Republic Iraq
Education Higher of Ministry
University Baghdad
College Dentistry
COMPUTER SCINCE
Microsoft Access
Ali Hayder Kadhum
Group: C
Supervised by: Dr. Suhad
10
Microsoft Access
Introduction:
Microsoft Access is a database management system (DBMS) from Microsoft that
combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface and
software-development tools. It is a member of the Microsoft Office suite of applications,
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 the legacy DAO ActivateX 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. FIG (1)
FIG (1): Background Microsoft Access
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Microsoft Access database work:
Microsoft Access works in the same manner any database does, by storing related
information together, and letting you create connections (commonly called relationships)
between different things. The relationships between two different things in MS Access
can be very simple (such as a contact at a customer and the customer itself) or
complex. In the example below, the blue boxes represent the major things we're tracking
in our MS Access database tables, and the reports at right show how you can join the
related information for analysis and reporting. FIG (2)
FIG (2): Example of Access Work
Data is stored in Microsoft Access tables (think of them as mini-spreadsheets that store
only one type of thing). A table can have many fields (think of them as columns in your
spreadsheet). Each field in a table can be set up to allow or prevent users from entering
certain information (for example, you could say one field only accepts dates, another can
only allow a user to enter a numeric value, while another lets them enter anything they
want).
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Microsoft Access advantages
Access gives data managers a fully functional, relational database management
system in minutes. Like many other Microsoft applications, Access contains
Wizards that walk you through each step of the way. The user interface is
intuitive; accelerating data information retrieval.
• Ease to integrate – Access works well with many of the developing
software programs based in Windows. It also can be used in the front-end
as back-end tables with products like Microsoft SQL Server and non-
Microsoft products like Oracle and Sybase.
• NET-friendly – Access is a go-to choose for users who plan to develop
software using .NET; linking to Access database. Its graphical user
interface also offers easy functionality and set up.
• Widely popular — Microsoft Access is the most popular desktop database
system in the world.
• Saves you money — Microsoft Access is hundreds of dollars more
economical than other larger systems; offering the same functions and
usage.
• Convenient storage capacity – A Microsoft Access database can hold up
to 2 GB of data.
• Multi-user support – About ten users in a network can use an Access
application.
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Microsoft Access disadvantages.
• Finite – Microsoft Access is useful for individual departments or small-to-medium
business sectors. Any sector whose usage goes beyond 2 GB will hit a wall and
discover limitations.
• Structure Query Language (SQL) — SQL for MS Access is not as robust as MS
SQL Server or Oracle, to just name a few.
• One file — All the information from your database is saved into one file. This limits
options and how you choose utilize data; slowing down reports, queries, and forms.
Its performance becomes slow as the user scales data size. Multimedia data can use
up MS Access limited space quickly.
• Static-Friendly — It’s difficult to publish files a part from static files.
• Multi-user limited — Technical limit is 255 concurrent users, but real-world limit is
10 to 80 (depending on type of application).
Comparing Access with Other Databases:
Here are a few notable features of Access as compared with other databases:
• Microsoft Access uses its own database storage file.
• Access can use multiple back-end sources.
• Access is an application that can be used to create and manage databases on
personal computers. You can use Access as a visualization tool to create forms and
reports using the underlying data.
• Access can also be used as the 'front-end' of a program while other products act as
the 'back-end' tables, such as Microsoft SQL Server and non-Microsoft products
such as Oracle and Sybase. Similarly, some applications such as Visual Basic,
ASP.NET, or Visual Studio .NET can use the Access database for their tables and
database queries.
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Reference:
1- om Warren (September 24, 2018). "Microsoft launches
Office 2019 for Windows and Mac". The Verge.
Retrieved December 25, 2019
2- Sinclair, Russell (2000). From access to SQL server. Apress
Series. Apress. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-893115-24-8.
Retrieved July 8, 2010. SQL pass-through queries are queries
in which you can enter a statement that is passed directly to
the ODBC driver without the Jet engine validating it or
parsing it in any way
3- Mace, Scott (June 29, 1992). "Microsoft creating API to
complement ODBC". InfoWorld. p. 1. Open ISAM support
will be in Microsoft's forthcomming Cirrus DBMS for
Windows.
https://www.opengatesw.net/ms-access-tutorials/What-Is-
Microsoft-Access-Used-For.htm
http://learnitanytime.com/4031/know-the-advantages-and-
disadvantages-of-microsoft-access-2/
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