Microsoft Access

Microsoft Office Access (frequently called Access or MS Access) is Microsoft's desktop database management system targeting the small business sector. It's sold with Office, and combines both a database engine (called Jet), interface builder, and reporting and query capabilities.

When to use Access

There are situations where using Access is better than using other databases. Your company may already owns Access, or you have a limited number of simultaneous users (less than 5). If you have limited IT resources, or you need a simple database system that can be put together quickly. For a single user using the database and you want to use the database away from the office then you can easily move the database from a PC to a laptop. Access also comes with its own development tools to create working forms and reports with more speed than standard programming tools.

When not to use Access

Microsoft Office Access is a nice tool, but it isn't suited for every project. If you have more than 5 simultaneous users you may start encountering a few problems, although there are reported cases of 50 simultaneous connections to an Access database. Access is a file-based solution, everyone shares the same file over the network. SQL Server is far more scalable. For web projects, Access is also not well suited, for the same reasons. Licensing is another issue, each user will require a copy of Access - although Microsoft does supply a runtime version of MS Access (free) which allows you to enter and view data into the database but it won't allow you to modify the database.

Our Access Development Expertise

We've created many Access solutions some dating back to the Access 97. Regardless if you need Access consulting, or an expert MS Access developer, we can help. Contact Us