Why learn to perform basic tasks in Microsoft Access?

In the prior two modules, we learned about the benefits of using Excel to manage spreadsheets. When it comes to quick data entry by users, manipulating numerical data for fast analysis, having rich formatting features and mathematical functions, spreadsheets are hard to beat. As the volume of data increases, databases become a viable option. Databases are geared for long-term data storage of large data sets, maintaining multiple relationships between data values, and the ability to update forms, queries, and reports automatically when values are updated.

Think of spreadsheets as ledgers: you have a list of customers and may wish to know who are your top five most important based on annual revenue. Think of databases as intelligent file cabinets: you may wish to know who are your top five most important customers, what was the date of their last purchase, and what products did they purchase. It is this ability to handle the relationships within the data, in addition to the amount of data, that makes databases a powerful business tool.

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