In-Built Application Development Environment – Microsoft Access is a flexible database software that allows you to customize or write full-blown software programs using the popular and easy to learn programming language known as VBA or Visual Basic for Applications.
Many database developers actually use the VBA feature of Microsoft Access to jump start their programming careers by learning VBA and then transitioning to other programming languages like Visual Basic!
- Graphical SQL Query Building – Writing SQL is made easy in Microsoft Access because of it’s Graphical Query Designer which allows you to join tables and add filters or clauses to them.
You can also see or modify the generated SQL query using a a flavor of SQL known as Access SQL or Microsoft Access’s in-built Query Wizards.
- Data Analysis Tool – because Microsoft Access allows you to build tables, data entry forms and reports quite easily, it is commonly used as a Data Analysis tool.
Using Microsoft Office Access, you can for example, design a survey, create a table to store the data, build a simple data entry form, build a report and then give multiple users access to your reports or application.
- External Database Access – database developers who are unfamiliar with enterprise databases like Oracle or SQL Server access them through a Microsoft Access database
This is partly because the Microsoft Access database developer can connect, query or modify the data in an enterprise database without having to leave the safety and comfort of the familiar Microsoft Access environment!
- Multi User Access - Microsoft Office Access supports a limited number of users accessing or modifying it’s data at the same time.
It is sometimes seen as a better choice for data analysis projects where multiple users have to update, edit, delete or work with the same information while retaining each individual’s ability to rapidly prototype, build or extend it using forms
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As you can see, there are many reasons why the Microsoft Access Database Development tool is common, popular and frequently used in all sorts of database development, reporting, data analysis and software development projects.
To get started, there are many situations that Microsoft Access is not suited for.
Microsoft Access database developers are sometimes not comfortable with enforcing proper database design practices or writing complex subqueries, complex joins within Microsoft Access.
That is why database developers frequently resort to taking strong SQL Query Writing + Database Development Classes (like at the Data Analyst Boot Camp) after first falling in love with Microsoft Access.
Microsoft Access still limits database developers despite it’s powerful, and flexible relational database engine.
Hence the need to upgrade or transition to enterprise relational databases.
In the next article, I will discuss both the limitations of Microsoft Access as database development tool and the reasons for upgrading to an enterprise database like SQL Server.
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