1. Best Uses of Microsoft Access Written by Lauren Lewis Presented by ___________

2. What is Microsoft Access? • MS 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 • Member of the Microsoft Office suite of applications, included in the Professional and higher editions or sold separately • Stores information for reference, reporting, and analysis • Helps individuals and businesses analyze large amounts of information and manage related data more efficiently than Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet applications

3. The Problem with Spreadsheets

4. Real-World Applications • Personal applications • Small-business applications • Departmental applications • Corporation-wide applications • Front-end applications for enterprise-wide client/server databases • Web applications • Access as a development platform for personal applications

5. Small Business Applications • MS Access wizards let you quickly and easily build the application’s foundation • Ability to create macros and to build code modules allows power users and developers to create code libraries of reusable functions • Ability to add code behind forms and reports allows businesses to create powerful custom forms and reports • Main limitation of using Access for developing a custom small-business application is the time and money involved in the development process

6. Departmental Applications • Most departments in large corporations have the development budgets to produce well-designed applications • If complex form, report design, or coding is necessary, large corporations usually have on-site resources available that can provide the necessary assistance • Companies that do not have in-house resources with IT/database expertise may need to outsource or hire individuals with those skills internally

7. Corporate-Wide Applications • Can be used to produce applications that are distributed throughout an entire organization • Maintains consistency for end-user • Limit to the number of users who can concurrently share an Access application while maintaining acceptable performance • More than 10 to 15 concurrent users • Limit to the number of records that each table can contain without a significant performance drop • More than 100,000 records • Holds up to 2GB of data

8. Front-end Applications for Enterprise-wide Client/Server Databases • A client/server database processes queries on the server machine and returns results to the workstation • Acting as a front end, Access can display the data retrieved from the database server in reports, datasheets, or forms • If the user updates the data in an Access form, the workstation sends the update to the back-end database • Most expensive and complex option • Need resources with expertise on linking external databases or using techniques to access client/server data directly

9. Why use MS Access? • Price • Simplicity • Developers charge less • Ability to quickly produce prototypes • Can easily update to SQL Server • Quick fix while waiting for more robust system • Flexibility • Less code • New connectivity (web applications)

10. Examples http://microsoftaccesspros.com/sample-microsoft-access-forms-reports-graphs.htm

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