It gives ready templates for its regular users for creating and publishing data
- Last but not the least, it enables building and publishing Web databases effortlessly
3. Can you tell me the simplest way for linking explicit data into the Access database?
Given below are the steps to be followed to link explicit data into the Access database:
- First, you need to click on EXTERNAL DATA from the Import and Link group, from the main menu
- Then, you can import the desired file
- Finally, you need to follow the instruction given in the Get External Data wizard about the file that can link Access database
4. Is there a maximum size for an Access database?
The largest Access 2.0 database you can create is 1 gigabyte in size.
5. Which technique would you use to increase the size of a database?
If you need to enlarge your database, replication might be the answer.
6. Can you highlight some of the important applications of MS Access?
- First and most importantly, small businesses, departments in large organizations, and groups of software developers make use of it for developing data-driven applications.
- Second, MS Access is one of the most popular development tools for small database applications that are hosted on IIS via ASP.NET code.
- You can use Access as a frontend when the backend is created using ODBC-compliant software.
- Last but not the least, You can use RAD to quickly develop standalone applications and prototypes.
7. How would you define a super key? In what is it distinct from a candidate key?
A superkey is a set of attributes (columns) in a table such that no two tuples have the same values for all of those attributes. Whereas, a candidate key is a minimal set of attributes used to identify tuples. The candidate key is basically a minimal superkey.
8. How would you describe the various kinds of relations between different data in MS Access?
There are only three types of relationships that can be built by the data in the table:
- One-to-one relationship: Such relationships are particularly useful when you want to make sure that only one item of a certain table links to another item in another table.
- One-to-many relationship: This relationship specifies that a single item of one table can correspond to many items of another table.
- Many-to-many relationship: This relationship describes a situation in which items in one table can correspond to more than one item in another table.
9. What protection features does MS Access have?
The MS Access protection features let you lock documents to protect them from modification, particularly if you have hard-coded information and cannot modify it. For example, if you have a database of student records, you may not want students changing their own grades, so you can lock the grade-modification code in an MDE file.
The MDE extension is the only one that can be edited. You can find tools in the market that can be used to decompile and unlock code. However, the changes made to the VB scripts are permanent.
10. How would you maintain the relationship between the different databases?
Whenever two or more databases are linked, one of the tables in one database serves as the primary key, while a new field in the other database is treated as a foreign key.
11. What do queries mean in MS Access?
Queries are nothing but commands that are applied for performing several operations on data, including sorting, inserting, retrieving, updating, deleting, and many more.
12. What is the simplest way to create a simple query?
- Firstly, you need to open the database. Then click on create tab
- Now, you must go to the query wizard icon, and choose a query type
- Then, you can select an appropriate table displayed in the pull-down menu
- Now, you need to select the required field from the query results
- Then, Go to next, and choose the result that you want to produce
- Finally, you can specify any title to your query, and then click on Finish
13. How is the process of exporting data in Excel format executed?
- Firstly, you need to click on the toolbar and then follow the External Data tab.
- Now, on the Export group, you must go to Excel. This will display the excel spreadsheet dialog box
- Then, here you can provide the destination of the file name and format
- Finally, click OK, and now your data will be exported to an Excel spreadsheet
14. How can I create a table using the Microsoft Access Object Library (MAOL)?
One can do so by defining a variable as a type object, and then initializing it by calling the CreateTableDef() method.
15. How can you generate an MS Access form?
Here are some steps to help you create forms in MS Access 2016
- Firstly, go to a specific table that you want to use for creating a form.
- Then, you need to click on the Create tab option and locate the Forms group
- Now, click on the Form Command. Now, a form shall be created and will be opened in the Layout view.
- Finally, you can click on the Save button from the Quick Access toolbar and then save the file with any desired name
16. How would you utilize a Pivot table?
Pivot tables transform a large dataset into interactive views that make it easy to spot trends and patterns. They are used to summarize data in a way that makes patterns easier to see.
17. Can you tell the methods of entering data in MS Access?
There are three methods of entering data in MS Access. These are:
- Firstly, using the SQL view
- Then, using the form
- Also, the datasheet view
18. Have you considered automating your MS Access database via menu-driven selections?
You can create a form with customized buttons that point to macros by using the Switchboard Manager option in Access. A quicker method is to use the Access Switchboard Wizard.
19. Can you elaborate on the role of the WHERE clause?
- The WHERE clause is used in the SELECT statement to retrieve a value that meets certain conditions
- You can use a WHERE clause to join fields of dissimilar data types by comparing them with LIKE keywords
20. What are some of the merits of using MS Access over MS SQL Server?
MS Access offers the following advantages over MS SQL Server:
- Firstly, it is much easier to handle
- Second, it is more reliable as it helps users read and write directly into the raw data table.
- Also, it is more scalable when the number of users is minimal
- Last but not the least, it is cheaper and more compatible
21. Can you explain how MS Access differs from MS Excel?
- Managing data: Access is better for helping you keep data organized, easy to search, and available to multiple simultaneous users.
- Data analysis: Excel is better for performing complex calculations, exploring possible outcomes, and producing high-quality charts.
22. What as per you, can Access do which Excel cannot?
The Microsoft Excel worksheets that most of us create are flat or non-relational. But Access allows you to create tables that are relational at multiple levels, and it allows for complex statistical analysis.
23. Do you think that you could make Excel and Access work together in any way?
One way to tap into the power of both Excel and Access is to link an Excel worksheet to an Access table. If you plan to keep the data in Excel but also want to take advantage of some of the many Access features, use an Access link.
24. Are Access and SQL the same thing?
Microsoft Access and Microsoft SQL Server are both database applications, but they are different in the way that they are used. It is a program designed for use in the home or small business environment. Microsoft SQL Server is for medium to large businesses that need a more powerful and efficient means of storing and retrieving data.
25. How is Access programmed?
Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the development language used by many Access developers. However, VBA is actually a subset of Visual Basic (VB), so many IT pros believe Access has less value than VB. It’s not true because both are very powerful.
26. Can you name the file extensions available in MS Access?
There are five file extensions that we have MS Access:
- Access workgroup (.mdw)
- Access database (.accdb)
- Also, Access blank project template (.adn)
- Access project (.adp)
- Protected access database (.accde)
27. What alternatives do you think might replace Microsoft Access?
Some of the possible Microsoft Access Alternatives are:
- Firstly, OpenOffice derivatives – has shown a serious challenge to MS Office
- Google Forms – a powerful rival to Office 365
- Calligra Office – an free to use open-source project
- Zoho Creator
- Bubble
28. Is there any difference between Access 2013 and 2016?
There is no big difference between the two. Evidently, Microsoft’s first official statement about the differences between Access 2016 and 2013 is that the 2016 version has a colorful border. Office 365 subscribers can automatically get Access 2016 updated if they acquired it as part of their subscription package.
29. Can you tell if there are any cons to using Microsoft Access?
- Firstly, Access is just a finite database system
- Secondly, all the data is stored inside a single file
- Incorporating the multimedia data into Access is difficult
- Moreover, it is difficult to capture time-critical transactions
- Last but not the least, there exists possible security concerns
30. How many concurrent users are supported in MS Access?
Microsoft claims that Access can support 255 concurrent users, but you should choose this software if 15 to 20 users will be using the database. However, if there are more than 20 users tryngi to gain access to the database at the same time, performance and response time can be affected.