Microsoft Access vs. SAP SQL Anywhere

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Access
Score 7.6 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
SAP SQL Anywhere
Score 7.2 out of 10
N/A
SAP® SQL Anywhere® solutions aim to deliver enterprise-level data management and synchronization capabilities. The solutions are designed to run in remote and mobile environments on a wide range of small-footprint devices and in real-world conditions.N/A
Pricing
Microsoft AccessSAP SQL Anywhere
Editions & Modules
Microsoft Access
$139.99
per PC
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft AccessSAP SQL Anywhere
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft AccessSAP SQL Anywhere
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
Microsoft AccessSAP SQL Anywhere
Small Businesses
SingleStore
SingleStore
Score 9.7 out of 10
SingleStore
SingleStore
Score 9.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
SingleStore
SingleStore
Score 9.7 out of 10
SingleStore
SingleStore
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
SingleStore
SingleStore
Score 9.7 out of 10
SingleStore
SingleStore
Score 9.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft AccessSAP SQL Anywhere
Likelihood to Recommend
8.1
(98 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(15 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.4
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft AccessSAP SQL Anywhere
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.
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SAP
SAP SQL Anywhere is better than not using a database, let's be clear there! However, I wouldn't pick it as my first or even second or third choice. I'd recommend looking at other options. Largely, it appears less powerful both in terms of its robustness and general performance and in its implementation of SQL. The standard Sybase utilities provided are lacking in basic features, and the interactive SQL utility is quite horrendous. However, the great thing is it is an ODBC-compliant SQL-compliant relational database.
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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!
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SAP
  • Good performance with relatively large data sets - its cost-based query optimizer is particularly robust
  • ANSI SQL compliant
  • Supports T-SQL
  • Scales well between the desktop (single user) and client/server installations supporting 50-1000 users
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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.
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SAP
  • I think it should be more user friendly for non-technical users.
  • More functional functionalities should be added to the object explore when working with a table to transform data/manipulate data.
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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.
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SAP
Ease of use, relationship to existing software's used in house and familiarity with the product
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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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SAP
No answers on this topic
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.
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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.
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SAP
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Microsoft
there is no key idea, since it is easy to implement Microsoft Access
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SAP
No answers on this topic
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.
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SAP
I worked with Oracle for years during my career. I wouldn't select SQL Anywhere to implement a global ATM system with tens of thousands of concurrent connections, but SQL Anywhere is much easier to use and deploy and works very well in workgroup settings. Query performance often exceeds some Oracle versions without having to rely on database tuning.
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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.
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SAP
  • Skilled/experienced resources are less prominent than Microsoft SQL Server or even Oracle, or MySQL, so finding solutions and assistance, if needed, takes more time than it would with other platforms
  • You will need to find a good SQL query tool by yourself because the Sybase Central / Interactive SQL utilities are lacking in many basic features, and just generally have a bad user interface
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