What is Microsoft Access Used for?

Simply put, Microsoft Access is an information management tool that assists the user to store information for reference, reporting and analysis. Microsoft Access can help you overcome the limiting factors found when attempting to manage large amounts of data in Microsoft Excel or other relative spreadsheet application.

The Problem

A spreadsheet application is a terrific tool for maintaining and calculating smaller sets of information. Microsoft Excel is very user friendly and easy to understand. It offers the ability and functionality to create column names, insert data, create custom formulas and leave you on your way. You can sort, filter and format the data quickly and easily. But spreadsheets are not ideal for handling hundreds of records where you need to have only one version of updated information for something like a customer, a contact, or a main object that you need to track. It is very easy to introduce errors into a spreadsheet, which effects analysis, summing, and reporting very challenging.

The Solution: Store Related Information Together, Eliminate Duplication

The value offered by any database is the capability to store related information in one place, and then let you connect various different things together known as “entities”. This capability allows you to store one version of the truth for any given object, such as client, a DVD, or an order. Some major benefits to using a database are:

Fewer errors and inconsistencies. Keeping one updated version of an object for items that need to track minimize the potential for duplication for duplication, errors and inconsistent values. In the Excel example above, customer names, contact phone numbers, and product names are misspelled, transposed, and abbreviated in different forms.

Higher productivity. One of the benefits of utilizing is the ability change a single record and all other related items in your database will automatically distribute the change. If an input user was to misspell a customer’s name six different times in an excel sheet and didn’t notice the mistake. With the utilization of a database, there would only be one customer record to change. Every other record that is relative to the customer’s name record (orders, contacts, etc.) would not need to be changed because they are all linked to.

When Should I use Microsoft Access

The following are tasks that can be performed using Microsoft Access.
• Validate basic user input
• Complex user input validation or events
• Data arranged in a few columns without repetition
• Simple cross-references
• Events based on user actions (when user exits a field / cell do X, when they mouse over a field / cell do Y)
• Multiple users, accessing data at the same time
• Frequent mass-update operations
• Multiple data entry forms
• Multiple data entry forms
• Mail merge with Word
• Reporting
• Automated backups
• Record-level auditing
• Ability to hide the inner workings of your project from the user
• Attaching files / links to fields
• Sharing information on the Web

Course Objectives

Microsoft Access is an important management tool that helps you to store information for reference, reporting and utilized for data analysis.

Course Benefits

Learn how to implement databases to store information and retrieve information.