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GCN Home > 07/07/08 issue

Microsoft Access 2007

GCN Lab review: The options are endless — and the learning curve is, too — but with Access, you get more bang for the buck than with any other program of its kind

By Carlos Soto, Special to GCN

Access has a reputation for being, well, inaccessible. But with the 2007 version, this seems true only if you’re working on an advanced schema or using advanced features.

One of the best ways to get started with the program quickly is to use one of the included database templates. There are dozens to choose from, particularly if you tap into the repository available online from Microsoft.com.

Image: GCN

Another common complaint about earlier versions of Access was its lack of templates for common database applications.

The new version provides 10 solid templates that you can easily download and start using immediately. They range from an asset database that lets you track resources to templates for faculty, students and marketing-related projects. All are ready to use with little setup or can be modified and re-created to meet your needs.

The appearance of Access 2007 — and Microsoft Word and Outlook — is created by an interface technology called ribbon, which improves the user experience by removing much of the clutter. Focusing on a project is a lot easier when you spend less time looking for common tools and features.

Despite Access’ similarities to Word and Outlook, stronger commonality exists between Access and Excel. You can place data in an Access cell just as if it were an Excel field and format it later after entering all the data. Columns can be added to a table, just as in Excel, taking seconds to populate your project. Then you can edit the columns without having to switch to the Design view.

A data transfer capability also lets you paste an Excel spreadsheet table into an Access table for easy data transfer. The ability to play well with Excel and a new feature called Automatic Data Type Detection has made schema and table creation easy.

Another neat Access feature is the ability to attach external documents and files to individual records in the data store, which lets you incorporate even more information in your applications.

Access 2007 can save frequently used import and export operations for quick reuse. And a new Navigation Pane provides easy access to all object types, including tables, forms and reports, making Access 2007 one of the most powerful databases in the roundup.

More news on related topics: Content / Record Management, Data Management, IT Management, Software Applications