Access and Microsoft Excel possess many similarities, which can make it difficult to decide which program you should use. For example, both programs can store large amounts of data, run powerful queries and analysis tools to slice and dice that data, and perform sophisticated calculations that return the data that you need.
Using Access Database With Excel
However, each program has clear advantages, depending on the type of data that you are managing and what you want to do with that data. For example, if it is your goal to maintain data integrity in a format that can be accessed by multiple users, Access is your best choice, whereas Excel is better suited for complex numerical data that you want to analyze in depth.
In many cases, you can use both programs, employing each for the purpose to which it is best suited. In general, Access is better for managing data: helping you keep it organized, easy to search, and available to multiple simultaneous users. Excel is generally better for analyzing data: performing complex calculations, exploring possible outcomes, and producing high quality charts. If you use Access to store your data and Excel to analyze it, you can gain the benefits of both programs.
Before you decide which program to use, you may want to compare the benefits of each program, learn when it is best to use one or the other, and find out how to work with both programs to achieve exactly the results that you want.
Note: All Microsoft Office suites include Excel, but not all suites include Access.
Compare the benefits of each program
Choosing the right program is critical if you want to access and update your information with maximum performance and accuracy. To find out which program is best suited for the tasks that you want to accomplish, it may help to compare the benefits that each program has to offer regarding data storage, data analysis, multi-user collaboration, and security.
Data Storage
Data analysis
Multi-user collaboration
Security
When to use Access
In very general terms, Access is the best choice when you have to track and record data regularly, and then display, export, or print subsets of that data. Access forms provide a more convenient interface than an Excel worksheet for working with your data. You can use Access to automate frequently performed actions, and Access reports let you summarize data in printed or electronic form. Access provides more structure for your data; for example, you can control what types of data can be entered, what values can be entered, and you can specify how data in one table is related to data in other tables. This structure helps you ensure that only the correct types of data are entered.
Access stores data in tables that look much the same as worksheets — but Access tables are designed for complex querying in relation to data stored in other tables.
Use Access when you:
Anticipate many people working in the database and you want robust options that safely handle updates to your data, such as record locking and conflict resolution.
Anticipate the need to add more tables to a data set that originated as a flat or nonrelational table.
Want to run complex queries.
Want to produce a variety of reports or mailing labels.
Common scenarios for using Access
When to use Excel
As a spreadsheet program, Excel can store large amounts of data in workbooks that contain one or more worksheets. However, instead of serving as a database management system, such as Access, Excel is optimized for data analysis and calculation. You can use this flexible program to build models for analyzing data, write simple and complex formulas to perform calculation on that data, pivot the data any way that you want, and present data in a variety of professional looking charts.
Use Excel when you:
Require a flat or non relational view of your data instead of a relational database that uses multiple tables, and when your data is mostly numeric.
Frequently run calculations and statistical comparisons on your data.
Want to use PivotTable reports to view hierarchical data in a compact and flexible layout.
Plan to create charts regularly and want to use the new charting formats that are available in Excel.
Want to emphasize your data by using conditional formatting icons, data bars, and color scales.
Want to perform sophisticated what-if analysis operations on your data, such as statistical, engineering, and regression analysis.
Want to keep track of items in a simple list, either for personal use or for limited collaboration purposes.
Common scenarios for using Excel
Using Access and Excel together
There may be times that you would want to take advantage of the benefits that both programs have to offer. For example, you created a worksheet in Excel in which you can calculate and analyze the data, but the worksheet has become too large and complex, and many other users need to have access to the data. At this point, you might want to import or link your worksheet into Access and use it as a database instead of working with it in Excel. Or, perhaps you have data in an Access database for which you want to create some detailed Excel PivotTable reports and professional looking Excel charts.
No matter which program you use first, you can always transfer the data from one program to the other, where you can continue to work with it. With or without a data connection, you can bring data into Access from Excel (and vice versa) by copying, importing, or exporting it.