Microsoft Access is being used only by a department of the company, which is responsible for working with the information databases. It has not presented problems. The grouping of data in an organized way adapts to the company designed a set of real strategies aimed at improving the profitability of the company. To date, the results have been positive because since they agreed it was implemented, the company's profit has improved. Microsoft Access adapts well in departments where databases do not have much content, or where we do not have to have completed programs or require working with many variables. It is a program that has all the work tools required by the organization to function properly and fulfill the planned tasks.,Ability to manage all information Tables to store data Consult to search and retrieve only the data you need Forms to view, add and update or analyze the internet data,Volume of data or users Among its biggest drawbacks are that it is not multiplatform,10,The access databases work very well with many of the programs for Windows-based software development. You can also use your tables in products such as Microsoft SQL Server and in others not based on Microsoft such as Oracle and Sybase. Easy to install and use: To create access databases, just install Microsoft Access and this is something that any database administrator can do in just a few minutes, leaving a fully functional relational database management system. Like many other Microsoft applications, Access contains wizards that guide you through every step of the way. The user interface is intuitive, speeding up data recovery. It can be placed online: Although it still has limitations on the number of users with simultaneous connection, when there is a need for remote users, it can give full control and functionality to an access database so that teleworking can become a viable option for database administrators.,Tableau Public,10,Tableau Public, Microsoft 365 Business, Google Drive,50,10,Use Access forms with Excel data. Reason Filtering, sorting and queries in Access are similar to Excel. 3. Perform a mail merge or create labels Perform a mail merge or create labels,Anticipate that many users will work in the database and want robust options that securely handle data updates, such as record locking and conflict resolution. Anticipate the need to add more tables to a data set that originated as a flat or non-relational table. Want to execute complex queries. Want to create different reports or postal labels.,Create a database using a template Create a database without using a template Copy the data from another source into an Access table,10,Capture, management, communication of data in a professional manner and for the administration of databases It provides a series of easily accessible work tools that staff can quickly understand their tools Organization of the information, homologation of the information for the analysis of data necessary for the decisions that facilitate the growth and development of the company.,Microsoft access does not adapt well in organizations that require the handling of large information content or where many variables have to be included, or large companies that require continuous results management. I believe that they can extend the option of the amount of user allowed so that large organizations can use it. Microsoft access is not the best database tool for immediate use but for long-term jobs.,10Microsoft Access is being used to organize data collected using Excel spreadsheets as well as through direct input using MS Access form features. I find the reporting feature of MS Access very useful in displaying the data in a professional and uniform way to communicate information and provide statistical data to colleagues including management, peers, and customers. I get the best performance when used in a client/server environment. I create input forms for users to easily input data and provide links to a dashboard to easily access reports and to run queries. Queries are excellent for filtering information and allowing the use of parameters to extract data. In addition, users can see real-time information because the information can be generated instantly.,Importing data from external sources such as MS Excel and creating tables for use in queries and reports. Linking to external data sources so that users can use existing data entry tools and MS Access can pull that information to instantly query or generate reports. Creating queries using wizards - allows even novice users to create desired results when running a query. Reporting - made easy using the wizards and is easily edited using the built-in design tools. Forms - creating dashboards to easily access different views of data including queries and reports.,Not as accurate with calculating numeric values using decimals - when dealing with financial data, it is not as accurate as MS Excel. I have to calculate in Excel and only use Access for generating the report. When using wizards to design reports, it is difficult to remove some of the default properties easily. I preferred the navigation panes in earlier versions of MS Access that had a straightforward view of tables, queries, etc. I find it difficult navigating to only see tables. Access is very sluggish over a network and it gets bloated the more you open and close objects. It should have a way, or at least a setting , that automatically compacts to get rid of excess memory usage Improve security to prevent data from being compromised. There should be a way to prevent users on the client-side from seeing the database objects and changing settings. Maybe prompt for a password or set the application to identify the owner/creator automatically.,8,Allowed me to present reports in a professional way that was easy for the reader to understand. Create and design a data entry tool quickly for distribution over a LOCAL AREA NETWORK. Easily use queries to quickly manipulate data through the use of filters, queries, calculated fields, etc. Create different form views using wizards and display different data depending on user input.,,6,SharePoint Designer, Snagit, Adobe Acrobat DC, Adobe XD, Adobe Photoshop, CamtasiaMicrosoft Access is used for multiple databases throughout the organization. One main use is the bill of materials for projects. We use it to manage revisions of the bill of materials. Each revision has a table within the bill of material and we are able to run a comparison between revisions and produce a cover sheet which shows the differences. This is very useful in tracking changes and maintaining up to date documents. This also helps with processing document changes and it makes revising the bill of materials quick and easy. Also, Microsoft Access is used for our parts catalog in Autocad Electrical. There are multiple tables within the database and this is where we put part numbers and descriptions for these parts. This is used when a bill of materials report is run on a circuit diagram.,One good aspect of Microsoft Access is how the software can be customized for different applications. This is very useful because we are able to use this software for multiple applications, which makes it cost-friendly. Another strong point of Microsoft Access is the skill required to customize, the amount of programming required is less than most other database programs. This is good for a beginner looking to get into database management. Microsoft Access is one of the more cost-friendly database applications, and most of the time it comes with Microsoft Office. Other database programs can be expensive and not as easy to use.,One downfall of Access is some of the bugs I have encountered using this software. Sometimes our database becomes corrupt and we have to restore from a backup. This can be time-consuming and the worst part is sometimes work is lost if the database is not backed up for a couple of days. Another issue I have encountered with Access is sometimes the database will think someone has it opened and it then becomes read-only. This causes issues if someone has to make a modification and it thinks someone else is working on it. It will tell you the last person who had it opened, but sometimes it is not correct. Access also has some issues with performance on larger databases, it can take a little bit to open databases with a lot of data. It sometimes also freezes while loading some items.,8,It has made keeping an up to date parts database quick and easy, which makes processing projects easy and accurate. We have lost some time with corrupt databases, this can be a big issue if we lost multiple days of work. Access overall makes maintaining and modifying databases quick and easy. Overall it has helped the company save time and money.,SAP CRM,Adobe Acrobat DC, AutoCAD, Autodesk InventorI utilize Access databases frequently, ignoring 'weird looks' given to me by IT professionals who consider anything less than Oracle not a true database, but some sort of a 'toy'. However, Access fits the bill perfectly in some cases. Back in 1996, I had to resolve a problem very quickly, by creating a 'tool' to keep track of problems encounters by buyers from the procurement department in ordering certain parts, like parts for old designs and currently unavailable due to obsolescence, or parts having an unacceptable long lead time. The need was for a relatively simple and small database, allowing recording of such problems, recording of the progress made by the Component Engineering department in finding a solution and the recording of the solution itself, when one was found. I selected Microsoft Access as a platform, since it appeared relatively simple compared to more powerful databases, and my proficiency in other members of the Office suite making the learning curve shorter. And it worked very well. The implementation took only three weeks and the results were very much appreciated by its users. I believe this database it is still in use.,An Access database can be designed and put to use rather fast, in order to answer an immediate need, even if the design must be done by someone with no previous exposure to Access. It can be modified/improved later on, without much impact on the users. A relatively simple Access database does not require knowledge of any programming language. It can be implemented by using 'macros', which are of a 'point-and-click' type. If a more complex application is required, Access is fully compatible with Visual Basic for Applications language, which is a object-oriented, even-driven programming language, designed by Microsoft specifically for utilization by all modules belonging to the Office suite. Since the commonality of VBA across Office, Access databases can be made to interface with other Office applications, and in particular with Excel. Access is easy to master, cheap, and allows easily the construction of aesthetically pleasing interfaces with the user, while remaining quite powerful. Due to these reasons, it yields itself to be sometimes used for the design of non-database applications, but specialized calculators.,It cannot accommodate as many records or as many concurrent users an Oracle or similar database can. It is not as reliable as a database of 'industrial strength' is. It does not work fast, particularly when when large amount of code was used for its design or when a relatively many users attempt to utilize it simultaneously.,6,On my first experience with Microsoft Access, the database I created answered a very specific and urgent need: support to Purchasing Agents (Buyers) which often encountered difficulties in procuring certain parts, due to obsolescence. Since these parts were required in order to complete contracts signed with various clients, a lack of solutions meant inability to deliver goods, therefore loss of revenue. So, the impact of the database which I successfully designed and implemented was highly positive. An attempt initiated by me in order to prevent obsolescence by taking a proactive approach, as opposed to a reactive one, went not so good. My idea was approved and I designed and implemented the Access database required by my approach. However, no further progress was made, since beside the database, additional manpower was required on a daily basis. Since no funds to support this daily activity could be found, the project was abandoned. Therefore, it should be considered as having a negative impact, since my time spent in designing the database was a loss. A mini-project was fun, successful and highly appreciated by users. A certain department needed identifiers for reports written in Word, according to a certain scheme, involving date and serial number of the memo in that specific year. I was requested to design an Access application which will keep track of the identifiers, open programmatically every new memo submitted to me, generate and insert a new identifier as per the rule, save the Word document and return it to the originator. Here, the impact on the company measured against my time spent on the project was positive. The implementation in Access of a specialized calculator, designed to verify the match between the size of certain components, as recorded in my company's documentation, and the sizes indicated in the datasheets provided by actual manufacturers of the parts worked very well. I will consider it as having a positive impact. Again, it worked well and users were very satisfied. To conclude, I would say that the utilization of Microsoft Access was beneficial to my company at the time, as long as requirements were well defined and funding was provided adequately. I would add that most of the benefit was achieved when Access was used on 'small caliber' taskings, and not so successful when more ambitious results were anticipated.,7,,Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Project, Adobe Acrobat DC, Adobe Photoshop,23,2,PPIR,Not Sure,No,5,Chronologically, the first integration was between ACCESS and WORD. My efforts in developing an ACCESS database as a tool used by Component Engineering were well known to my superior, which was also in charge of the Material and Processes department. This department needed some automation for the generation of memorandums, issued in WORD. I integrated ACCESS and EXCEL several times on different projects, since they blend very well together. ACCESS is a very efficient tool for the rapid construction of aesthetically pleasing 'screens' (or forms, as they are called by ACCESS itself), while EXCEL is very good for mathematical calculations. I integrated ACCESS with OFFICE itself several times, with ACCESS being the 'main engine', while OFFICE providing a folder/sub-folder repository for various items, such as engineering drawing or component specifications, stored as ADOBE files (.pdf).,8Microsoft Access is a vital tool for people in our organization who have programming needs but do not have the background, the software, or the workstation security settings to use more complex tools such as VB.NET. It is used across the organization by employees such as me, maybe who have had programming experience in the past. Access is great for a quick fix to a problem that is not too complicated, or for brainstorming and prototyping possible solutions for those problems.,Microsoft Access is great at cranking out quick solutions for simple programming problems Once Access has been learned, the same concepts are readily transferable to create more complex VBA macros in Excel, Word, and other Microsoft Office products. It is easy to integrate with most other Windows-based back-end databases such as SQL and Oracle. It can be placed on websites to allow remote users to access the data,Sharing an Access database with users of mixed Windows operating systems can lead to data integrity problems. Security is only basic, so for sensitive data, a more robust back-end should be implemented. Files can grow to an ungainly size, so periodic database compaction is necessary. The larger the files grow, naturally performance suffers.,9,It has had a tremendous positive impact because the work in our department simply could not be done without this tool. Group policy, security settings, and other permissions simply do not allow us to pursue more involved programming solutions. It saves us literally days of work every month by the automation it provides, turning what used to be a very manual, very labor-intensive process into a streamlined, more accurate, more efficient way of doing the job. It allows us to help other users in our area who do not have a programming background, showing them how their lives can be made easier with a few lines of code in Microsoft Access, VBA, etc.,Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Silverlight and Apache OpenOffice,Microsoft Azure, Microsoft BI, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft IIS, Microsoft Network Monitor, Microsoft Office 2016, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft ProjectMicrosoft Access is used throughout the organization for the capture, management, and communication of data in a professional manner and for the administration of databases considering that it provides a series of easily accessible work tools that staff can quickly understand their tools and in this way, implement them in the tasks related to the process of organization of information in databases. The problems solved are basically based on the organization of information, and standardization of information for the analysis of data necessary for decision making to facilitate the growth and development of the company.,Facilitate the integration of databases provided by Windows-based development programs. It is compatible with widely used programs that are not necessarily from Microsoft such as Oracle and Sybase. You have the possibility of placing the information processed in the databases online. It is one of the programs that work with the most popular databases in the world, therefore, it does not require expenses in training activities or the hiring of very specialized personnel, thus being a saving for the company.,Microsoft Access should seek the option to increase its capacity to greater than 2GB so all the company can use it without a problem, currently, it's used by small and medium enterprises. I think they can expand the option of expanding the capacity of users allowed for large organizations to use. Microsoft Access is not the best database tool for immediate use but for long-term work. Among the tools that may hinder its use are that Access has a relatively low design compared to other programs. It is difficult to customize and adapt to the controls and forms at the beginning.,7,The impact has been positive because with the use of Microsoft Access it has been possible to optimize a series of processes that have favored in general line the work of the company. The systematization of the information in Access databases has prevented duplication of information, therefore, we have had the possibility of planning with real results and not assumptions of results that gave us tools such as Excel. The consolidation of the information provides us with data for the analysis of results, consequently, to identify the problems that we later wish to correct, and in this way, to avoid the loss of time and expenses of more personnel. The grouping of data in an organized manner allowed the company to design a set of real strategies aimed at improving the profitability of the company. to date, the results have been positive because since access was implemented, the profit of the company has improved.,LotusJump, Google Analytics and Microsoft BI,Google Data Studio, Microsoft Dynamics GP

Microsoft Access Reviews

Score 7.7 out of 10

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September 17, 2019

Access is wonderfully affordable and customizable, just be prepared to do some training.

Che Odom

Marketing and Business Administrator

Rabren General Contractors, Inc.Construction, 51-200 employees

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

It is used departmentally for our sales and marketing team to track our client and project history in lieu of previously using Salesforce. The business need that it addresses is creating an accurate and inexpensive database for that team to track our historical projects and clients, and track current pursuits and sales.

Pros and Cons

It is inexpensive compared to other database options.
It is versatile. You can create databases in almost any category, area, market sector, and industry.
It lets you customize it, and you are able to create custom input forms and reports.

Well, it requires a lot more training or research than other more "intuitive" Microsoft products.
The buildout of custom reports is highly complex, and I think that area, in particular, could be more intuitive.
Queries can be difficult to develop if you don't know the right language or terminology, and I think that those terms could be better visible in the ribbon.

Likelihood to Recommend

It is best used when you want a database to track historical data with a lot of inputs and relationships. A great example is tracking information on construction projects: you can input all the information that you have about a particular historical project, about pursuits that you are tracking, etc. (the same could be said for any sales area actually), then easily pull specific types of historical information for current proposals and pursuits. That is what I use it for.

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October 16, 2019

Microsoft Access Positive Aspects

Thairy Ollarves

Analista Corporativo CFG/FCI

CFG/FCIFinancial Services, 201-500 employees

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Access is being used only by a department of the company, which is responsible for working with the information databases. It has not presented problems.

The grouping of data in an organized way adapts to the company designed a set of real strategies aimed at improving the profitability of the company. To date, the results have been positive because since they agreed it was implemented, the company's profit has improved.
Microsoft Access adapts well in departments where databases do not have much content, or where we do not have to have completed programs or require working with many variables.
It is a program that has all the work tools required by the organization to function properly and fulfill the planned tasks.

Pros and Cons

Ability to manage all information
Tables to store data
Consult to search and retrieve only the data you need
Forms to view, add and update or analyze the internet data

Volume of data or users
Among its biggest drawbacks are that it is not multiplatform

Likelihood to Recommend

Access is graphical, so it takes full advantage of the graphical power of Windows, offering usual methods of access to data and provides simple and direct methods of working with information. It also facilitates the administration of data, since its possibilities of consultation and connection help you to quickly find the desired information, whatever its format or storage location. If you want a more robust database, for larger environments, although a little more complicated you can use MYSQL. It's free if it is for internal or personal systems, and with a small payment you can distribute it.

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May 23, 2019

Solid product for most average database users

Scott Herring

Database Support Specialist

Lehigh Career & Technical InstituteEducation Management, 201-500 employees

Score 9 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We currently use Microsoft Access as a front end to some of our databases that are in other formats and link the tables. This allows us to create queries and reports in a simple interface that many of our staff can use with some training and once the ODBC connections have been set up. There are times when we want to cross-reference data between different data sources, and Access allows us the ability to link/import multiple sources to achieve our analysis goals.

We also currently use Access throughout the workforce when there are specific departmental needs for collecting data.

Pros and Cons

Links to existing data sources
Allows for importing of data from different data sources
Lets you create queries and reports without having to know proprietary database syntax

For the average user, better assistance with table relations
Some sort of prompt when creating reports and queries that they should be based off of queries as to provide more flexibility rather than from tables
More advanced reporting tools

Likelihood to Recommend

Microsoft Access is best suited as a front end to other databases as well as for small to medium databases where the user determines that they have gone beyond the design and function capabilities of Excel. Microsoft Access is less suited when there is a need for heavy database use and complex data queries. All in all, for the average Office user who needs a database program, Access is a solid choice.

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September 12, 2019

MS Access: a hidden gem in database design

Doreen Giles

Elearning Specialist, Video Production

State of New JerseyGovernment Administration, 10,001+ employees

Score 8 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Access is being used to organize data collected using Excel spreadsheets as well as through direct input using MS Access form features. I find the reporting feature of MS Access very useful in displaying the data in a professional and uniform way to communicate information and provide statistical data to colleagues including management, peers, and customers. I get the best performance when used in a client/server environment. I create input forms for users to easily input data and provide links to a dashboard to easily access reports and to run queries. Queries are excellent for filtering information and allowing the use of parameters to extract data. In addition, users can see real-time information because the information can be generated instantly.

Pros and Cons

Importing data from external sources such as MS Excel and creating tables for use in queries and reports.
Linking to external data sources so that users can use existing data entry tools and MS Access can pull that information to instantly query or generate reports.
Creating queries using wizards - allows even novice users to create desired results when running a query.
Reporting - made easy using the wizards and is easily edited using the built-in design tools.
Forms - creating dashboards to easily access different views of data including queries and reports.

Not as accurate with calculating numeric values using decimals - when dealing with financial data, it is not as accurate as MS Excel. I have to calculate in Excel and only use Access for generating the report.
When using wizards to design reports, it is difficult to remove some of the default properties easily.
I preferred the navigation panes in earlier versions of MS Access that had a straightforward view of tables, queries, etc. I find it difficult navigating to only see tables.
Access is very sluggish over a network and it gets bloated the more you open and close objects. It should have a way, or at least a setting , that automatically compacts to get rid of excess memory usage
Improve security to prevent data from being compromised. There should be a way to prevent users on the client-side from seeing the database objects and changing settings. Maybe prompt for a password or set the application to identify the owner/creator automatically.

Likelihood to Recommend

More suited for a local area network. Performance degrades over a wide area network. It is very useful for quickly generating reports, designing specific queries and setting up different views. I would not recommend for use where you have a lot of users that need to touch the system. It is well suited if you want to use it as a tracking system or reporting system to maintain information such as inventory, contacts, daily reporting, etc. I am not as confident in its use for calculating complex numbers. Use Excel to do the calculating and then design your professional report linking to the Excel spreadsheet.

Read Doreen Giles's full review

October 18, 2019

Robust, simple, and best of all, probably already there!

Verified User

Manager in Marketing

Medical Devices Company, 1001-5000 employees

Score 9 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Access is used on a 1 by 1 basis, dependent upon the person, their department, and their work. Predominantly, the tool was used with Sales Ops or Marketing for territory analysis, sales insights, product penetration in new markets, and other market research use. We did not have a lot of "cool new" data tools to use because the organization was locked into enterprise-level agreements. Typically, Access came into play when the data needed for manipulation surpassed Excel's capabilities.

Pros and Cons

Intuitive tool for anyone comfortable within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Life saver when Excel kept crashing, but you'll need to understand databases first so beware.
Amazing tool within existing product suite at work, meaning no cumbersome management approvals needed to use!

This doesn't have to do with the core function, but I wish it felt better aesthetically to use. I saw a lot of people moving toward tools like Tableau simply because they looked cool even though the user essentially only used it for basic functionality that would be better serviced in Access.
Having in-app tutorials would be really nice, especially for further education and better use of the tool.

Likelihood to Recommend

Great tool to use in a traditional organization where life is lived through the Microsoft ecosystem. It's a fast way to natively create depth in a platform such as Excel and set yourself up to glean better insights. Nice to not have to deal with API, custom build integrations, etc. It's just there. I love the tool, but if it weren't just there with each Microsoft Suite set-up, I'm not sure I wouldn't quickly switch to more cutting edge tools on the market today.

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September 12, 2019

I love Microsoft Access

Verified User

Contributor in Other

Higher Education Company, 10,001+ employees

Score 8 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Access is used throughout the organization. Microsoft Access is ideal for the easy creation of databases that help with organization and efficiency.

Pros and Cons

Access is user-friendly.
The interface allows for creativity and Microsoft provides a range of templates that can be easily edited for a specific use.
There are many YouTube videos and resources available for use if you get stuck.

Access may not be ideal for larger databases.

Likelihood to Recommend

Access is well suited for creating databases of agencies and programs offered by that agency. Access also has options to personalize reports and forms based on an organization's needs. I believe large amounts of data may not be well suited for another program with a larger capacity. Also, I'm not sure if the Access database can be published online for multiple users to use at the same time.

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May 01, 2019

Great Database Software from Microsoft

Verified User

Engineer in Engineering

Industrial Automation Company, 201-500 employees

Score 8 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Access is used for multiple databases throughout the organization. One main use is the bill of materials for projects. We use it to manage revisions of the bill of materials. Each revision has a table within the bill of material and we are able to run a comparison between revisions and produce a cover sheet which shows the differences. This is very useful in tracking changes and maintaining up to date documents. This also helps with processing document changes and it makes revising the bill of materials quick and easy. Also, Microsoft Access is used for our parts catalog in AutoCAD Electrical. There are multiple tables within the database and this is where we put part numbers and descriptions for these parts. This is used when a bill of materials report is run on a circuit diagram.

Pros and Cons

One good aspect of Microsoft Access is how the software can be customized for different applications. This is very useful because we are able to use this software for multiple applications, which makes it cost-friendly.
Another strong point of Microsoft Access is the skill required to customize, the amount of programming required is less than most other database programs. This is good for a beginner looking to get into database management.
Microsoft Access is one of the more cost-friendly database applications, and most of the time it comes with Microsoft Office. Other database programs can be expensive and not as easy to use.

One downfall of Access is some of the bugs I have encountered using this software. Sometimes our database becomes corrupt and we have to restore from a backup. This can be time-consuming and the worst part is sometimes work is lost if the database is not backed up for a couple of days.
Another issue I have encountered with Access is sometimes the database will think someone has it opened and it then becomes read-only. This causes issues if someone has to make a modification and it thinks someone else is working on it. It will tell you the last person who had it opened, but sometimes it is not correct.
Access also has some issues with performance on larger databases, it can take a little bit to open databases with a lot of data. It sometimes also freezes while loading some items.

Likelihood to Recommend

Microsoft Access is very useful for multiple applications but it is most useful in my case for managing bill of materials, and part databases for electrical components. It definitely makes managing and updating databases quick and easy.
Access has some issues, and I believe if you have very large databases, it can sometimes slow down and not be the best choice. Also, if you have very custom databases, with many macros running, it can be a bit slow.

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July 18, 2019

An old RDBMS

Verified User

Technician in Information Technology

Gambling & Casinos Company, 51-200 employees

Score 7 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Access is used by one of my clients to manage a simple ticketing system. Each user who manages the practice tracks daily the motivations of the call, the current state of practice, and progress of this ticket passing between multiple and different states of analysis.

Pros and Cons

Management of data between related tables
Development of simple and essential masks
User side masks are easy to use

it is now an old-fashioned rdbms
a bit cumbersome to handle
limited functions

Likelihood to Recommend

I sincerely do not recommend Access except to begin to take a minimum of confidence with an RDBMS. Since it's an old system, I would not develop it in business circles, but it is often present in companies that have started with this system and have not yet migrated to more complex systems.

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June 14, 2019

Dated Software, But Low Barrier to Entry and Easy to Manage

Verified User

Consultant in Professional Services

Civil Engineering Company, 10,001+ employees

Score 4 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Access is still used by many governmental organizations with historical databases, and as a result, when we consult with them, we occasionally need to turn in deliverables through Microsoft Access. The tool is somewhat dated, but it functions as a database and can create queries, forms, and reports. Clients often use Microsoft Access to store data on buildings, equipment, and other real estate infrastructure. For consulting projects, we occasionally create forms where data collectors can fill in the information they collected.

That data is then spun into bespoke reports for clients.

Pros and Cons

Well established software with a strong history.
Data tables are simple and functional.
Queries can be written in SQL or there is a query writing tool for users without SQL knowledge.

Dated software that does not get used very much anymore.
Cannot handle large amounts of data or "big" data.
Does not work on the cloud so collaboration is difficult.

Likelihood to Recommend

Microsoft Access is suited for projects where the database is already established as Microsoft Access. It is useful for one-off, low-budget projects where a small database is useful and no one has the time or budget to build another database from scratch. For a small team who can access the file in a shared location, it is a possible solution.

However, there are many other database tools out there these days that are more efficient and user-friendly, and Microsoft Access is not used too commonly anymore.

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April 29, 2019

A one-stop-shop for databases and reporting

Verified User

Team Lead in Professional Services

Civil Engineering Company, 10,001+ employees

Score 9 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Our team is involved in many asset management projects, particularly projects that deal with physical assets. We manage multiple databases and portfolio with single clients and Microsoft Access solves the problem of not being able to keep up and maintain all the databases at once. This program is used among the whole organization for a number of other projects as well.

Pros and Cons

No internet connection needed to make any database.
Importing into images, spreadsheets, & documents is easy.
Quick and easy tool to create databases, don't have to use SQL.
Great for storing large amounts of information.

Limited storage.
Wish there was a way that macros from Excel can be imported.
Loads a bit slow.

Likelihood to Recommend

It's a great program for certain house projects and can help automate workflow. It's great for repetitive tasks to be automated. It's great to use when your end deliverable to clients will be a physical report because it's easy to export it. We use it to conduct our analysis, and it's easy and quick to export a report!

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May 23, 2019

Best thing on the market for what it does

Verified User

Analyst in Research & Development

Research Company, 201-500 employees

Score 8 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

It is used across the whole organization as a database tool to host and store data. Each department decides for itself how to use it. It is generally used for more internal tools or if the client specifically asks for it. Normally, a better database tool is used like SQL Server.

Pros and Cons

Can create a clean user interface
Strong ability to customize
Easy to setup data table relationships within a database

Customization options are not intuitive to find
Needs more pre-loaded features for very common tasks while building forms
The program is slow even for small data tables

Likelihood to Recommend

Microsoft Access is well suited if you need to make forms for people to fill out and load their answers into a database over the intranet and secured on your own network. It is used to collect data. It is less appropriate for manipulating large data tables that already exist.

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December 20, 2018

The best friend of people who are not IT professionals, but suddenly need a relational database to be mastered, designed and implemented by yesterday!

Fred Abraham, P.Eng

Lead Component Engineer

DMJ Technical ServicesDefense & Space, 201-500 employees

Score 6 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I utilize Access databases frequently, ignoring 'weird looks' given to me by IT professionals who consider anything less than Oracle not a true database, but some sort of a 'toy'. However, Access fits the bill perfectly in some cases. Back in 1996, I had to resolve a problem very quickly, by creating a 'tool' to keep track of problems encounters by buyers from the procurement department in ordering certain parts, like parts for old designs and currently unavailable due to obsolescence, or parts having an unacceptable long lead time. The need was for a relatively simple and small database, allowing recording of such problems, recording of the progress made by the Component Engineering department in finding a solution and the recording of the solution itself, when one was found. I selected Microsoft Access as a platform, since it appeared relatively simple compared to more powerful databases, and my proficiency in other members of the Office suite making the learning curve shorter. And it worked very well. The implementation took only three weeks and the results were very much appreciated by its users. I believe this database it is still in use.

Pros and Cons

An Access database can be designed and put to use rather fast, in order to answer an immediate need, even if the design must be done by someone with no previous exposure to Access. It can be modified/improved later on, without much impact on the users.
A relatively simple Access database does not require knowledge of any programming language. It can be implemented by using 'macros', which are of a 'point-and-click' type.
If a more complex application is required, Access is fully compatible with Visual Basic for Applications language, which is a object-oriented, even-driven programming language, designed by Microsoft specifically for utilization by all modules belonging to the Office suite.
Since the commonality of VBA across Office, Access databases can be made to interface with other Office applications, and in particular with Excel.
Access is easy to master, cheap, and allows easily the construction of aesthetically pleasing interfaces with the user, while remaining quite powerful. Due to these reasons, it yields itself to be sometimes used for the design of non-database applications, but specialized calculators.

It cannot accommodate as many records or as many concurrent users an Oracle or similar database can.
It is not as reliable as a database of 'industrial strength' is.
It does not work fast, particularly when when large amount of code was used for its design or when a relatively many users attempt to utilize it simultaneously.

Likelihood to Recommend

Microsoft Access is very suitable whenever the objective of the project is a database where:
1. The timeframe of the project must be short and the start of the project must be immediate.
2. Specialised personnel from IT department is not available, due to their own prioritization scheme.
3. The designer tasked with the design, implementation and deployment of the database, is a technically-oriented person in general, but having no previous knowledge of Access in particular.
4. The size of the envisaged database is relatively small, both in the number of records to be stored in it, as well in the number of concurrent users.
Microsoft Access is not suitable when:
1. The requirements are for an 'Enterprise' type of database, expected to acummulate over time a very large number of records (large manufacturing company, storing many parts numbers over the years).
2. The database is expected to be access by a very large number of users concurrently (e.g., a bank, accessed by numerous customers simultaneously).
3. The time taken by the execution for each transaction must be as small as possible.
4. The database must be of 'industrial strength', meaning very reliable, with no crushes and no corrupted records.

Read Fred Abraham, P.Eng's full review

January 07, 2019

Access for Everyone!

Lukas Sundahl, MBA

Accounting Manager

Solutions Through Innovative Technologies, Inc. (dba STI Technologies, Inc.)Defense & Space, 201-500 employees

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Access is being used to run a wide variety of reports for both operations and accounting. There are numerous queries that have been set to help managers get data up to production and plant efficiency. It helps managers quickly analyze performance on the numerous jobs that are going on at one time.

Pros and Cons

Since Microsoft Access is a Microsoft product it is easy to use and relay data to and from Excel.
With the tools inside Microsoft Access, you can quickly establish the relationships between tables. It is easy to view the relationships between tables.
It is a robust tool that can handle large amounts of data without having to spend additional money on other reporting tools.

I would like to have within Microsoft Access a way to build dashboards without having to pull data into another program such as Excel.
I would like to see Microsoft Access with more filtering/shading tools to differentiate data.
It would be nice if it was a little easier to build report formats. Sometimes it is challenging getting boxes to line up and make the report better aesthetically.

Likelihood to Recommend

It is well suited to build queries to pull meaningful data from various tables. It is very useful that you can visually build the relationships between tables. Access allows you to quickly copy existing queries and then modify them to get different views from the same data.

Read Lukas Sundahl, MBA's full review

January 02, 2019

Effective tool for a busy office

Katie Savacool

Front Office Manager

UC Santa CruzHigher Education, 1001-5000 employees

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We have multiple databases within the department. One of them has images that are stored with the data. When working on database management Microsoft Access is the easiest to use and sort out the information for clean-up and export for reporting. If you don't have a lot of time for database management Access makes it faster and easier than Filemaker, or several other interfaces. I like it as much or more so than Excel for larger database information and reporting.

The downside is that people are intimidated by the program.

I am the primary person using Access in my department.

Pros and Cons

Sorting for particular information.
Exporting to Excel to create reports.
Storing multiple types of data and media within a singular record.

Formatting could be better.
If you are having any amount of data that is inconsistent it causes breaks in the system, sometimes.
The interface makes people think they are using excel, and so do miss out some of the features.

Likelihood to Recommend

Well suited for:

A database that contains multiple forms of media.
Easier to use for large amounts of data.
Pulling reports into other programs is fairly easy.

Read Katie Savacool's full review

March 28, 2019

MS Access is a Great Way to Cut Your Teeth into Relational Databases

Verified User

Employee in Information Technology

Financial Services Company, 1001-5000 employees

Score 8 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

End users use Microsoft Access for simple single-user interfaces to input data, store data, join data, and report. The data used is generally specific to one person's job (or sometimes a small group) but it is NOT used for data that is delivered enterprise-wide or even when it leaves a department. As this is a desktop application, it does not handle multi-user access very well. It is generally used to essentially modify data held in spreadsheets, although there is some direct ODBC access to data in Oracle, SQL Server, etc.

Pros and Cons

Quickly use simple database features to join tables.
Provides a GUI to perform tasks that can usually only be done with SQL code.
Runs a database on a personal computer, without having to have a server installation.
Provides a GUI to input data to tables.
Table data (or views) can easily be put into simple reports and delivered to end-users.

Does not work well for multiple concurrent users. It is a single-user application.
There is obviously no point-in-time recovery of the data, as would be provided with enterprise-grade databases.
Part of the Microsoft Office Suite, which is a mixed blessing. It has a similar interface to other Office products, which I find cumbersome. Others might like that.

Likelihood to Recommend

For quick, single-user data, nothing beats Access. It runs light on a personal computer and can be a great place to keep relational data, provided that data recoverability, availability, and security are not a concern. It's essentially like having inter-related spreadsheets. If an end user in Human Resources just wants to join his EMPLOYEE table with his ADDRESS table, Access is fantastic.

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November 19, 2018

Microsoft Access: Empowering the Masses

Verified User

Consultant in Information Technology

Information Technology and Services Company, 51-200 employees

Score 9 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Access is a vital tool for people in our organization who have programming needs but do not have the background, the software, or the workstation security settings to use more complex tools such as VB.NET. It is used across the organization by employees such as me, maybe who have had programming experience in the past.

Access is great for a quick fix to a problem that is not too complicated, or for brainstorming and prototyping possible solutions for those problems.

Pros and Cons

Microsoft Access is great at cranking out quick solutions for simple programming problems
Once Access has been learned, the same concepts are readily transferable to create more complex VBA macros in Excel, Word, and other Microsoft Office products.
It is easy to integrate with most other Windows-based back-end databases such as SQL and Oracle.
It can be placed on websites to allow remote users to access the data

Sharing an Access database with users of mixed Windows operating systems can lead to data integrity problems.
Security is only basic, so for sensitive data, a more robust back-end should be implemented.
Files can grow to an ungainly size, so periodic database compaction is necessary. The larger the files grow, naturally performance suffers.

Likelihood to Recommend

Microsoft Access is great for integrating with .NET for both stand-alone and web-based solutions. Since it is so widely-used, it is fairly easy to find people in your existing work pool who can use it, and also easier to find new applicants who can hit the ground running with this technology. It is terrific for small businesses or small departments within larger organizations who want to be in control of their own simple projects and prototyping. It is well-suited for environments where security is locked down but employees still need to accomplish simple programming tasks.

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February 01, 2019

Microsoft Access - good for small scaled data

Verified User

C-Level Executive in Marketing

Law Practice Company, 51-200 employees

Score 7 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

It is used by the whole organization for:

Database of customers.
Contact information.
Products and services purchases.
Other detailed information.
Marketing lists.

Pros and Cons

Run queries. Prepare reports.
Analyze and quantify data.
De-duplicate contacts.

Slow when large amounts of data are being queried.
The dashboard could be better styled.
Not user-friendly. Training needed.

Likelihood to Recommend

Good for simpler databases and tasks. For very large databases, I'm sure a SQL solution would be better.

Not good across multiple platforms. If other users have inconsistent data then there could be a problem integrating.

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January 15, 2019

Microsoft Access: The Real World

Verified User

Analyst in Information Technology

Education Management Company, 201-500 employees

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Access is being used as a personal database in a couple of departments in our organization. It is being used to import data from other data sources in our organization. We are able to use data in an excel spreadsheet as well as text files. It has addressed the problem of being able to report on data without having to use a real business intelligence solution.

Pros and Cons

Cross tab reports. Allows a different look at the data.
Joins. Allows left, right as well as inner and outer joins.
Simple reports. Having the capability to run simple reports.

Graphical look. Having a more graphical user-friendly interface.
Ad-hoc reporting. It is a stretch but is would be nice.
Cross platform connections

Likelihood to Recommend

It is well suited for my purpose because we really don't have a real developer solution. The ability to run simple import, exports and reports gives us the feel of ad-hoc reporting. I have not used it on a larger scale for database analytics so I do not know if it would work as well.

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October 19, 2018

Microsoft Access is an excellent and easy database tool for information management.

Andres Meza

Ingeniero de Homologación de Terminales Inalámbricos

MovilnetTelecommunications, 1001-5000 employees

Score 7 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Access is used throughout the organization for the capture, management, and communication of data in a professional manner and for the administration of databases considering that it provides a series of easily accessible work tools that staff can quickly understand their tools and in this way, implement them in the tasks related to the process of organization of information in databases. The problems solved are basically based on the organization of information, and standardization of information for the analysis of data necessary for decision making to facilitate the growth and development of the company.

Pros and Cons

Facilitate the integration of databases provided by Windows-based development programs.
It is compatible with widely used programs that are not necessarily from Microsoft such as Oracle and Sybase.
You have the possibility of placing the information processed in the databases online.
It is one of the programs that work with the most popular databases in the world, therefore, it does not require expenses in training activities or the hiring of very specialized personnel, thus being a saving for the company.

Microsoft Access should seek the option to increase its capacity to greater than 2GB so all the company can use it without a problem, currently, it's used by small and medium enterprises.
I think they can expand the option of expanding the capacity of users allowed for large organizations to use.
Microsoft Access is not the best database tool for immediate use but for long-term work.
Among the tools that may hinder its use are that Access has a relatively low design compared to other programs. It is difficult to customize and adapt to the controls and forms at the beginning.

Likelihood to Recommend

Microsoft Access adapts well in departments where databases do not have much content, or where you do not have to perform complex programming or require working with many variables.
Microsoft Access does not adapt well in organizations that require the management of large information content or where many variables must be included, or large companies that require the continuous management of results.

Read Andres Meza's full review

August 17, 2018

Microsoft Access Summary

Angad Singh

Data Architecture Co-op

Johnson & JohnsonHospital & Health Care, 10,001+ employees

Score 8 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Access is used as a tool to fulfill the role of a back-end relational database when one is needed. Access is available enterprise-wide as it is available in the Microsoft Office bundle, but it is used more heavily by the data and analytics departments. We use it for things such as accounting systems, customer transaction tracking, and high volume data processing. Access serves as a more powerful database than Microsoft Excel or traditional client-server based databases and has capabilities for migration that make it useful.

Pros and Cons

Access has a simple user interface and is intuitive enough for more people to use without much confusion. While this may seem to imply that it has fewer functionalities than other software, that is not true.
Good performance for small personal applications. For example, when reporting about a small company, its performance is great.
Access is a popular program which means more people have knowledge of it and it is included on the expectation of most people hired for data positions.

Access has slow performance when dealing with tens and hundreds of thousands of records. As an enterprise we have millions of customers and assets and Access doesn't seem to be equipped to handle such volumes.
Access is not really ideal for bigger companies because of limited space and allowed number of users

Likelihood to Recommend

Microsoft Access is well suited for small data sets with a single user. As the size of data and users increase, it becomes less suitable. I would recommend for small to medium sized businesses.

Read Angad Singh's full review

October 10, 2018

Microsoft Access review

Anthony Macadino

Vice President and Principle Project Engineer

Photo Diagnostic Systems, Inc.Medical Devices, 11-50 employees

Score 3 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

It is the back end of an ERP system that we are using at our company. The ERP system keeps track of our inventory, sales orders, production, and invoices.

Pros and Cons

It is relatively easy to use. It behaves much like Microsoft Excel.
It is very powerful in that it has a lot of capability.

The user interface has not been updated in 10 years, when I used it for the first time. Given other products the user interface is awkward. It feels like you need to make many mouse clicks to perform tasks.
Setting up forms for the screen and for printing is hard to set up.

Likelihood to Recommend

It is not well suited for people who are not computer savvy.

Read Anthony Macadino's full review

May 21, 2018

Access to organize the data

Jennifer Lamas

Analyst

Fondo de Compensacion InterterritorialTelecommunications, 201-500 employees

Score 7 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Access is used in the company as a database to manage the information we use, and any of our consultants can refer to tables, queries, forms, and reports simultaneously. It has a user-friendly interface and we can migrate the data from Excel to Access. You can create an Access table and show it in the Data Sheet view (which looks like an Excel spreadsheet).

Pros and Cons

You can make many Tables to store data
Forms to view, add and update the data in the tables
You can store the data once in a table and view it from several places
I can consult for and recover the data that only I need
Access works with Visual Basic so that applications can offer greater functionality

Has a great competence of databases
Has very little capacity, should expand more
If your database needs to be protected by extensive database security protocols, then Access may not be the best option
It limits the options to choose and use the data since all the information in your database is saved in a single file
Has a limit of users, which does not work very well or for large companies

Likelihood to Recommend

Microsoft Access database is perfectly adapted for small or medium companies that have disorderly information and want to have it organized in an easy and fast way at your fingertips. It is very easy to install and use for any database administrator. It can be done in just a few minutes, leaving the database management system fully functional, although it still has limitations on the number of users with simultaneous connection. When there is a need for remote users, it can give you full control and functionality to Access so that teleworking can become a viable option for database administrators. It helps save you money and makes it very easy to import data.

Read Jennifer Lamas's full review

April 26, 2018

Good Value for the Price

Kyle Moninger

Instructor of Quantitative Business Curriculum

Bowling Green State UniversityHigher Education, 501-1000 employees

Score 7 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Microsoft Access as an individual user for my own organizational needs within the workplace, not as a company. The database requirements I need (organizing student data, class assignments, etc) can be easily handled by Access. I used to use this database set up in a large Excel spreadsheet, but I eventually grew out of that and Excel couldn't handle the amount of data I was processing. Access was the next step up.

Pros and Cons

Easy to use as an "intro level" database tool
Intuitive design
Familiarity if users are current Excel or Word users

Updated interface
More connection options (both live and static)
Potentially higher processing power

Likelihood to Recommend

I think it is perfect for a small-scope project or database. It is easy to get started with and will feel familiar if users are regular Excel and Word users. Therefore the learning-curve will be very small. However, if you think your project will be growing, you may soon outgrow Microsoft Access and need a bigger, higher-powered database management system.

Read Kyle Moninger's full review

August 29, 2018

Microsoft Access - opinions from a new user.

Verified User

Executive in Other

Medical Devices Company, 1-10 employees

Score 7 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Microsoft Access as a database to keep contacts organized. It is being used only by me to address the many different sales and physician contacts I make on a regular basis.

Pros and Cons

User friendly - it doesn't take much work to begin using Microsoft Access
Keeps track of my contacts - If I need to quickly find a contact, it saves the information without having to be prompted every time. I always hit 'save' at the end of the day just to be sure, but I have never lost any information I have entered.
Easy to access - I can access on my desktop at work or on an app on my phone.

Rudimentary - it's a pretty basic software, which means when you open it up for the first time there doesn't seem to be a lot offered from the start, but once you decide your application for use, and implement it, it is pretty dependable.
Saving confusion - I was confused in the beginning about how to save information that I had just entered into the system. There is nothing that indicates that what you have entered in the database would be saved, but I have never lost information once it has been entered.

Likelihood to Recommend

Access is a great tool for organizing contacts. It would work great for a marketing situation, or just to keep track of contacts you deal with on a regular basis. It would be great if you could add a picture of a business card or something as well, but I have not explored enough to see if that is an option.

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July 22, 2018

MS Access Easy to Use

Verified User

Technician in Information Technology

Information Technology and Services Company, 51-200 employees

Score 8 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use MS Access for databases such as company-wide skill sets and certifications that we then link to our internal social media platform (Jive), in order to publicly display this information company-wide so that if a person is looking for someone with a particular skill set, they are easily able to identify who might have it.

Pros and Cons

Databases
Communication with CRM
Communication with Jive
Ease of use

Platform is dated
Could use a refresh
Better help with coding

Likelihood to Recommend

MS Access is very well suited for a situation where you have a bunch of information that you might want to get out to your internal staff. We use a living database that automatically populates to an internally public facing website that the whole company can see and use with ease.

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About Microsoft Access

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.

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Microsoft Access Competitors

FileMaker Pro

Microsoft Access Technical Details

Operating Systems:	Unspecified
Mobile Application:	No

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