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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Microsoft Access

    Score7.5 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft 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

    SAP Crystal

    Score7.1 out of 10
    N/ASAP Crystal is an analytics and reporting software solution for SMBs. SAP Crystal comprises Crystal Reports for pixel-perfect reporting, and SAP Crystal Server for automated distribution and self-service access to reports, dashboards and data exploration.

    $295

    per single user license

    Pricing
    Microsoft AccessSAP Crystal
    Editions & Modules
    Microsoft Access
    $139.99
    per PC
    Upgrade Version to SAP Crystal Reports 2020
    $295
    per single user license
    SAP Crystal Reports 2020 64-Bit
    $495
    per single user license
    SAP Crystal Reports 2016 32-Bit
    $495
    per single user license
    SAP Crystal Server 2020 1 NUL
    $869
    per user license + first year maintenance to be added
    SAP Crystal Server 2020 5 CAL
    $8,744
    5 concurrent users + first year maintenance to be added
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft AccessSAP Crystal
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional Details—* SAP Crystal Reports 2020 Viewer allows you to view static data within a SAP Crystal Reports file. * SAP Crystal Reports 2020 - Full version allows you to create powerful, richly formatted, and dynamic reports from virtually any data source, delivered in dozens of formats, in up to 28 languages. If you already have an older version of Crystal Reports, buy a license for SAP Crystal Reports 2020 - Upgrade at a discounted, upgrade price. * SAP Crystal Server 2020, 1 NUL includes 1 license of: SAP Crystal Reports 2020 - SAP Crystal Server 2020. * As an add-on to SAP Crystal Server 2020 1 NUL, SAP Crystal Server 2020 5 CAL allows you to support a wider, intermittent audience of end users, up to five logged on at the same time.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Microsoft AccessSAP Crystal
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft Access
    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.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    It stacks up well to Crystal Reporting because it does give you a more generic feel of having a real business object solution. We selected Microsoft Access because it is intuitive enough for our end users and it does give them their own personal workspace to achieve their goal …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    Microsoft Access is a good data management tool. and it excels in that area, which is what we needed the most. It was simple to use and easy to learn. Database management can be done with multiple users in Access. And we can have reports for data summaries, or for any specific …
    Incentivized
    SAP
    Chose SAP Crystal
    I have used SQL Server Management Studio and Microsoft Access to produce some similar reports. I am not a big fan of Access but I did have good results from Management Studio. The databases I am querying against now seem to work well with Crystal Reports and I have found it to …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    I didn't work with Microsoft Access for too long before we switched to Crystal Reports, but I felt like Crystal Reports could do more with the design mode. I feel like I can't do a fair evaluation due to my short time with Access.
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    Crystal Reports is much more powerful than Microsoft Access. It also allowed us to link into existing databases without having to import customer data into Access.
    Chose SAP Crystal
    We actually have all 3 in place and all 3 are used in different situations. Some are bundled with certain products so we continue to use them. Others such as BI from Microsoft are stand alone and allow for easier data visualizations than SAP Crystal does. We chose SAP Crystal …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    PowerBI is starting to replace Crystal Reports. PowerBI is a Microsoft tool. It also brings different types of data in to the same report. PowerBi allows for more data types than Crystal does. Crystal Reports allows you to create formulas easier than PowerBI does. I am very …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    Tableau was a great and user-friendly tool to use for a long time; however, it did not manage various users and their security access very well nor did it provide the level of reporting variation that was necessary at my company. SAP Crystal took some legwork, in the beginning, …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    It offers a balanced set of features and flexibility with a relatively low cost. Database connectivity makes it very useful for statistical analysis of your data. It's all about impressing the clients or higher-up people, such as the boss and it does that definitely. The …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    Microsoft SQL Server is the other product I use instead of Crystal. SQL Server is great for pulling a ton of data and being able to export to Excel. Crystal is necessary for summarizing, graphing, and "at a glance" reporting where the end-user may not be familiar with the data …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    SSRS does allow us to design and schedule SQL-based reports, but Crystal Reports offers so much more customization, particularly in formula building and conditional formatting. Plus, Crystal reports can integrate other data formats besides SQL, in the event we need to design a …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    If you have a CR developer on staff, or can afford to hire a CR developer, then Crystal Reports may be an option. However, you might want to think about what you’ll be sacrificing by not using an agile, business user-friendly BI solution. Additionally, if data security and …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    Other than Crystal Reports the only other reporting software I have used is SSRS Report Builder. While it is very possible to do anything in SSRS Report Builder, Crystal Reports just feels like a more mature product, with more obvious features for complex report building. On …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    The native SQL Server Reporting capability is extremely limited compared to what Crystal can do. Crystal also has much more robust scheduling features.
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    Windward Reporting Engine felt similar to Crystal, but not as clean or refined as Crystal Reports. It has been over a year since I have used them and they have has releases since then, but Crystal is a finished product with the capacity to do whatever a report writer needs. You …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    We didn't really compare it to a specific alternative, since it is a packaged component of our database system, but I have also used Access and other report-creator-esque products, and Crystal Reports is the most customizable. Access can make pretty reports, but it is much …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    We've done some things in MS Excel and Access but if you've already got the data in a database Crystal Reports is the way to go.
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    I enjoyed using Tableau more than SAP crystal reports but it has been a while since using Tableau.
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    I have only used SAP Crystal Reports. However, I do implement it with Tigerpaw Software. I feel as though SAP Crystal Reports is a lot more organized than Tigerpaw software. I stated before in my review that Crystal Reports is very clean, and it's laid out in a way that it is …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    Crystal Reports has been established longer and has a larger user base with more comprehensive support materials. It supports a wide range of data sources and different scenarios. We have had little need to switch to a different reporting tool since we adopted it.
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    MS Access is somewhat slow and harder to work with. I really like MS SQL Report Server and have been in a position to work with it quite a bit along with Crystal Reports. However, changes within our company made it impossible to use SQL Report Server and now I solely use …
    Incentivized
    Chose SAP Crystal
    SAP Crystal Reports design interface or design studio is much better than Jaspersoft Reports design studio. The ODBC connection and drag drop feature of column names to include on the report makes the user interface much friendly. I can view my final SQL including joins and …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    97%
    Would buy again
    29 Answers
    91%
    Would buy again
    10 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    29 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    93%
    Happy with the feature set
    28 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    11 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    86%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    19 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    91%
    Implementation went as expected
    21 Answers
    90%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    Features
    Microsoft AccessSAP Crystal
    Relational Databases
    Comparison of Relational Databases features of Microsoft Access and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    Microsoft Access
    7.7
    3 Ratings
    5% below category average
    SAP Crystal
    -
    Ratings
    ACID compliance7.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Database monitoring8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Database locking8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Encryption7.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Disaster recovery7.73 Ratings00 Ratings
    Flexible deployment8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multiple datatypes8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Microsoft Access and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    Microsoft Access
    -
    Ratings
    SAP Crystal
    7.7
    124 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Pixel Perfect reports00 Ratings8.0113 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards00 Ratings6.7100 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates00 Ratings8.4117 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Microsoft Access and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    Microsoft Access
    -
    Ratings
    SAP Crystal
    8.3
    136 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Drill-down analysis00 Ratings9.0117 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities00 Ratings8.8135 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages00 Ratings6.964 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration00 Ratings8.6120 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Microsoft Access and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    Microsoft Access
    -
    Ratings
    SAP Crystal
    8.7
    136 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Publish to Web00 Ratings9.191 Ratings
    Publish to PDF00 Ratings9.4133 Ratings
    Report Versioning00 Ratings7.994 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling00 Ratings8.997 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers00 Ratings8.454 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Microsoft Access and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    Microsoft Access
    -
    Ratings
    SAP Crystal
    7.6
    89 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)00 Ratings7.650 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization00 Ratings7.576 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics00 Ratings7.841 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Microsoft Access and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    Microsoft Access
    -
    Ratings
    SAP Crystal
    8.5
    88 Ratings
    0% above category average
    Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings8.481 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings8.480 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings8.480 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control00 Ratings8.43 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)00 Ratings8.940 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Microsoft Access and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    Microsoft Access
    -
    Ratings
    SAP Crystal
    6.6
    65 Ratings
    16% below category average
    Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings6.163 Ratings
    Mobile Application00 Ratings5.946 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile00 Ratings6.060 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Microsoft Access and SAP Crystal
    Feature
    Microsoft Access
    -
    Ratings
    SAP Crystal
    7.8
    45 Ratings
    1% above category average
    REST API00 Ratings7.48 Ratings
    Javascript API00 Ratings8.437 Ratings
    iFrames00 Ratings7.18 Ratings
    Java API00 Ratings8.437 Ratings
    Themeable User Interface (UI)00 Ratings7.439 Ratings
    Customizable Platform (Open Source)00 Ratings8.433 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Microsoft AccessSAP Crystal
    Small Businesses
    Amazon RDS
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    SingleStore
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Enterprises
    SAP IQ
    Score5.4 out of 10
    Sisense
    Score6.9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Microsoft AccessSAP Crystal
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.4
    (102 ratings)
    6.7
    (159 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (15 ratings)
    10.0
    (19 ratings)
    Usability
    7.6
    (8 ratings)
    7.1
    (31 ratings)
    Availability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    6.4
    (5 ratings)
    8.6
    (21 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.8
    (14 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.8
    (124 ratings)
    Data Sources
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.2
    (129 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft AccessSAP Crystal
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Microsoft
    As a Material Purchasing/Planning/inventory tracking application, Microsoft Access serves its purpose well. It's presentation is clean, data entry is simple and the ability to customize search fields is welcome. It does, however, come with some caveats; namely, when setting search filters and the need arises to back up a step or two, with Microsoft Access you have to reset, or "clear all", adding extra steps/time to a query.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    Generation of templated reports is the strong suit of SAP Crystal. Allows users to change formats in templates bases on requirement with minimal effort. Automated report delivery requires the user to be aware of sql which cannot be expected from all users. Should support more document export formats and improve the UI for SAP B1 Users
    Incentivized
    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!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    • Crystal Reports allows us to create a consistent template for all of our reports.
    • Crystal Reports and Server allows us to house a repository for all of our reports to make them easy to find and update when necessary.
    • Crystal Reports can connect to a wide variety of data sources.
    • Crystal Reports can be a little daunting when first implementing. There are a lot of nuances in learning how to truly master this software and it can be frustrating at times.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    • The export of reports to Excel is very cumbersome and the results are difficult to format.
    • The design of reports and the graphical features (e.g. charts) feel quite rigid.
    • The learning curve for a non-programmer is incredibly steep, making Crystal a specialty tool.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    SAP
    We have been using this product for so many years and it has truly become a cornerstone to our business processes when it comes to developing and distributing information via reports. We currently have over 500 reports developed to date over about 30 systems and that will continue to grow as user needs change.
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    Crystal is very robust, but not always easy to use. It create wonderful looking reports, and so deserves a high rating. However, I have to take a couple of points off for the simple fact that I cannot hand it to a user and expect them to be able to do development with it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    The support community can be difficult to navigate. I've also run into issues with my login. The SAP system has a bizarre mechanism for validating users that requires users to have what is called an S-ID. A basic ID may not give you access to all the features in the portal. The limitation may include not being able to perform a simple task like downloading patches and updates. This isn't a big deal for single user license but for teams it can be a pain.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    SAP
    Trainer was patient and thorough in going through the basics and willing to answer questions by email after the initial training
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Microsoft
    there is no key idea, since it is easy to implement Microsoft Access
    Read full review
    SAP
    Just like any other implementation: When designing the differing reports, get end users' input, make sure to design the reports so that they display the information that the company requires, in the best and clearest way possible.
    Test, test, test, revise when needed, and, particularly, do sufficient training so users are comfortable using Crystal Reports!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Microsoft
    Excel is a fantastic - robust application that can do so much so easily. Its easy to train and understand. However - excel does not provide a reporting function and that is typically where we will suggest a move to [Microsoft] Access. [Microsoft] Access requires a little more knowledge of data manipulation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    Crystal reports is useful in case we want to import data from data base . We can write queries in it but Google Charts require to be implemented in our application using code so crystal reports is better than Google Charts.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SAP
    • It is a decent buy for specific departments in terms of reporting capabilities but updates and cost (frequent) demands are higher with the benefits offered.
    • So long as the requirements are not ever changing, with scheduling functionality, it's a handsome tool.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    SAP Crystal Screenshots

    Screenshot of Pixel-perfect reporting solutionScreenshot of Refresh with a clickScreenshot of Build pixel-perfect documentsScreenshot of Connect to all data sourcesScreenshot of Use drag and dropScreenshot of Build interactive reports