Download Best Uses of Microsoft Access

Best Uses of
Microsoft
Access
Written by
Lauren Lewis
Presented by
___________
What is Microsoft Access?
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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
o
Member of the Microsoft Office suite of applications,
included in the Professional and higher editions or sold
separately
o
Stores information for reference, reporting, and analysis
o
Helps individuals and businesses analyze large amounts of
information and manage related data more
efficiently than Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet
applications
The Problem with Spreadsheets
Real-World Applications
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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
Small Business Applications
o
MS Access wizards let you
quickly and easily build the
application’s foundation
o
Ability to create macros and
to build code modules allows
power users and developers
to create code libraries of
reusable functions
o
Ability to add code behind
forms and reports allows
businesses to create powerful
custom forms and reports
o
Main limitation of using
Access for developing a
custom small-business
application is the time and
money involved in the
development process
Departmental Applications
o
Most departments in large
corporations have the
development budgets to
produce well-designed
applications
o
If complex form, report
design, or coding is
necessary, large
corporations usually have
on-site resources available
that can provide the
necessary assistance
o
Companies that do not
have in-house resources
with IT/database
expertise may need to
outsource or hire
individuals with those skills
internally
Corporate-Wide Applications
o
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Can be used to produce
applications that are
distributed throughout an
entire organization
o
Limit to the number of users
who can concurrently share
an Access application while
maintaining acceptable
performance

Maintains consistency for enduser
o
Limit to the number of records
that each table can contain
without a significant
performance drop

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More than 10 to 15 concurrent
users
More than 100,000 records
Holds up to 2GB of data
Front-end Applications for Enterprisewide Client/Server Databases
o
A client/server database
processes queries on the server
machine and returns results to
the workstation
o
Acting as a front end, Access
can display the data retrieved
from the database server in
reports, datasheets, or forms
o
If the user updates the data in
an Access form, the
workstation sends the update
to the back-end database
o
Most expensive and complex
option
o
Need resources with expertise
on linking external databases
or using techniques to access
client/server data directly
Why use MS Access?
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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)
Examples
http://microsoftaccesspros.com/samplemicrosoft-access-forms-reports-graphs.htm
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