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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| 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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(1-25 of 26)Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
January 27, 2023
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
- Easy to Use
- Lightweight
- Included with our office 365 licenses
- Speed
- Table size
- Full text search
June 28, 2021
Best in Business, Microsoft Access!
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.
- 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!
- 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.
We have been using Microsoft Access in creating simple and medium-sized projects for many years. It’s easy to use the DB management tool for creating business applications. MS Access [has been] used in our finance department for a long time. We use it along with Microsoft Visual Basic and its features when building new applications to build and develop better apps. The launch time of new applications has been greatly reduced and this has increased the efficiency of the work.
- Default ready templates that you can use depending on the theme of your project
- You do not need programming knowledge or DB science to work with it
- Simple and attractive graphical interface that you can add everything you have in mind to your application features with a few clicks
- Ability to easily connect and store data with Azure SQL and MySQL databases, will increasing security and work efficiency.
- Although we know that Microsoft Access was created for small and simple projects, if Microsoft expands its capabilities, it [would be] very good. For example, the size limit of the database is currently 2GB or 200K records is very small.
- Microsoft Access is not designed for multiple users at the same time and has limitations that must be considered.
- Designed for Windows OS only and this is a serious limitation, many users use Macs and Apple products.
April 09, 2021
Microsoft Access is good for databases management
Microsoft Access is being used in our organization as organized data access tool from databases of different functions of organization to abstract graphical reports and information distribution. We usually get data and records from different resources and use MS Access to format and compile gathered data in presenting manner. We are using Microsoft Access in IT and Engineering departments of the organization and have benefitted by this easy to use and comprehensive data access tool.
- [Microsoft] Access can be linked directly with other Microsoft applications to get all sort of data formats.
- Easy configuration and interface
- Can easily import and compile data from different resources.
- Not ideally perfect for large databases.
Many different use cases can be applied to Microsoft Access. More recently we have been using this to perform automatic joins when the input files will not change. This will eliminate the need for end users to utilize vlookups as they would normally. Since these types of joins can happen at any level of the organization, we are using access for the more localized locations where network connectivity isn't available and they can rely on a local database structure.
- Combining files
- Search large datasets quickly
- Roll out to single or multiple locations with limited ease and implementation cost
- Scalability between different versions
- 2GB Size limit before SQL migration needed
- Lack of availability to access via the web without SharePoint
- Corruption of files can happen, leading to VB being erased. Frequent backups are needed
We get data from a lot of different sources for reporting purposes. MS Access helps us bring the data files into a proper relational table structure, link it and output it for reporting purposes. In other cases, it is used as our query and reporting tool linked with our data warehouse kept in SQL Server. In such cases, MS Access is used as a middle layer of data manipulation before pushing it to Excel for data visualisation.
- Imports data from almost every common data format. Custom import specification allows more flexibility.
- Excellent forms and report writer together query designer. Complete collection of tools in one place.
- VBA allows complex manipulation of data and automating it to cut down repetitive work.
- Data in MS Access can be linked directly with MS Excel, combing the powers of data management in MS Access and data visualisation in MS Excel.
- Overall capacity, such as file size (currently 2GB max) and the number of fields allowed (currently 255) needs to be increased.
- Needs significant enhancement to address file bloating issues.
- It's an excellent RAD tool. Haven't been overhauled in the last 10 years or so. It's about time that Microsoft commit more resources to this brilliant product
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.
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
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 02, 2018
Microsoft Access
Currently we use Access in our IT department to manage our various hardware resources. I have used Access in the past to implement a medium sized application for a Logistics company. Access is an excellent tool to both learn and implement database applications. I've often thought that after word processors and spreadsheets that database apps would be the app learned by the majority of computer users. That has not been the case for a variety of reasons, but if it were, Access would set the standard for easy relational database implementation.
- The visual query builder is the best query tool I have ever used. I have not found a better implementation of a relational DB query builder.
- Edit data almost like a a word document
- The import tool is very good. Very good.
- Compile access apps to EXE
- I wish you could use some other language vesides VBA
- I'm not sure if this is still true but if it is it's a real problem: The Jet engine did page locking which meant that in multi-user situations random records used by other users would be blocked. Very bad.
February 28, 2018
perfect crosses
We use Access across the whole organization for all of our program data. Our program data includes referrals from our 160+ partners throughout the entire state. It also includes evaluation data from all of our programs and events.
- MS Access provides perfect and flexible solution for small/medium organization.
- It is very easy to implement.
- It is easy to use. Coding skill is not required. However, it does provide the capacity for advanced features if you can code.
- Please make saved imports editable.
- More form layout templates please.
- Please be more specific with error message.
February 20, 2018
MS Access Review
Without being too specific:
Account Management
Space Management
Contract Personnel
Budgeting
Asset Management
*General usage. I use it for various purposes. Organizing server logs, creating historical reporting, data collection, etc...I work for [government] contracts, and Access is widely used, not only by the [governant] but internally by our company.
Problems are more hearsay than reality. Often people speak badly about the product, yet turn to me to either build or support.
Account Management
Space Management
Contract Personnel
Budgeting
Asset Management
*General usage. I use it for various purposes. Organizing server logs, creating historical reporting, data collection, etc...I work for [government] contracts, and Access is widely used, not only by the [governant] but internally by our company.
Problems are more hearsay than reality. Often people speak badly about the product, yet turn to me to either build or support.
- Customization
- Lots of YouTube support. :)
- Integration with Sharepoint
- Generally not a separate purchase as it is apart of MS Office
- Not usable on iOS
- Microsoft has a good support library, but should incorporate training videos
February 15, 2018
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Access is used in our department for the reporting that we provide. Access is a great way for us to create a small database for our information. We then have created macros that make updating our reports and numbers very easy. Without Access this process would take much longer.
- Access can hold a large amount of data and act as a data repository.
- Access can create macros that allow you to quickly update your numbers.
- Access is widely used across multiple companies and departments.
- Access reports do have a size limit which will ultimately cause a problem for larger businesses.
- SQL is used in Access and not everyone is familiar or able to write SQL.
- Access is a snapshot in time and will not update without a manual effort.
January 30, 2018
Make your life more Access-ible!
My organization currently uses Microsoft Access primarily as a fast and easy way to compile data and have a manageable database for different projects and ideas. Since we all already use Microsoft Office Suite and are familiar with the various products within that, especially Excel, we all have adapted very quickly to the software as well as our own standards for consistency. This way, we are able to customize different dashboards and reports and use data with which we are already familiar.
- Organization - Its layout is particularly conducive to organizing data and is very user-friendly. Working with data is simple so long as you have a working knowledge of either building your own forms/reports or SQL.
- Integration - Since Access is an Office product, it integrates nicely with Excel. This allows for not only the freedom of designing the data and reports you generate but also that it is quick to pick up as most people have some experience with Excel.
- Support - Since there is already a large compendium of help and useful tricks/tips for Office products, there is always an answer to whatever question you may have or outcome that you are trying to achieve.
- Long loading times for larger datasets - Depending on the data with which you are working, it can take a while to open and save documents. Additionally, if you are working with multiple datasets that are joined, this is all saved into one file and seems to make the issue worse.
- Learning curve - Without a relatively strong background in either database management or SQL, it can be difficult to adapt to Access. The layout isn't very intuitive for new users and so it takes time to learn the ins and outs.
- File size limit - Access has a 2GB file size limit, which, for the large majority of cases is not a problem. For those instances where you are working with multiple large datasets, though, this will be an issue unless you link multiple Access databases.
January 29, 2018
Access is great for single person use.
Microsoft Access is used across our entire organization in order to provide unique databases for individual use. We have had success in using it as a front end for some very small SQL databases with limited users as well. It allows our users to start with a small database and then transition to a larger SQL server as needs warrant.
- Access is very easy to get started with and has some advanced features if necessary. Our customers enjoy the simplicity of getting started with Access.
- Front end creation is simple to create which facilitates data entry.
- Provides an introduction to relational databases without needing to know how to code in SQL.
- Frontend sharing needs developed. A workaround is required to make sure any changes to the frontend is pushed to the user.
- Coding functionality is non-intuitive and difficult to learn for most people. This area has not been improved for ages. This severely limits the user from providing more useful front ends.
December 01, 2017
Using MS Access for Your Organization
Whether I am creating an entirely new database through sql or in the design view, MS Access is a great option. Creating queries, macros, and forms are all a possibility when using MS Access to find the right information for small companies or institutions. It makes life much easier than some of the other database creation tools and is relatively cost-effective.
- Form creation is the perfect way for business professionals to input data into their everyday work and designing the form is not too complicated
- Being able to create tables within Access is very convenient, but being able to import data from excel and other platforms is a major advantage when using Access.
- Query creation is perfect for filtering data within any tables associated with the business need. It is very easy to use for beginner users and can help accomplish many complicated criteria related to certain business requirements.
- Being able to switch between SQL and a more friendly design view is great for IT professionals as well as analysts within the day to day operations.
- It could get much better by auto-coloring parts of the SQL code to show connections to certain tables and auto correcting any grammatical issues with capitalization that identifies certain fields, queries, or tables.
- Importing from excel can be interesting because it draws from the first sheet of an excel document by default and makes users have to slide data around to get a proper input into MS Access.
- Having templates for buttons, navigation pages, and more customization tools for these areas within MS Access.
August 16, 2017
Microsoft Access: Accessible and Fast
The main reason we used Access was to analyze a database too heavy for Excel. It was a single database and needed to be accessed and updated on a monthly basis with millions of rows of data. We also needed to run complicated vlookups and other functions on this data.
- Easy to use larger database sizes
- More convenient than MS Excel for quick retrieval
- A bit easier to train employees to use it
- A bit outdated now that cloud solutions do the same thing
- Needs some training time
- Switching between Windows and Mac users isn't easy. We experienced some glitches.
August 07, 2017
Microsoft Access Review
We have several Microsoft Access databases in use across our organization. We have a voucher database that's used to track and pay invoices and other bills. We have a database used by our accounting department as a cross-checking system for our main accounting system. Our IT department uses an Access database to track equipment inventory. Microsoft access makes it quick and easy to enter data and print reports and other forms based on that data.
- A database can be created to track almost anything- Inventory, bills, to-do lists. Since Access is included with our version of office, no additional software is needed.
- Access can import data quickly and easily from many formats like Excel or a CSV file. Microsoft Access has several wizards that can do the programming for the import.
- Advanced database programming can be done using SQL. Access can read SQL natively, so no additional software is needed.
- Multi-User functionality would be nice. IE- create a database with user logins and event tracking. This must currently be done using 3rd party add-ons.
- Copy/paste of form objects sometimes doesn't transfer all attributes. IE- copying a button from form A to form B. The button pasted into Form B doesn't always retain the font/color settings that it had on Form A.
- New menu locking mechanism would be nice. Currently you can lock down what features users see when launching Microsoft Access. Simply holding the shift key while opening the database will bypass this locking feature, however. Some sort of password protected button or menu item would be nice instead.
August 02, 2017
Testimonial for Microsoft Access!
We use this as our data base. It is a great information management tool that helps us store information for reference, reporting, and analysis. Microsoft Access helps us analyze large amounts of information, and manage related data more efficiently than Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet applications. It is used across the entire organization. It helps our users store data.
- Analyze large amounts of data
- Manage related data
- Helps to create connections between different entities
- Not as in depth as other database software
- More for home user use, not business
- It is not designed to be used with applications that are web based since its forms and reports are only functional in a Windows environment and are not compatible with an internet browser like Internet Explorer.
March 10, 2017
Access Makes it Easy!
We used Access to manage data on faculty, courses, course schedules, and rooms. The database was used by one department only but was used across three sites in the same department. The database was updated for each semester and used to provide a wide variety of forms and reports for use by each campus.
- Queries - the query wizard is an easy to use tool to create SQL queries. Even better is that you can view the query you created in design view which provides you the SQL coding. This can actually be used to teach yourself SQL so you can create queries directly in design view within the database.
- Forms - you can create easy to use forms for data input and updating. You can make these forms as simple or detailed as you want them to be.
- Switchboards - this is a fantastic way to set limits on which tables, forms, and reports that multiple users can access. Limiting which records and tables that users are able to get into helps preserve data integrity. The last thing you want is a novice user to delete tables of data from your database!
- Since 2010 the later versions of Access have steered users towards the predefined database templates. There are Access users who enjoy creating a database using their own defined criteria.
February 17, 2017
Great software once you make it through a Tutorial
I utilize Microsoft Access for a few different functions within our agency, I use it to track reports and analyses that are required to be completed. By using Access I can quickly see how many of our required documents are past due and also how many of them are coming close to being due. I generate reports to provide my supervisor that display who is responsible for what mandated reports. Access also allows me to print out a document that is in a letter format advising the individual of which reports/analyses are their responsibility and then require them to sign this and return it signed along with the required document. It helps track who is responsible for what and when to put it simply.
- Personalize - Access has a huge variety of functions that can meet most any one person or companies needs by not only allowing the user to have it display in the manner the user wants (color, size, font) but also can do anything from simply track tasks or provide a format for memorandums
- Forgiving- as someone who was new to using Access I was super glad to find out the program is forgiving and easy to correct errors made by the user
- Not very user friendly - all of the functions that make Access so multi functional I had to learn about by looking for tutorials or looking up what some of the terminology meant
August 23, 2015
The A in Access stands for Adaptable
In the past, I used it to create databases to track expense reports, later I used it to track charity donations made within the company I worked for. I would create the database from scratch and set it up so that it was user friendly for those who had no prior use with access. The great thing about the program is that you can customize it. Sometimes I'd have pop up screens or instructions baked right into the viewing screen that the end users could easily follow. I also sometimes use access to scrub and organize info that may have similar components of info but they may have been altered over time. I can refrain from having to re-invent everything and just upload using a special query or whatever and still house all my info together. Access is great and is highly adaptable for my needs. I've been able to use it everywhere I go.
- Organizing information that is similar in nature but may include different parameters
- Adapting to things that are born in an Excel format.
- Merging information that may need to be tacked on at the last minute
- Not really sure, I pretty much like the program as it is. As I stated it is highly adaptable and I'm usually able to figure out ways to bend it to my needs. No issues here.
- I wish there were some SQL layouts baked in that showed some examples. But that just might mean more classes or something.
December 05, 2014
Don't limit your Access to great databases.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I have employed MS Access in several different organizations, both large corporate entities and at mid-size firms, and even at a number of non-profit agencies. It is typically used by individuals or departmentally, although I have had opportunity in several small to mid-size firms to employ it on a larger scale within the organization. Typically I have found a number of users comfortable with Excel end up developing massive database-like sets of information across spreadsheets that are shared or sent across the org, and Access has presented solutions to migrate these into a more solid data model with a user-friendly interface. I have also seen Access poorly implemented in larger organizations, where it is simply a glorified spreadsheet. The capacity of the tool is enormous, and although the training curve is not steep, it is necessary for some basic user and developer training to be able to employ it effectively.
- Simple creation of tables, forms, and reports to satisfy immediate business needs.
- Robust query engine to analyze and utilize data.
- Depth of features exists for more advanced users and business needs.
- Relatively simple integration with other MS products for data integration.
- Familiar MS Office look and feel make it approachable by typical users.
- Although I have seen costly upgrades to other database systems for Access databases which were unnecessary, based on the real capabilities of the tool, it does have some limits for large many-user deployments that may or may not be overcome in some circumstances.
- Some of the older features have not been fully updated in the newer versions.
- Some of the older web integration features were much easier to employ than current solutions in the product (without using third-party tools).