With the many databases on the market, one common vernacular is ODBC, open database connectivity. For one thing, this software lets you build your own repository of information without having to ask any programmer or the MIS department to do it for you. This needs to be set up only once. After that, accessing the data is a matter of clicking the mouse and keying a password. You do not need to know anything about databases to use Microsoft Access.
Access presents data in a familiar spreadsheet-like format shown in rows and columns.
It takes Access as little as 10 seconds to program a report, run it, and send the results to the printer. They include varying type sizes, and fonts neatly decorated with shaded patterns and borders. For colors, Access includes a color palette and Microsoft graph. For example, suppose you want to see all the journal entries that have passed through the cash account on the balance sheet. Then key the cash account number and click the Run Query button.