Microsoft Access vs. Sage CRM

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Access
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Access is a database management system from Microsoft that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface and software-development tools.
$139.99
per PC
Sage CRM
Score 7.6 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
Sage CRM is an SMB-oriented CRM platform offered in both SaaS and on-premise editions. Unlike the Sage SalesLogix product, the SaaS version is a true multi-tenant offering. The platform offers excellent integration with Sage ERP and accounting products. It is also a good global solution and is available in many languages and is used by over 12,000 customers worldwide, with many customers in Europe.
$33
per month
Pricing
Microsoft AccessSage CRM
Editions & Modules
Microsoft Access
$139.99
per PC
Sage CRM (cloud)
$45
Per User per Month
Sage CRM (on premise)
Lifetime License per Seat
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft AccessSage CRM
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsTiered pricing is available for multiple users.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft AccessSage CRM
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Microsoft AccessSage CRM
Sales Force Automation
Comparison of Sales Force Automation features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Access
-
Ratings
Sage CRM
8.8
17 Ratings
14% above category average
Customer data management / contact management00 Ratings9.017 Ratings
Workflow management00 Ratings8.616 Ratings
Territory management00 Ratings8.517 Ratings
Opportunity management00 Ratings8.917 Ratings
Integration with email client (e.g., Outlook or Gmail)00 Ratings9.016 Ratings
Contract management00 Ratings8.514 Ratings
Quote & order management00 Ratings9.016 Ratings
Interaction tracking00 Ratings9.216 Ratings
Channel / partner relationship management00 Ratings8.716 Ratings
Customer Service & Support
Comparison of Customer Service & Support features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Access
-
Ratings
Sage CRM
8.1
16 Ratings
8% above category average
Case management00 Ratings8.016 Ratings
Call center management00 Ratings8.215 Ratings
Help desk management00 Ratings8.214 Ratings
Marketing Automation
Comparison of Marketing Automation features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Access
-
Ratings
Sage CRM
8.7
16 Ratings
14% above category average
Lead management00 Ratings8.816 Ratings
Email marketing00 Ratings8.715 Ratings
CRM Project Management
Comparison of CRM Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Access
-
Ratings
Sage CRM
9.0
17 Ratings
17% above category average
Task management00 Ratings9.016 Ratings
Billing and invoicing management00 Ratings9.015 Ratings
Reporting00 Ratings9.113 Ratings
CRM Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of CRM Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Access
-
Ratings
Sage CRM
8.6
17 Ratings
12% above category average
Forecasting00 Ratings8.716 Ratings
Pipeline visualization00 Ratings8.416 Ratings
Customizable reports00 Ratings8.717 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Access
-
Ratings
Sage CRM
8.6
17 Ratings
13% above category average
Custom fields00 Ratings8.517 Ratings
Custom objects00 Ratings8.516 Ratings
Scripting environment00 Ratings9.016 Ratings
API for custom integration00 Ratings8.314 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Access
-
Ratings
Sage CRM
8.7
17 Ratings
5% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.717 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.813 Ratings
Social CRM
Comparison of Social CRM features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Access
-
Ratings
Sage CRM
9.4
13 Ratings
25% above category average
Social data00 Ratings9.513 Ratings
Social engagement00 Ratings9.313 Ratings
Integrations with 3rd-party Software
Comparison of Integrations with 3rd-party Software features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Access
-
Ratings
Sage CRM
9.0
14 Ratings
23% above category average
Marketing automation00 Ratings9.114 Ratings
Compensation management00 Ratings8.912 Ratings
Platform
Comparison of Platform features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Access
-
Ratings
Sage CRM
7.8
16 Ratings
4% above category average
Mobile access00 Ratings7.816 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft AccessSage CRM
Small Businesses
SingleStore
SingleStore
Score 9.8 out of 10
Salesmate
Salesmate
Score 9.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
SingleStore
SingleStore
Score 9.8 out of 10
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
SingleStore
SingleStore
Score 9.8 out of 10
Creatio
Creatio
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft AccessSage CRM
Likelihood to Recommend
8.1
(98 ratings)
8.9
(28 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(15 ratings)
5.1
(11 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(4 ratings)
8.9
(11 ratings)
Availability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
6.4
(5 ratings)
7.9
(8 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft AccessSage CRM
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Microsoft Access can be easily implemented with training. It doesn't require expert level skill for basic reporting functions - but can be scaled to a complex database with sophisticated users. Its appropriate to consider if excel needs to be used to create reports, or if there are data entry needs - with corresponding reports.
Read full review
Sage
as it is a very flexible software that can be adapted to any business model, other functions human resource management, manufacturing and supply chain planning, all these functions are housed in a highly technological interface. I liked this system because it made automating accounts payable so much easier.the control of the basic accounting of any type of company
Read full review
Pros
Microsoft
  • Very easy to create entity-relationship diagrams for various tables and designing mock layouts.
  • Really easy to navigate as it hold[s] the classic Microsoft UI. Another good thing is that it comes with the complete MS Office Suite.
  • It is really fast when joining multiple tables no matter what type of join.
  • Works on pretty much same SQL scripts so no need to learn a new language!
Read full review
Sage
  • When in client profile, it is very intuitive, allowing you to easily transcribe notes in the clients profile.
  • Sage allows 3rd party plugins, so if you utilize a particular phone services or would like to import something as simple as google drive, its compatible.
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • Microsoft Access has not really changed at all for several years. It might be nice to see some upgrades and changes.
  • The help info is often not helpful. Need more tutorials for Microsoft Access to show how to do specific things.
  • Be careful naming objects such as tables, forms, etc. Names that are too long can get cut off in dialog boxes to choose a table, form, report, etc. So, I wish they would have resizable dialog boxes to allow you to see objects with long names.
  • I wish it could show me objects that are not in use in the database for current queries, tables, reports, forms, and macros. That way unused objects can be deleted without worrying about losing a report or query because you deleted the underlying object.
Read full review
Sage
  • Reliance on Apache Tomcat causes a lot of headaches. There are common issues trying to start up the server, resulting from Apache Tomcat misconfigurations, or Java. Some forum posts on Sage City address common issues, but digging into server logs seems to be an often occurrence.
  • Support is somewhat lacking, less user install base means error messages are sometimes hard to find quick answers for. Most of the knowledge found on the internet is in the Sage City forum.
  • Integration with Microsoft 365 causes you to have to turn off some security features. This will result in your 365 tenants running lower security standards than recommended, it may put you at risk for targeted attacks.
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Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
I and the rest of my team will renew our Microsoft Access in the future because we use and maintain many different applications and databases created using Microsoft Access so we will need to maintain them in the future. Additionally, it is a standard at our place of work so it is at $0 cost to us to use. Another reason for renewing Microsoft Access is that we just don' t have the resources needed to extend into a network of users so we need to remain a single-desktop application at this time.
Read full review
Sage
There are really no other words to say, it is a very easy to use application that is more straightforward and has provided better results with the bulk of features that appeal to a very broad amount of users. There may be other CRM platforms out there that are more prevalent, but I have found them to be much more clunky and less intuitive than Sage CRM.
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Usability
Microsoft
Microsoft Access is easy to use. It is compatible with spreadsheets. It is a very good data management tool. There is scope to save a large amount of data in one place. For using this database, one does not need much training, can be shared among multiple users. This database has to sort and filtering features which seem to be very useful.
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Sage
Excellent integration with the most important social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter) to get leads. The mobile app is quite useful for speeding up the tasks at hand and not relying on the computer or being in the office to get them done.
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Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
I don't think the program has ever failed me. It is one of those programs where there is always a solution if you know where to look.
Read full review
Sage
No answers on this topic
Performance
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Sage
Sage works very quickly based on the network you are using it on. It is internet based so if your network is slow, it will perform slowly. Reports seem to run reasonably fast, if there is too much information it is trying to populate that could slow it down a little. When Sage CRM is integrated with a Sage ERP product it doesn't tend to slow down either system at all
Read full review
Support Rating
Microsoft
While I have never contacted Microsoft directly for product support, for some reason there's a real prejudice against MS Access among most IT support professionals. They are usually discouraging when it comes to using MS Access. Most of this is due to their lack of understanding of MS Access and how it can improve one's productivity. If Microsoft invested more resources towards enhancing and promoting the use of MS Access then maybe things would be different.
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Sage
Support team is really slow and they need to work on this really. Sometimes it takes days to resolve a simple query and there is no way to get it expedited. Rest the product is is amazing but the team should look into the costumer support and get it working
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In-Person Training
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Sage
Most training would come after a upgrade. Otherwise we would self teach new employees. Training was with a Sage Software partner SWK technologies.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Microsoft
there is no key idea, since it is easy to implement Microsoft Access
Read full review
Sage
The implementation and upgrades were rather quick and straight forward. Attempting to link Sage CRM with Sage 100 ERP however was a nightmare and will be avoided by us in the future due to numerous issues.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
Crystal is easier for report writing, but isn't a database solution. Salesforce is lovely, but much more expensive than an old copy of Microsoft Office. For a small budget, [Microsoft] Access was really the only viable option. I only wish it was easier to write complex reports.
Read full review
Sage
Whilst SAGE CRM was selected around 10 years ago and we became a partner, the main contenders would have been at the time Sales Logix and MS CRM 4.0. However, we had extensive experience of the mid-market CRM's and decided on SAGE CRM since it had a clean, easy to understand interface and importantly offered both workflow automation and Self Service capability, all of which across both the Case and Sales and Marketing functionality was seamless and saved time. As it was pure browser based, access was from anywhere we wanted. In my view, SAGE CRM still stacks up well against all the other mid-market CRM systems and offers good value for money, but more importantly, it is an easy to operate and customisable solution which user like. Again, we can teach administration users very quickly to support and customise themselves since the admin. function are clear as well.
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Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • Not having to recreate queries or reports every time you want to use them.
  • Once an item is created and saved as part of the database, you save manpower by not having to recreate them.
  • ROI from a usability standpoint is great. Solid product with great functionality that requires low maintenance usually.
Read full review
Sage
  • It is very affordable in pricing, compared to competitors
  • Lead management and convertion into prospects is also a very easy process
  • Lead capture from web pages should be available, and better ways to capture leads from tradeshows by uploading directly from scanned business cards
Read full review
ScreenShots