Difference Between Excel vs Access
Excel and access are both Microsoft products and are both useful for analysis of data and are widely used in corporations and big multinational companies to send across data and vital information both in and outside the companies. But excel and access are quite different in their use, nature, and functions. In this excel vs access article, we will try and understand the major differences between excel vs access and how they are different from each other in working and scope and their limitations.
Head To Head Comparison Between Excel vs Access (Infographics)
Below is the top 5 difference between Excel vs Access
Key Differences Between Excel vs Access
Both Excel vs Access are popular choices in the market; let us discuss some of the major Difference Between Excel vs Access.
- Excel is extensively used by financial analysts as it is used for the analysis of data and draw insights from it. Excel has built-in rows and columns, which help in referencing when applied formula on excel. Excel also has functions to make graphs, charts, summaries, and dashboards. On the other hand, Access is used basically for collecting and sorting of heavy data.
- Access is used as a part of Relational Database Management Systems. Access is quite helpful in the operations of small businesses. It does not have a limitation of data like excel and can also store various databases that are quite huge in size and numbers. On the other hand, Microsoft excel limitation if large dataset and used to run analysis on the file size becomes quite heavy in nature and also makes it difficult to draw insights from
- Access allows you to build relationships between different data sources and tables in order to perform complex queries. With access, the user can also link to data in larger external SQL, which is an advanced version of coding known as structured query language databases. On the other hand, excel can be expressed as a flat-file containing various rows and columns, and each data cell can contain only one value at a given time; it allows the user to build relationships among various databases and makes it more complex when pondered in light of storing and sorting of data.
- In order to use access, one needs to understand various programming concepts and coding in order to exploit and rightly use most of the features of access. On the other hand, in excel, the user does not need to know any programming concepts or anything to go through the databases. It is also simple to draw various summary sheets and graphs in excel. Any user with a basic understanding of excel can draw valuable analysis from excel.
- Excel is available in all the basic editions of the Microsoft office suite whereas, access is available not in the basic editions of Microsoft suites and is included only in professional and higher editions of Microsoft office suite or sold online separately.
Excel vs Access Comparison Table
Below is the 5 topmost comparison between Excel vs Access
|
Excel |
Access |
| Excel is easy to learn. Anybody having a basic knowledge of excel can draw analysis and valuable insight from it. | Access is a difficult tool to learn, and one needs to know the programming concepts in order to fully utilize and make use of all the features present in access. |
| Excel is similar to paper spreadsheets. | Access contains tables, queries, forms, reports modules, macros, etc. |
| Excel is less flexible as compared to access | Access has more flexibility as compared to excel |
| Excel works on the data model of a non-relational or flat worksheet | Access works on the model of multiple relational tables and sheets |
| Financial analyst and other analysts majorly use Excel to do financial and other kinds of analysis | Access is generally used by MIS and other people in the industry to store and manage different data sets |
Conclusion
Both Microsoft Excel vs access are vital tools to work on. An individual looking to make a career in data analysis and number crunching should know either of the two Microsoft tools to show his or her value in the company he is working. Excel can also do complex calculations and can help build an automated model and reporting dashboards. Excel is also ideal to create on-time analysis and easy to generate custom output.
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