Microsoft is the North American multinational of software that is present in a greater number and diversity of fields with regard to computer applications. In the field of databases, one of its consumer and professional products is Access.
Access follows the relational database model, organizing the information in tables, each of which is structured in various fields that are the attributes of the object that the table seeks to model.
Relationships are established between the different tables, which can be from 1 to 1 (each record in a table is directly related to one record and only one from another table), from 1 to N (a record in a table is related to several records from another table), and from N to N (by means of an intermediate table, a record from one table can be related to several from another and vice versa.
Its operation is highly visual, having a table design tool that allows you to easily create its definition as well as the relationships between the different tables.
It is not an excessively powerful database, but to manage personal files and small businesses, it is more than suitable.
Access is one of the programs included in the Office suite.
History beginning in 1992
The first version of Access was launched in 1992, culminating in a series of initiatives by Microsoft to equip itself with a DBMS (Database management system) for the end user and could also serve as a front-end for SQL Servers (at that time, available for the OS / 2 operating system).
Since then, more than a dozen versions of Access have evolved while maintaining the initial simplicity that makes it ideal for new users with little knowledge of relational databases, as well as a perfect tool to study and learn to create relational databases.
Features / capabilities
- Table and relationship designer. In a simple and very visual way, we can define fields, each one with its corresponding data type and a description, define the key field or fields, and establish relationships between tables.
- Forms. It allows the creation of a user interface, based on forms, through which we can enter new data and consult those already entered.
- Reports. We can define different report formats, initially intended to be printed on paper, but obviously we can also present on screen.
- Programming. If we know some programming (it is not necessary to be a professional programmer, and we can learn a little programming if we do not know anything), we can refine the capabilities of our database, creating real applications.
- Networking. Access is not only prepared to work locally, but also to accept network connections to a database from other computers, making it possible to operate with it for companies and small and medium-sized organizations that have several computers.
- Data export and support for other formats. As required of modern applications, Microsoft's DBMS is capable of interacting with other database applications and file formats, and not only with other Microsoft programs, but also with competitors, such as MySQL, Oracle , DB2, or Lotus Notes.
- Runtime. In some versions of Access, this piece of software standalone is able to allow the execution of applications built in Access without having to install the application on the target computer.
