Microsoft Access
Microsoft Access is a program that ships with Microsoft Office and allows users to retrieve, store, and organize information from a wide variety of sources. Microsoft Access is ideal for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and those who simply wish to keep track of their finances better. Microsoft Access can perform many different tasks and includes a vast number of prebuilt applications that can be used to organize information in different ways and easily share that information with other users.

User Interface
Microsoft Access features an advanced user interface system that is very easy to use and includes over one thousand available commands. The Microsoft Access user interface is context-sensitive so it displays the most relevant and most used commands for whatever the user is currently working on. The user interface has an appearance that resembles other Microsoft Office products and a comprehensive navigation provides users with quick access to applications that are being used for the project at hand. While the Microsoft Access user interface may take some time to get used to for some users, users will find that it is extremely ergonomic.How To Use Microsoft Access

Interactive Reports
The main feature of Microsoft Access is that it is able to create interactive reports based on information gathered from external sources. For example, a user could use Microsoft Access in order to create a financial report based on interest collected from four different investments. The user would be able to gather that information and make calculations based on all of the information. These reports are interactive, however, so the user is also able to change attributes in his/her reports in order to see how changes could effect the total financial system.

Attachments
Microsoft Access is also good for creating databases and attaching information to them. For example, each "record" in Microsoft Access acts as its own database and can host external files such as pictures, videos, audio files, text files, spreadsheets, and presentation files so that users are able to quickly refer to all information gathered about a specific project or topic. Microsoft Access also implements a compression protocol so that all attachments added to records will be as small as possible, thereby saving hard drive space.

Form Creator
Microsoft Access includes a very interactive and comprehensive form creator that allows users to create advanced, user-friendly forms. The Microsoft Access form creator allows users to create forms on the left side of the window while displaying the built form on the right side of the window. This is because the Microsoft Access form creator uses WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) technology to provide users with the ability to see how their finished product will look as they are building it.

Web Collaboration
Web Collaboration allows Microsoft Access to be used by many users at the same time. With Web Collaboration, users have the option of either transferring files for a specific project to an online library or moving the entire project to SharePoint Services where it can be shared and modified. Users are also able to communicate with other users who are working on the project. Web Collaboration works even when the user is offline as it saves a copy of the online library to the user's computer where it can be modified and then synchronized with the online library at a later time.

Security
Microsoft Access includes its own security protocols to help protect the user's files from those who are not authorized to see them. Users are able to enhance the security of specific files and databases in order to lock other users out. Microsoft Access also includes security features for Web Collaboration and SharePoint Services so that users are able to set specific permissions.