What is Microsoft Access 2019?

Unless you've used Microsoft Access before, you may be unclear as to what exactly it is and how you'll use it.  Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word are very popular programs, so we're very familiar with them, if only by name. Access, however, isn't as widely used or discussed, so before we begin this course, it's important to look at what this software program does, and how it will help you.

Microsoft Access is an information management tool that allows you to store, report, and analyze information. If you're trying to use Excel to manage large amounts of information, then chances are Microsoft Access will be helpful to you.

You see, a spreadsheet program such as Excel is great if you want to maintain and calculate small bits of information. It's easy enough to use when you want to create a spreadsheet, enter data, create formulas, etc.

Excel makes it very easy to sort, filter, and format quickly. That said, though, Excel is not ideal for handling hundreds of records if you have one thing you need to track. It's easy to have errors, and that makes analysis, summing, and reporting difficult.