Is any one using MS Access?
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Just updated office 365 and along with it Access 2016. I've never used it. Does anyone use it? What for? and should I?
I use it for analyzing millions of records from web server logs with SQL queries about once a quarter. Easy to import the logs, simple to write and apply custom functions for massaging column data. Copy+Paste results into Outlook or Excel. Easy to throw away when you are done! Just purge the table containing the log records and retain the queries and custom functions.
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Just updated office 365 and along with it Access 2016. I've never used it. Does anyone use it? What for? and should I?
There are a ton of apps we dark matter developers need to mantain that are too massive in scale to port to other runtimes. (wheter it be because of scale of the project or because you have a dinosaur boss in the way (such as my case)) I for example, mantain a manufacturing support application that uses access, and for what is worth, it does processing crap really fast with an sql server back end. Too bad it doesn't support sql batch statements or better vb data structures.
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It is poison, don't use it, we have so many application written by a lousy programmer in MS Access that i just can tell you STAHP, don't even think about it. Although for home DB stuff where you like to do things clicky shiny fast you might peek into it :)
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}Paradox (ex-Borland, now Corel) is a much better database manager: faster, better user interface. Access drives me clicky-crazy! Sadly, that's probably not a choice you have at this point.
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Just updated office 365 and along with it Access 2016. I've never used it. Does anyone use it? What for? and should I?
Yes, and Access can work quite well in small office settings. Many things work very well, but it also does have downsides (particularly handling memo fields). It you need a lot of control over keyed inputs for forms, etc., it is going to be more difficult to accomplish with access as a front-end, but most items can be done fairly quickly and work quite well.
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Just updated office 365 and along with it Access 2016. I've never used it. Does anyone use it? What for? and should I?
I am a developer of business applications with MS Access version (97) for small businesses and professional firms. Develop programs with MsAccess is a guaranteed investment over time. The programs were converted in later versions of MsAccess (2000/2003/2010/2013) with SO Xp. Win 7, Win 8 and finally with Win 10. Queries, Forms, Reports and VBA are more than enough to satisfy monoutenze and multiuser with 10 users. With accesshosting.com also work remotely.
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Just updated office 365 and along with it Access 2016. I've never used it. Does anyone use it? What for? and should I?
Yup. I made over $200k last year developing in MS Access. And in ever case, it was just the right tool. If you are good at it, it's a great product. Not without flaws like every tool, and limiting compared to some, of course. But if used in the right situation by someone that knows what they are doing, it's simply a great tool. I build complex applications that save tremendous amounts of time. Multi user environments are just fine. Lots of data. Lots of calculations and automation. Like anything, it sucks in the wrong hands.
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Just updated office 365 and along with it Access 2016. I've never used it. Does anyone use it? What for? and should I?
You will find that MS Access is used widely in banks and trading companies. They use it because it is a great tool, along with Excel for modelling and reporting data sets from a wide range of sources such as SAP, Endur, Reuters, Bloomberg, Oracle, SQL Server and so on. Up-to Access 2010 Microsoft had a great feature where you could remove the Jet database engine and replace it with SQL Server (this was called Microsoft Access Project). This would provide you with the enterprise features, security and scalability, of SQL Server with forms and reports built in. I use this feature a lot. My current project at a global trading firm is for a price risk tool that is used globally with 200+ users, hundreds of millions of records and is used to make mulit-million dollar decisions. The forms and reports editor in Access is still a league ahead of the clunky tools available in .NET for desktop applications, although Access does lack all the fancy 3rd party add-in's you can get for .NET. Unfortunately Microsoft has neglected the tool over the years and the last good version of the tool was MS Access 2010. I know VBA gets a bad rap as a programming language as there are a lot of bad Access databases out there but it is actually quite powerful when used correctly. You can write bad applications in any language - i have seen enough poorly written C# applications over the years. Also the best thing about MS Access development is the pay - it is at least 50-100% higher then the top rated day rates you can get with any other programming tool available. You do need to have a trading background though to understand the models - it is that knowledge you are getting paid for, rather then your skill with VBA
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You will find that MS Access is used widely in banks and trading companies. They use it because it is a great tool, along with Excel for modelling and reporting data sets from a wide range of sources such as SAP, Endur, Reuters, Bloomberg, Oracle, SQL Server and so on. Up-to Access 2010 Microsoft had a great feature where you could remove the Jet database engine and replace it with SQL Server (this was called Microsoft Access Project). This would provide you with the enterprise features, security and scalability, of SQL Server with forms and reports built in. I use this feature a lot. My current project at a global trading firm is for a price risk tool that is used globally with 200+ users, hundreds of millions of records and is used to make mulit-million dollar decisions. The forms and reports editor in Access is still a league ahead of the clunky tools available in .NET for desktop applications, although Access does lack all the fancy 3rd party add-in's you can get for .NET. Unfortunately Microsoft has neglected the tool over the years and the last good version of the tool was MS Access 2010. I know VBA gets a bad rap as a programming language as there are a lot of bad Access databases out there but it is actually quite powerful when used correctly. You can write bad applications in any language - i have seen enough poorly written C# applications over the years. Also the best thing about MS Access development is the pay - it is at least 50-100% higher then the top rated day rates you can get with any other programming tool available. You do need to have a trading background though to understand the models - it is that knowledge you are getting paid for, rather then your skill with VBA
Good to here for everyone, sounds like its still very much alive and I didn't know, which is why I asked the question. I was always led to believe that access was 'evil' and something for hobby use only, So I never got involved. Your right, you can use any language to write bad code/projects. I think its time we had a survey!! Top 10? but which ones, I'm sure this will divide the community, and possible the world ;)
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Just updated office 365 and along with it Access 2016. I've never used it. Does anyone use it? What for? and should I?
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Just updated office 365 and along with it Access 2016. I've never used it. Does anyone use it? What for? and should I?
Yes, it is used... actually quite a bit. Generally, not by developers, but by users. It is used in commercial software (e.g. gINT) Should you use it? Probably not. Should gINT use it? Probably not. When should you use it? If you have to give a database to a non-programmer who has Access installed on their machine or some other rare use case where is makes sense. I've actually use (yes present tense) an Access front end to process some SQLite files and it does what I need no fuss no muss.
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Professionally I use SQL Express, LocalDB and MySQL and couldn't think of any reason to use Access. Just though it was a hang over from another era, and looking at the comments, looks like it is. So why is it still shipped? MS has dropped other technologies over the years? I guess it still has a large user base
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Just updated office 365 and along with it Access 2016. I've never used it. Does anyone use it? What for? and should I?
I have seen in use by businesses that have poor IT skills and got sold incredibly expensive applications biult with Access. Please, DON'T use it or recommend it. There are lots of free tools that do much more and are better supported.
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Just updated office 365 and along with it Access 2016. I've never used it. Does anyone use it? What for? and should I?
We're still using it, although after the best part of a year of inexplicable crashes and corruption errors we're in the process of replacing our main database for another one. There's still loads of cheap crappy databases floating about though (some of which are now also developing random bugs even though the source code hasn't changed in months.) I'd agree with others that it has its place, but its place isn't in a corporate environment. As a rule, it only ever seems to be used in a multi-user setting out of either necessity or cost. Avoid in all other cases.
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It is poison, don't use it, we have so many application written by a lousy programmer in MS Access that i just can tell you STAHP, don't even think about it. Although for home DB stuff where you like to do things clicky shiny fast you might peek into it :)
if(this.signature != "")
{
MessageBox.Show("This is my signature: " + Environment.NewLine + signature);
}
else
{
MessageBox.Show("404-Signature not found");
}Programming a large application in Access is really difficult. But MS lets people get started with Access with no programming knowledge threshold. Access works if you know how to make it work - but people with the skills to do that are programming something else.
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SPoss wrote:
Does anyone use it?
Yes.
SPoss wrote:
What for?
Gods know.
SPoss wrote:
I've never used it.
SPoss wrote:
and should I?
No, if you're sane and have a good karma. It should be a local DBMS, it is... we never discovered.
GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP. -- TNCaver "When you have eliminated the JavaScript, whatever remains must be an empty page." -- Mike Hankey
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The code I'm working with is 15 years old and we are using an MDB file, compatible only with Access 97. We really don't have the time to change DB format but it's in the TODO... It corrupts. Alone. With a single user. And a fixed set of instructions...
GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP. -- TNCaver "When you have eliminated the JavaScript, whatever remains must be an empty page." -- Mike Hankey
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Access is a database system - and yes, it's still used. Should you? Probably not. It's not a bad DB system, and for a single user it works fine, the management system isn't bad, and it's easy to work with from your code. But...as soon as you move to a multi user environment, it all turns to poo. Personally, I paid for it as part of Office, but I don't use it - I use SQL Server instead, even for "private" single user (i.e. me) applications. Internally, it uses the same files as Access, but it wraps it in a layer of comforting security.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
I've made four highly multi-user applications with Access, three now in use at manufacturing companies. The multi-user part is a challenge. I set these up so that each user gets their own appplication file on their client PC connected to the data file on the server. I've also made an auto-updater file that automatically updates the client PC with the latest files each time the user logs in.
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My dad uses it. He worked for many years as a VAT Inspector before becoming an internal auditor for Customs & Excise. This made him a very boring man. He has a number of Access DBs he has created on his laptop to store his stuff on. It is perfect for that.
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.
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I was going to say, why don't they use locaDB/sqlexpress instead, but thinking about it, if your in Africa etc, and you're an end user (not a developer), and you have need for a DB, what options do you have? I had a very quick look at access this morning, it does seem to come with ready made templates that an end user could quickly get setup and use. I'm not about to start using it!! :) But for non developer/end users that want a simple DB, what other options do they have? Search for an app already made for the job. As an example, I've just googled 'CD Database software' ... and there where lots of hits
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I have a difficult time imagining that a developer has no idea what Access is. Perhaps I missed the sarcasm? Since you already have it installed, I'd suggest that you try it and decide for yourself if it might be useful to you...it won't cost you a thing. That said, I use Access 2003 almost every day. Why? Two words: Query Designer :)
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
