Microsoft Access
The Microsoft Office family is getting bigger and better: Microsoft Access is now included in the Microsoft Office 365 Business Suite.
Databases typically reside on a database server, requiring the hiring of a server administrator. But many small businesses have no need of servers, particularly if they are migrating to the cloud and sharing files through a cloud service such as OneDrive. Microsoft Access allows you to create a local database on your desktop and offers you the same functionality as a server-side database.
With Microsoft Office 365 Business Suite, you can pull data from many different sources, including Excel, Outlook, ASCII, dBase, Paradox, FoxPro, SQL Server and Oracle.
In addition, new enterprise data connectors will roll out to Microsoft Access in early 2017. These new connectors include OData Feed, Dynamics CRM, Salesforce and Amazon Redshift and will be available for customers with Office 365 ProPlus, E3 and E5 plans. These new connectors will enable customers to integrate and extend Access into other line of business solutions and databases.
Single Source of Data
Data from Microsoft Access can be shared with a variety of other products as well, such as MS Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint as well as ActiveX controls. It becomes a central reservoir of data which can populate other programs, saving you the trouble of copying data and avoiding the danger of information being copied incorrectly.
Place your Access database into SharePoint, and anyone with access can retrieve the data. Now everyone is working with the same information without copy and pasting. Moreover, everyone has instant access to updated data, unlike when you send information in an email or share it in a static document.
Wide Appeal, Ease-of-Use
Another benefit of Microsoft Access is that it’s made with the average computer user in mind. Databases can be complicated things to understand. But Microsoft Access offers a variety of macros which help automate a wide variety of processes, helping users run queries, import and export data, open and close forms, print reports and more.
Access is a great addition to any small business with need of a database but without the traditional support necessary to run one. For more information on Microsoft Access and the Microsoft Office 365 Business Suite, contact CMIT Solutions of Stamford or call 203-595-9091.
