Is Microsoft Access a Business Intelligence Tool?

Learn how Microsoft Access can be used as a business intelligence tool, its advantages, disadvantages, and how it compares to other BI tools.

Is Microsoft Access a Business Intelligence Tool?

Applications such as MS Access and SQL Server are powerful and intelligent applications that can be used to create and maintain databases. Companies that make use of these applications can benefit from the advantages of business intelligence. MS Access is highly compatible with SQL Server and the Azure cloud, making it an excellent tool for business intelligence. Tableau Desktop is a data visualization tool designed to help users see and understand data quickly.

It is compatible with Microsoft Access files, but it doesn't support OLE DB, OLE Object, and hyperlink data types. The Microsoft Access Report Wizard is a natural choice for MS Access reports, since it's a Microsoft product. Personalized queries are also an option for companies that are not satisfied with Microsoft Access out of the box. Crystal Reports is another tool commonly used by developers who carry out report generation processes for organizations that use MS Access.

Azure Data Studio is a cross-platform database tool designed to help data professionals manage their local and cloud-based platforms. It can be difficult to migrate MS Access databases to the cloud with this tool. Business intelligence (BI) tools are essential for companies that want to automate their analysis processes and save time and effort. MS Access is commonly used for inventory management where it can be used to track items their location and other important details.

However, it can be difficult to use many of the most modern BI tools that require transferring data to the cloud. Choosing the right BI tool for your company can be a slow process as there are many options that have similar features. The most recent versions of MS Access have added support for web-based applications, mobile devices and cloud-based services, allowing users to access their data from anywhere. A large manufacturing company in the United States implemented a cloud-based business intelligence solution that balanced governance and autonomy in creating reports while providing advanced analytics.

Self-service BI platforms make business intelligence available to everyone from executives to operations teams. If you use Access databases, you can always update them to the latest version to get the most out of the application and make it one of your most powerful BI tools. The Simplilearn Business Analysis Bootcamp held in collaboration with Carlson School of Management focuses on understanding key concepts of analysis and their ability to apply them to real business problems.