The setback which comes with Access is that time needs to be spent to create a database which is in complete working order with no glitches. It also has no special graphical features to present your data.
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is also part of the software package Microsoft Office. It is spreadsheet software specially designed for calculating large amounts of numbers or data. Excel is much easier to use than Access although there are some functions which need to be learnt in order to create a working spreadsheet.
Unlike Access, Excel is better at processing information into statistical data. There are features which can turn your standard data into percentage data in the form of a pie chart for example. This makes the data clearer and can enable effective business decision making.
Like Access , Excel too has a query feature to single out specific data:
In the form I can look for 02 tariffs which have 100 minutes in 2 of the fields. I can then return to the tariff sheet to look at the values it has come up with.
This easy to use spreadsheet can be effortlessly be used to find a number of pieces of data. This makes it ideal for businesses because it allows the management easy access to current tariffs and the current market prices. From this they can decide better and more popular choices for their own customers.
Similarities
Both Access and Excel are intended to work out different problems. But both have similar features which are able to do the same thing in their own way. Here are some examples of the similarities between the two:
First of all both pieces of software are Microsoft, this means they have the same fonts, toolbars, functions and compatibility. This is ideal for a business if the company has both pieces of software because the staff will have a good idea how to use both because of the graphical and positional similarities.
Because both are from Microsoft they both have the ‘Macro’ option, this is an option which can be utilised to speed up tasks which have already been setup. For example if in a Excel spreadsheet and 30 values needed to be added to a table a macro could be setup so that one push on the keyboard could input the 30 values instantly therefore saving time and workload. Similarly in Access if 30 values needed to be added to a form a macro could be setup to input them instantly.
Differences
Access and Excel were designed to do tasks better than each other, some examples of these are:
Access is much more of a database program. You can create huge databases which can be searched, queried and updated easily. Excel however only has simple database features which can hold lots of data but less organised with less complex query options.
On the other hand Excel has a complex calculation feature. Using this feature you can easily workout large numbers on a big scale with programmable formulas. Access doesn’t have this feature and can only do limited calculations.
Conclusion
Taking into account both of these pieces of software can be used to process information I will make a decision on which is best for business decision-making.
Access has the capability of holding large amounts of data securely and clutter free. However Excel data can only be stored on the spreadsheet so all data is on view at one time; this can make the data hard to interpret.
Access can single out data make finding certain information easy with its search functions whereas Excel has all the data on screen.
Excel however easily produces effective business decision making with its graphical representation of data features. Like creating a pie chart to understand what percentages of stock are being sold for example.
In my opinion Excel should be used to make business decision making due to the fact data can be easily understood through the chart and table features.
