TrustRadius Insights for Microsoft Access are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, third party data sources.
Pros
Efficient Database Management: Users have praised the software for its ease of database system management, reporting, and analysis capabilities. Some reviewers found the reporting functionalities and data manipulation tools easy to use, requiring minimal training.
Enhanced User Experience: The graphical interface was highlighted as a key factor that improved user experience and made database management more efficient. Reviewers particularly liked the drag-and-drop components for designing forms and reports, eliminating the need for coding knowledge.
Customizability and Flexibility: Customizability was a key strength mentioned by users who emphasized the ease of creating entity-relationship diagrams and customizing forms and reports. Some users appreciated the software's flexibility in accommodating various business logic requirements and automation needs.
I use Microsoft Access for database management, templates, printing name badges and recording tallies.
Pros
Keeping one type of data, mainly text
sorting alphabetically reliably from A to Z
Keeping data in one strict format such as phone numbers in (999) 999-999 configuration
Cons
In my experience, tallies in records tab don't update accurately to reflect changes in database. You need to save the Microsoft Access file first, then the app will update the changes in tally.
For me, file doesn't save reliably
In my experience, sharing the Microsoft Access file in a team can corrupt the file
Likelihood to Recommend
<div>Best suited for printing name badges and name tents from a database.</div><div>Decent for emergency need for database management.</div><div>Less appropriate for long-term use and record keeping.</div><div>Not great for team use, since file gets corrupted when shared in Dropbox and email.</div><div>Not compatible with sharing between devices with different version updates of the app.</div>
Our organization uses Microsoft Access to create and manage databases based on our unique data sets. Access gives us the flexibility for different staff members to generate reports for their programming needs. We also have the option to view the database in different views. This is important since the level of technological competence differs for staff, so having the option to view data in different ways is more meaningful and helpful to staff.
Pros
Individual entry data points
Option for multiple individuals to access the database
Ability to view data in different views
Cons
Speed of functionality decreases as size of database increases
Complex programming sometimes take a long time to run
Both good and bad, all data is in a single file
Likelihood to Recommend
Access works great for small databases where we want to be able to manipulate and look at the data in different ways. It doesn't work too well as the size of the database increases. In fact, it begins to slow down significantly once the size of the database gets too large.
We needed a lightweight solution that could be easily integrated with our SQL server and could be installed on the user's computers
Pros
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Included with our office 365 licenses
Cons
Speed
Table size
Full text search
Likelihood to Recommend
It fits very well when few transactions are required to be processed but for our solution we had multiple installations on user computers that were synced in batches with our sql server.It is not suitable when the transactionality is high or the access of several users is required simultaneously, nor does it support large tables without significantly affecting performance
We used Microsoft Access as our main tool for our database management. It helps us to attend to the day-to-day tasks that a company needs to perform in order to function. Being a software company ourselves, We not only use it to store our company data but also some client information as well and do not have any negative outlook towards it yet.
Pros
Dattabase Management
Reporting
Analysis
Cons
Data Search
Intuitive analytics
Reporting structure
Likelihood to Recommend
It is well suited for organizations that are looking for an affordable way to manage their database. Analytics and reporting are quite adequate as well. Fulfills the basic functionalities required for basic level organizations. But if you want something more refined and advanced there are other tools out there that will suit your purposes more.
Microsoft Access is one the best software in the database management system. In an organisation when one wants to make a report, Microsoft Access helps to do it perfectly. It is a software where graphic interface, Excel sheets are perfectly maintained. I am fully satisfied with the software. The software is very easy to use.
Pros
Database system can be easily done.
Graphical interface makes it awesome.
Collaboration of documents.
Cons
For huge amount of documents it is beaconing slower.
Security level is low.
It is available for windows user.
Likelihood to Recommend
For me it is a magnificent software and database management system. In this software data can be easily imported as there is no need to import data manually. It also provides free templates which make our work easier. The software is cost effective for an organisation. The interface is also attractive to do work here.
As a corporate trainer, it was my job to learn how a company would implement Microsoft Access and then train its employees how to build, use, and access the data relevant to their job. It was used for specific departments to collate information, collaborate with other employees and serve as the next step when excel could not provide a reporting function.
Pros
Reporting
Data gathering
Data manipulation
Easy to implement and train
Cons
Formula creation
Form creation
Complex reporting
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
VU
Verified User
Executive in Professional Services (11-50 employees)
[Microsoft] Access has all of the functionalities needed to build concise applications for small offices or needs. The ability to utilize other database platforms like SQL Server is a plus. The ability to create full functioning applications in less than an hour is a big plus. There isn't much you can't do with [Microsoft] Access if you understand that it isn't meant to be an enterprise tool.
Pros
Works on pretty much same SQL scripts
Forms and reports are easy to customize and edit.
Cons
High learning curve
Limited support
No new enhancements
Likelihood to Recommend
<div><div><p>[Microsoft] Access allows you to create places to store data in an easily retrievable fashion, allowing multiple users and form views for display and data entry, reporting, and data analysis. Easily mitigable to SQL Server, as you continue to grow. I've turned many an [Microsoft] Access database into a front-end for SQL Server. The Application looks and behaves like the other Office products, making it's introduction to new users fairly simple and straight forward. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.</p></div></div><div>
Having worked as a Data Analyst at a reputed retail company, Microsoft Access was one of the major tools that were used for database design, creating entity-relationship diagrams, creating mock layouts of the data schema, and writing queries to retrieve data. At the moment, Microsoft Access was being widely used across the organization. The main reason for using Microsoft Access was its usability and its usual Microsoft user interface that made it easier for nontechnical folks to write queries as well.
Pros
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!
Cons
Need to backup very frequently, I have lost my work many times.
No version for Mac users, [I believe this is a] big limitation.
The ability to handle large database and multiple users.
UI is easy to use but [I feel it] can be improved a lot.
Likelihood to Recommend
Having worked at startups, I can say Microsoft Access is most suited for their needs. Some of the reasons for that can be the ease and ability to create tables, design an entity-relationship diagram, define the relationship between different tables, feeding data into the tables, and retrieving data. All of this can be curated very easily into a process for small to medium-size enterprises. But a serious limitation can be observed where Access does not provide better features for large-scale companies. Another limitation is for companies where Mac is used as work computers.
I work in the global programs department at a state university. I am not an expert, I don't know coding, but I do have extensive experience with Microsoft Access. Microsoft Access is being used in our department for databases to keep data about attendance at events, services performed, club dues and fees, the department bank account, and department orders. (I don't know if anyone else at the university uses it; most use MS Excel). I not only use Microsoft Access in my current position, I also used it extensively in my previous position (medical researcher) and built for the department an orders database, cell storage and retrieval database and a database for shipments of standardized adult bone marrow stem cells in liquid nitrogen to researchers all over the world. I am the only one in our current department who knows how to use Microsoft Access and thus I'm the only one who uses it, but I use it for the benefit of the department by quickly pulling up information that has to be tracked for reports needed for grants that we work under and other types of information. I designed and created all the elements used in the databases, tables, forms, reports, and macros. I've input all the data from the different events, clubs, services, and departmental accounts. I recently created the orders database so that the person in our department who does the orders can quickly enter all the order information that is input into our university order system into the database and then quickly find specific info about those orders. I find Microsoft Access helps our department function more efficiently.
Pros
Generates information about department events, services, orders, etc. quickly and in report form.
Easy to design forms and reports with drag and drop components. You don't need to know coding.
The ability to link tables and queries to get all the info needed for forms and reports
Forms and reports are easy to customize and edit.
Easily report your data grouped and sorted by any field
Cons
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.
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft Access is very well suited for collecting and organizing data in tables, and then using those tables to build relationships between tables using a common field, so you can build queries to find specific types of data over several related tables. Having a relational database is the best way to customize queries, forms, and reports. There are some built-in statistical or mathematical functions, which allow you to generate meaningful statistics to a certain degree. For generating reports and forms on specific related data, Microsoft Access is much better suited. It is less appropriate for statistical analysis, creating charts, and graphs. Microsoft Excel is much better for charts, graphs, and utilizing formulae
and statistical functions to visually present data in graphic form.
We use [Microsoft] Access to manage our projects and sales contacts for our small book publishing company. It is the only source of data for the company, which only has a few employees. It tracks sales pipeline, payments, projects, royalties, and everything else. Reports, queries and forms are at the center of everything that happens in the company.
Pros
Fully customizable
Forms enable customized easy entry
Reports can solve pretty much any need
Mailmerge and emails can automate any task.
Cons
Very high learning curve
Hard to code complex reports without a ton of time and skill
No support resources for reporting help.
Likelihood to Recommend
[Microsoft Access is] great that it's fully customizable, and doesn't require a monthly fee, but it is annoying that it's only usable on a local network. It is exceptionally difficult to code advanced reports that are exactly how we want them. I personally find Crystal Reports and most any other reporting system easier to make deeply complex reports.
