When building a database, there are important questions and considerations to keep in mind. Databases can be complicated to design, which is why some businesses choose to have them built by a data consultant or DBA. If your business uses Microsoft Access, creating a database on your own isn’t difficult.
To ensure a smooth process, we recommend asking yourself the following questions.
What is the Purpose of the Database?
First and foremost, you must decide what the purpose of your database is. Will it be responsible for tracking inventory? Storing customer contact information? This information will help you develop the appropriate database. For example, if you plan on building a database with customer information, you might use the first column to input the customer’s ID number, the next column for the customer’s name and so on.
Who will be Using the Database?
Another important consideration is who will be using the database. It’s possible that the spreadsheet will only be accessible to a few people in the company, or it might be shared with many users. Access 2016 makes it easy to share Access applications with your colleagues. You can also allow some users to make edits while others will have view-only access.
What is the Database Replacing or Improving?
Is your database being upgraded? If so, what do you hope that this database will do better? In most cases, businesses upgrade their databases because they need them to be faster and more efficient. If your current database can’t keep up with your demands, you will notice redundant data, slow load times and missing information. As you build out a new database, make sure these issues are fixed.
Do You Need to Move Data from Excel?
Microsoft Access is the natural progression from Microsoft Excel. If you know that Access is right for your business, you’ll probably want to move over data from Excel. You can do this by copying and pasting the data into your new database, or you can import the data into a new database. Excel and Access are meant to be used together, so you’ll find it fairly straightforward when sharing information across the two software programs.
Not all databases have to be complicated. With Microsoft Access, you can easily build the databases you need to help your business run more efficiently. If you have questions about building a database, call the Arkware team. We are experienced with MS Access and offer support services and database replacement services.