Nice when is included
We needed a lightweight solution that could be easily integrated with our SQL server and could be installed on the user's computers
Starting at $139.99 per PC
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What is 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
$139.99
On Premise
per PC
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- No setup fee
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- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Use a File Dialog in Microsoft Access
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Microsoft Access Electronic Signature Capture Database Template
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Microsoft Access Database Tutorial - User form Login Security Demo
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Microsoft Access Project Management Database Template
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Microsoft Access Technical Details
| Deployment Types | On-premise |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Windows |
| Mobile Application | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Claris FileMaker are common alternatives for Microsoft Access.
Reviewers rate Usability highest, with a score of 10.
The most common users of Microsoft Access are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
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October 18, 2019
Robust, simple, and best of all, probably already there!
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.
- 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.
September 12, 2019
MS Access: a hidden gem in database design
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.
- 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.
September 12, 2019
I love Microsoft Access
Microsoft Access is used throughout the organization. Microsoft Access is ideal for the easy creation of databases that help with organization and efficiency.
- 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.
July 18, 2019
An old RDBMS
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.
- 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
Score 4 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
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.
That data is then spun into bespoke reports for clients.
- 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.
May 23, 2019
Solid product for most average database users
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.
We also currently use Access throughout the workforce when there are specific departmental needs for collecting data.
- 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
May 01, 2019
Great Database Software from Microsoft
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.
- 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.
April 30, 2019
A one-stop-shop for databases and reporting
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.
- 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.
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.
- 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.
February 01, 2019
Microsoft Access - good for small scaled data
It is used by the whole organization for:
- Database of customers.
- Contact information.
- Products and services purchases.
- Other detailed information.
- Marketing lists.
- 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.
January 15, 2019
Microsoft Access: The Real World
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.
- 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
January 08, 2019
Access for Everyone!
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.
- 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.
January 02, 2019
Effective tool for a busy office
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.
The downside is that people are intimidated by the program.
I am the primary person using Access in my department.
- 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.
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!
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.
- 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.
November 19, 2018
Microsoft Access: Empowering the Masses
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.
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.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
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.
- 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.
October 16, 2018
The Easy Way To Manage Your Data.
I've been using Access for managing Receivables and Payables account databases where as it is being used by my organization for managing databases of almost all kinds as well as for generating reports (monthly and annual) to provide insight regarding the workings and operations.
- Find and analyze needed data and information at ease.
- Integrates with MS Office.
- Helps in database management by organising data into simplified forms made from basic templates.
- Limited storage capacity.
- Requires the user to know VBA when using it for object-oriented programming.
- Often crashes and ends up corrupting the whole database.
October 10, 2018
Microsoft Access review
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.
- 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.
August 29, 2018
Microsoft Access - opinions from a new user.
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.
- 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.
August 17, 2018
Microsoft Access Summary
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.
- 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
July 23, 2018
MS Access Easy to Use
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.
- Databases
- Communication with CRM
- Communication with Jive
- Ease of use
- Platform is dated
- Could use a refresh
- Better help with coding
June 21, 2018
Access is suitable for small organizations
We use MS Access for small data warehousing. Our data came from multiple sources. Access is included in our software set and it's an alternative to bigger database software. The software is used through our data departments.
- Data table preview, you can view the result data quickly for a relatively smaller result set.
- Great compatibility with Excel, import tables/queries to excel flawlessly.
- slow performance in a relatively large dataset.
- old Microsoft syntax for SQL language. Some basic syntax needs to be learned to write SQL in access.
- multiple users cannot work together at the same time in one database.
May 21, 2018
Access to organize the data
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
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).
- 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
April 18, 2018
Microsoft Access in a nutshell
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Use of Microsoft Access is pretty much restricted to the Finance Department of my organization. We use it as a database that both stores information, and also transmits selected data on a daily basis to related peripheral systems. It is not used very often throughout the day, nevertheless it's role is integral to operations.
- Microsoft Access is fast performing software, which is always a plus. I also appreciate that it connects seamlessly to Microsoft software, among other products. It is easy to troubleshoot just by googling solutions.
- Critics might say that the software is simple when compared to similar other products, but I would argue that the simplicity of Access is an advantage. It is easy to learn and it rarely malfunctions, even when communicating with other systems.
- Microsoft Access does have its limits in terms of performance. Our use for it does not mean we've reached this point yet, but we are a relatively small organization. For a larger company, I'm not sure how well Access would suit the needs of high data usage, or multiple users in the tens or hundreds.
- The front end interface could be viewed as fairly simplistic (it's not the newest software out there in this category as far as I know). I don't necessarily mind this fact, but I could see it being viewed as a negative in certain situations.
April 06, 2018
Solid software for smaller, non-critical data sets
Our users use Access to create forms that view and manipulate the smaller sets of data we keep. For example, rather than purchasing a full-fledged lab/test system, they created their own using Access. Other operations departments create the same types of content. There are many Access apps being used throughout our organization but they generally do not contain critical data.
- The interface is simple enough where entry-level users can build a way to consume the data they need without much effort or training. Advanced users can create fairly robust apps for their teams to use.
- The wizards are particularly easy for users to begin consuming data. In most cases, I don't have to get involved in developing Access applications unless they want specific data from one of our SQL databases that needs to be exposed.
- In addition to being self contained data stores, Access has the ability to read external data as well. In many cases, all I have to do is write a view in one of our SQL databases and users can get the data they need without me having to constantly write sql queries or design reports for them.
- Being that I also manage terabytes of actual SQL databases, I find that Access isn't great and accessing large amounts of data. Sometimes users ask for data sets that Access just doesn't deal with very well. I run in to performance issues and sometimes corruption issues with large data sets and complex apps.
- This one isn't really the fault of Access, but it's something to consider from an IT standpoint...as a DBA, I'm by default, spoken and unspoken, I'm expected to be responsible for the safety of all the data in our organization. That includes these Access apps that are so easy for users to create and then neglect to place in a location that gets backed up. I have been chastised for not being able to protect data that I didn't know existed. So if you have data that is critical to the business, even if it's a small but volatile data set, then you might want to consider a full-fledged database solution.
- It lacks the security features of more advanced database systems. Again, not a direct fault with Access, but users tend to feel they can put whatever data they want in these Access apps and don't pay attention to the fact that they could potentially expose data that doesn't need to be exposed.