When Should I Use An MS Access Database?

Use This Checklist For Your Data Related Project

Here's a list of factors to consider before starting your database project. If you are thinking about using Excel or Access to store data, make certain you review this list. Use Microsoft Access when you:

• Require a multiple tables (more than 1) for data storage and need to relate tables to each other to create a relational database.



• May need additional tables for future growth to a data set that is non-relational (aka flat file).
  
  As an example, you plan to track customer information that will include first names, last names, addresses, and phone numbers, etc. AND you will eventually need to collect data that will include customers orders, product orders, vendors , etc.; you definitely need to build your data solution with Microsoft Access.



• Will be storing a very large amount of data that can be thousands of data entries, hundreds of thousands of data entries, or even millions of data entries.


For example, your company has 25,000 customers (or potential customers); Access is an excellent choice for your data solution.


• Have data that is primarily text or long text entries (aka text string data) as opposed to mostly numeric data.



• Need to use many databases from external sources to use and analyze data.
  
  For example, if you are required to import or export data from other sources such as Excel, SQL Server, and/or other Access database tables, MS Access is the proper software application for these procedures.



• Need to maintain continuous connections to large databases like Microsoft SQL Server; Access is used extensively for this purpose.



• Need to gather information using complex queries.
  
  For example, if you your company has many customer orders, the names for all customers could stored in a SQL Server database, however, you could use MS Access (particularly an Access form) for new customer entries. Then, keep a connection to the SQL Server database via Access so you can review customer names, add new customers, and edit customer entries.



• Have up to ten/twelve people working in the database concurrently for data entry, querying, or sending data to reports.

• Find answers to more questions about MS Access