What is Northwind Traders database

What is Northwind Traders database

Northwind Traders Access database is a sample database that shipped with Microsoft Office suite. The Northwind database contains the sales data for a fictitious company called Northwind Traders, which imports and exports specialty foods from around the world. You can use and experiment with Access with Northwind database while you're learning and develop ideas for Access.

Northwind trader Access database switchborad

Northwind trader Access database switchborad

For example, you may want to experiment designing queries using the Orders and other related tables for trend analysis (in conjunction with MS Excel PivotTable) since these tables contain enough records to produce meaningful results over three years period.

Northwind sample database consists many Access functionalities, including tables, forms, queries, Reports, Macros, VBA Modules, etc. By using these objects, you can build database applications that can span from simple data storages to real world complex database applications with rich user interface support.

Northwind is like a real world application but the names of companies, products, employees, and any other data used or mentioned do not in any way represent any real world individual, company, product, etc.

You can use Northwind to explore nearly every important aspect of a Microsoft Access application.

Where to find Northwind Access database on my computer?

If you have installed Microsoft Access, you should be able to find northwind in its default location.

File Name	Northwind.mdb
Size	2.108 MB
Default Location	C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Samples\
Download	If for any reason you can't find Northwind on your computer, download Northwind here.

What is the best way to learn Northwind?

The Northwind database includes a Help file called Show Me that documents the main features in the database. So The best way is to use the Help system that comes with Northwind.

How to location the Help system of Northwind?

Copy Northwind.mdb and paste to a different folder. Highly recommended. Always keep an original version so that you can refer back to it at any time.
Double click Northwind.mdb
Click OK when you see the pop up window.
On the menu bar, click Show Me button which is located at end of the bar.

Then, the Help system displays Overview of Northwind window.

OK, now go ahead and try it out by yourself.

More Access sample applications:

You probably will find these Access sample databases in the sample directory.

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Samples\

Address Book application Use this application to manage addresses and other information for individuals, families, and companies. With the database, you can save address and phone information for every member of a family, remind yourself when it's time to send birthday cards, print address labels, and export your address list to Microsoft Word.
Contact Management application Use this application to manage your personal and business contacts. With this database, you can save information on your personal and business contacts, record the time and subject of phone calls, send e-mail to any contact, set reminders, print labels or envelopes, and export your contact list to Word.
Household Inventory application Use this application to keep track of important possessions in your home. With this database, you can record serial numbers and purchase and replacement information; list items donated to charity for tax purposes; and import and export information from other applications.

Want more from Access Northwind database? You probably are learning relational database theory and need a sample database to explore the various concept. Northwind is a good learning database in this regard. Check out the following articles for Northwind in MySQL.

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