Microsoft Access. Is it worth learning?
Written: Nov 23 '00 (Updated Nov 30 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: capabilities, challenge,
Cons: can take time to learn
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| thinkpositive's Full Review: Microsoft Access |
Microsoft Access is worth learning if:
1) You are familiar with other Microsoft products
2) You love puzzles and solving problems
3) You have plenty of spare time
4) You have a need for a data base, that is not too small or too big.
5) You have a Microsoft Access program on your computer or willing to purchase it.
6) Have an understanding or normalisation, VB and SQL (optional, but helps)
If you are familiar with Microsoft products, especially Microsoft Excell, then Access will be a lot easier to learn. It uses a lot of similar things and even relies on Excell for some of its components (ie pivot tables).
Before you even start building an Access program ask yourself, "Is there a simple way to collect and query this data, without using Access" ie Using Excell, if there is, it will probably be quicker and easier to do it the way you know how.
But if you love a challenge,
enjoy puzzles
and love the feeling of solving a problem.
Then go for it.
I see Access as a gigantic jigsaw puzzle, it is up to you to put the pieces together and to come out with the picture (data) you intended. To make this puzzle easier, you need to have a copy of the picture to follow. Therefore, draw diagrams of the data you want to GET OUT of Access, this should be the starting point to the data you want to put in and the relationships between the data.
The problem (or advantage to Access, depending on which way you look at it) is that the more you learn, the more you realise there is to learn and the more you understand the potential of the program. So therefore you try more complex scenarios that start to eat into your time and if you enjoy it like I do, the family may never see you again.
I use access for many different things, both personal, health related and commercial. Whatever is possible.
I enjoy the challenge of Access, but believe it is not for everyone. Do not expect HELP to tell you everything. Access has a lot of idiosyncrasies, which you only learn from experience. But to me that is half the fun of it.
If you decide to use it good luck, enjoy and do not get too frustrated.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
thinkpositive
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Member: Julie Misson
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 2 members
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