What is Microsoft Access | What is an Access Database

Access Database

Microsoft Office Access is a relational database management system from Microsoft that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface and software-development tools. It belongs to the Microsoft Office suite of applications, which is included in the Professional and higher editions or sold separately.

Microsoft Access stores data in its own format based on the Access Jet Database Engine. It can also import or link directly to data stored in other applications and databases.

Software developers, data architects and power users can use Microsoft Access to develop application software. Like other Microsoft Office applications, Access is supported by Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), an object-based programming language that can reference a variety of objects including DAO (Data Access Objects), ActiveX Data Objects, and many other ActiveX components. Visual objects used in forms and reports expose their methods and properties in the VBA programming environment, and VBA code modules may declare and call Windows operating system operations.

Version History:

• Access version 1.0 on 13 November 1992

• Access 1.1 release in May 1993

• Access v2.0 in 1993

• Microsoft Access 7.0 (Access 95) in 1995

• Access 97 (version 8.0) in 1997

• Access 2000 (version 9.0) in 2000

• Access 2002 (version 10.0) in 2002

• Access 2003 (version 11.5) in 2003

• Access 2007 (version 12.0) in 2007

• Microsoft Office Access 2010 was released in May 2010

• Microsoft Office Access 2013 was released in January 2013

• Microsoft Office Access 2016 was released in September 2015

• Microsoft Office Access 2019 was released in October 2018

The WSI Programming Experts have vast amounts of experience with each version of Microsoft Access reaching as far back as Version 2.0! So, no matter what version of Microsoft Access you are using, we have an immense amount of knowledge in how to use the software and make it work to your advantage.

Microsoft Access stores data in its own format based on the Access Jet Database Engine. It can also import or link directly to data stored in other applications and databases such as the following:

• Excel

• SharePoint lists

• text

• XML

• Outlook

• HTML

• dBase

• Paradox

• Lotus 1-2-3

• Microsoft SQL Server

• Oracle

• MySQL

• PostgreSQL

For an explanation of the different file types used in Microsoft Access.

Microsoft Access can also be used to develop application software and is especially valuable in situations where an off-the-shelf package isn't tailored to the businesses needs or when it contains too many un-needed features at a high cost. Like other Office applications, Microsoft Access is supported by Visual Basic for Applications, an object-oriented programming language that can reference a variety of objects including DAO (Data Access Objects), ActiveX Data Objects, and many other ActiveX components. Visual objects used in forms and reports expose their methods and properties in the VBA programming environment, and VBA code modules may declare and call Windows operating-system functions.

Have you heard of been told that Microsoft Access is "dead"? If so, read here about the future of Microsoft Access