Microsoft Access is a reliable database that offers many benefits in terms of managing and organizing data. It allows centralized data spread across various workbooks, sheets, and other file types. MS Access can also create customized data entry forms by using various lookups, list boxes, checkboxes, and text boxes, which can also be set up for easy filtering of data. The database also has the ability to set up various types of users with varying privileges in terms of access, view, edit data, etc. The dashboard of MS Access offers standardized reports which can be downloaded, printed, or emailed in various formats. MS Access also offers easy integration with other software programs like CRM, accounting packages like QuickBooks, and much other third-party software.
Further, in this article, we will present some frequently asked questions about the MS Access database and the same expert answers. It may help the enterprise users who are planning to consider MS Access their application database.
FAQ on MS Access Q: What applications can be built using the Microsoft Access database?There are no such limitations as to the type of applications that can be built using MS Access. You can use this all-purpose database as the backend of accounting, customer relations, order management, contact management, inventory management, estimation, project management applications, etc.
There are various types of MS Access templates available for different needs like inventory management, contact management, etc., which can be further customized to meet specific business needs. These templates are available on the Microsoft website. Microsoft Access can also be used to design very powerful multi-user applications, which can offer better efficiency to the business.
Q Is it possible for multiple users to simultaneously use an MS Access DB?Yes, it is possible. MS Access is built as a multi-user functional DB, which supports multiple access to the same database. The same file is sharable with many users by ensuring access to reports, data, and forms anytime. This is pointed to as the major advantage of MS Access while comparing it with the single-user database applications. By placing the MS Access database on a shared network, various users can instantly access it and change the data as needed. For MS Access 2010, the maximum limit of users who can access the database simultaneously is limited to 255.
Q: Is it possible to integrate MS Access with other MS Office applications?Yes. MS Office products like MS Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint can all be accessed from other MS Office applications, including Microsoft Access. The latest version of MS Access has default MS Office integration features. You can also instantly take the data off your Access DB and merge it to HTML, with which Access can generate emails and sent them through MS Outlook. It is also possible for the users to create Outlook tasks, contact, and appointments all within MS Access.
Another possibility of MS Access integration is Word mail merge documents. Users can take the data from the Access database and then merge it to the Word mail document from within Access itself. Complex MS Excel worksheets can also be created from the data fetched from Access DB, which gives you the option to explore the data out of MS Access to MS Excel. The latest MS Office 2013 features also let integration of MS Access with Microsoft cloud applications like SharePoint Server and Office 365. Such cloud-based integrations will set open new avenues for sharing, collaborating, and automating MS Access DB information. For the implementation of MS Access DB and remote upkeep of the same, you can rely on the services offered by RemoteDBA.com.
Q: Security features available on MS Access DB?The previous versions of MS Access, like 2003 or earlier, were supporting an Access security method based on System Database (.mdw). The database admins working on MS Access generally use a tool named Workgroup Administrator to connect System Database to the Access database. Access database administrators can set group names, usernames, passwords, and user-specific permissions on Access objects.
The modified database format of Access came along with Access 2007 (.accdb) has not supported the System Database model. The Access DBMS projects then required a more secured approach in which the user security had to be controlled at a granular level using SQL Server security. Server security also lets a better integration with Windows security by making it more efficient in handling the database security than the approach of having separate usernames and passwords for Access System DB.
Q: Is it possible to integrate MS Access with third-party applications?Yes. MS Access can be integrated with most of the modern accounting packages like QuickBooks. Access has an API for integration with various third-party applications. Many users can move data back and forth from MS Access and SQL server to QuickBooks and different software programs to reduce the overhead of data entry redundancy. Most of the Access items can also be created with the QuickBooks interface, including payments, invoices, timesheets, credit memos, sales and purchase orders, inventory, and so on. This feature is very powerful to help reduce the time taken for accounting and operational expenses to a huge extent.
Q: Is it possible to use MS Access with MS SQL Server?It is possible to use MS Access with SQL Server DB, which can be set as a backend for Access database applications. You can leverage the freely available SQL Server software version for this purpose, or you can go for an existing licensed version. Benefits of using MS SQL Server as the backend of Access database application are more security, anytime scalability, increased capacity, etc. SQL Server is highly scalable by default and so will allow simultaneous access to more Access application users. MS Access has a limitation of 2 GB size, whereas MS SQL Server's minimum limitation is 4 GB for the free version. So, as the database is increasing in size, SQL Server will prove to be the best option to build Access database applications. For those databases where data are mostly stored in large images and pictures, the database size may grow quickly, and SQL Server can be your savior. Along with these, there are plenty of other questions too raised regarding MS Access usage, which we will discuss in the forthcoming articles too.
