Screen Layout

 

The appearance of the screens in a database is important. The layout contributes to the ease with which data is entered.

 

Databases offer two screen views, table and form view.

 

 

 

Guidelines for database screens

 

·        Group similar fields together

 

·        Do not clutter the screen

 

·        Use colours, fonts and sizes to make editing easier

 

·        Use boxes, colours and labels to identify sections of the database

 

·        Use clear instructions and provide help messages

 

·        Error messages should not be insulting or difficult to understand

 

·        Modeling the form on a good paper-based model can be useful

 

·        Use defaults, compulsory fields and lookup tables for consistency

 

 

 

 

 

F A default value is a value which automatically appears in a field

 

F Not null means not blank. Key fields such as the primary key are often designated to be not null.