PHP/SQL search engine help (newbie)

Hi, Completely new at this, so don't be too harsh. I'm trying to create a help file system for a programme (much like the help files that you get with macromedia flash). All the help files will be in HTML format and will be in an access database. I need to search through the database with a search engine, and I assumed that the best way to do this would be to use a combination of SQL and PHP. Unfortunately I'm very very new to both. I have a basic grasp of SQL but hardly any for PHP. Could anybody give me any tips on how to get started or a link to any good tutorials? Thanks for any help Keith