1. Computing & Technology

Discuss in my forum

Microsoft Access 2007

About.com Rating 5 Star Rating
Be the first to write a review

By , About.com Guide

Microsoft Access 2007Microsoft Corporation

The Bottom Line

If you need a flexible desktop database and money is no object, Access is the way to go!
<!--#echo encoding="none" var="lcp" -->

Pros

  • Powerful database engine
  • Integration with other Microsoft Office products
  • Intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Cons

  • Relatively expensive

Description

  • Access is the industry standard -- it's well supported and training is easy to find
  • The database engine is extremely powerful -- the most flexibility you'll find in a desktop database
  • Voice recognition technology allows for data entry and menu navigation by spoken commands
  • Access also serves as a powerful front end for ODBC-compliant server databases like MS SQL Server

Guide Review - Microsoft Access 2007

Microsoft might be competing against Oracle for market share in the server database category, but they maintain a clear lock on desktop databases with Microsoft Access 2007. The price tag may be a bit steep, but you won't find a more functional product anywhere. New bells and whistles in this version include a set of ready-to-go database templates to help you get a quick start and a vastly improved user interface that does away with the traditional toolbars and menus.

You probably don't want to buy Access as a stand-alone product -- it's often more cost-effective to purchase it bundled with Microsoft Office and benefit from the added power of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
<!--#echo encoding="none" var="lcp" -->

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.