What is Microsoft Access? Here's how the database management system works, and how it differs from Excel

DAVE JOHNSON

FEB 18, 2021, 01:47 IST

Microsoft Access is a helpful data analysis tool for businesses.FG Trade/Getty Images

• Microsoft Access is a database management system (DBMS) used to store and manage data.
• Access is part of the Microsoft 365 suite, and is made for business and enterprise users.
• While they both involve tracking data, Access and Excel are very different programs.

Microsoft Access is a member of the Microsoft 365 family of applications, and is a powerful productivity tool made for business and enterprise users.

Much like Microsoft Excel, Access lets you view and edit data. But Access is more powerful than Excel, and can handle much more data at once.

Here's all you need to know about Microsoft Access.

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How Microsoft Access is different than Excel

Both Microsoft Excel and Access can be used to store data, so they might seem like similar. But in reality, they're quite different.

Excel is a spreadsheet program that's primarily used for individual projects and to perform brief calculations. Most Excel users only work with a few dozen to a few hundred data cells at once. And Excel is great for graphing and charting those calculations and data points.

Microsoft Access, on the other hand, is made to store and manage vast quantities of data in a form that makes it easy to retrieve and use in different applications. While Excel users type directly into their spreadsheets, Access databases are manipulated with pre-made forms and queries. Most businesses also connect Access to other applications, so when those other apps generate data, it's automatically ported over to Access.