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Query designer in Access is also my fallback tool when I'm having trouble figuring out how to write a SQL string in code! 
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ACCESS is so good that MS is killing it because is a big competitor of VS. ACCESS is the fastest RAD tool and you can do petty good desktop and web applications for SME or departments almost without code. Access it is simply fantastic. And of course there are millions of people using ACCESS.
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MS stopped making improvements in Access with the 2003 version. But - they have improved Access for power users since then.
It doesn't make sense for MS to put resources into improving two products for the same set of developers. The IDE in VS is much better than the IDE in Access.
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Access is great for manipulating data from one format to another, outside of that I have not used it
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I also used MSAccess for back-end DB while ago..
But now I'm using LocalDB or sometimes SQLite... 
Don't watch the clock;
Do what it does.
Keep going.....
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Many years ago but I don't want to see it again - ever.
However, I'd gladly go with dBase III and Clipper again.
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I loved Clipper - you could link c modules to it which was way cool at the time.
We can’t stop here, this is bat country - Hunter S Thompson RIP
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Access is a true RAD tool. If you can model data and build SQL Express databases it is perfect. The query builder and reporting is the best in the business. One day, building web databases will use the same techniques to build views as access uses to build forms. (instead of typing in a morass of HTML).
Most of the comments here are simply wrong - its a great tool and Microsoft has made (yet another) mistake in not developing it further.
Ray Starkey
ACCESSible IT Limited
Coventry, UK
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I fully agree with you. MS Access is a very good RAD tool and perfectly fine for smaller, tactical solutions. To throw the entire technology stack at a problem isn't always wise 
We use it in our company for various purposes.The entry level is relatively low and that maybe explains the image MS Access has. Everybody can crank something out in relative no time but in the wrong hands, the best tool can be disastrous!
When we decide MS Access is good enough for the task to solve, we still apply IT best practice in designing, programming, testing etc. We don't have many of those application but they do what they are supposed to do since years very successfully and reliable.
Cheers
Rene
Working at a larger Reinsurance Company
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True about reports. When I'm making a report in VS I wish it was as easy as it is in Access!
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It can make a very fast way to play with data with it's import abilities. Last time I used it was for facing a SQL database table in about 20 minutes start to finish - try that with anything else in that time frame 2 years ago.
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I use it for analyzing millions of records from web server logs with SQL queries about once a quarter.
Easy to import the logs, simple to write and apply custom functions for massaging column data.
Copy+Paste results into Outlook or Excel.
Easy to throw away when you are done! Just purge the table containing the log records and retain the queries and custom functions.
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You can hook Access to almost any type of database file. Easily write queries and easily make good reports. This is a great way to use Access!
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There are a ton of apps we dark matter developers need to mantain that are too massive in scale to port to other runtimes. (wheter it be because of scale of the project or because you have a dinosaur boss in the way (such as my case))
I for example, mantain a manufacturing support application that uses access, and for what is worth, it does processing crap really fast with an sql server back end. Too bad it doesn't support sql batch statements or better vb data structures.
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Yes, and Access can work quite well in small office settings. Many things work very well, but it also does have downsides (particularly handling memo fields). It you need a lot of control over keyed inputs for forms, etc., it is going to be more difficult to accomplish with access as a front-end, but most items can be done fairly quickly and work quite well.
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I am a developer of business applications with MS Access version (97) for small businesses and professional firms. Develop programs with MsAccess is a guaranteed investment over time. The programs were converted in later versions of MsAccess (2000/2003/2010/2013) with SO Xp. Win 7, Win 8 and finally with Win 10. Queries, Forms, Reports and VBA are more than enough to satisfy monoutenze and multiuser with 10 users. With accesshosting.com also work remotely.
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Yup. I made over $200k last year developing in MS Access. And in ever case, it was just the right tool.
If you are good at it, it's a great product. Not without flaws like every tool, and limiting compared to some, of course. But if used in the right situation by someone that knows what they are doing, it's simply a great tool.
I build complex applications that save tremendous amounts of time. Multi user environments are just fine. Lots of data. Lots of calculations and automation.
Like anything, it sucks in the wrong hands.
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You will find that MS Access is used widely in banks and trading companies. They use it because it is a great tool, along with Excel for modelling and reporting data sets from a wide range of sources such as SAP, Endur, Reuters, Bloomberg, Oracle, SQL Server and so on.
Up-to Access 2010 Microsoft had a great feature where you could remove the Jet database engine and replace it with SQL Server (this was called Microsoft Access Project). This would provide you with the enterprise features, security and scalability, of SQL Server with forms and reports built in. I use this feature a lot. My current project at a global trading firm is for a price risk tool that is used globally with 200+ users, hundreds of millions of records and is used to make mulit-million dollar decisions.
The forms and reports editor in Access is still a league ahead of the clunky tools available in .NET for desktop applications, although Access does lack all the fancy 3rd party add-in's you can get for .NET. Unfortunately Microsoft has neglected the tool over the years and the last good version of the tool was MS Access 2010.
I know VBA gets a bad rap as a programming language as there are a lot of bad Access databases out there but it is actually quite powerful when used correctly. You can write bad applications in any language - i have seen enough poorly written C# applications over the years.
Also the best thing about MS Access development is the pay - it is at least 50-100% higher then the top rated day rates you can get with any other programming tool available. You do need to have a trading background though to understand the models - it is that knowledge you are getting paid for, rather then your skill with VBA
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Good to here for everyone, sounds like its still very much alive and I didn't know, which is why I asked the question.
I was always led to believe that access was 'evil' and something for hobby use only, So I never got involved.
Your right, you can use any language to write bad code/projects.
I think its time we had a survey!! Top 10? but which ones, I'm sure this will divide the community, and possible the world 
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YES, I use MS-Access.
There is no other choice if you need a multi-user database shared over a network, and you can not install SQL Server or any other database server.
And you cannot achieve this with SQLite or SqlServer Compact Edition.
___
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Yes, it is used... actually quite a bit. Generally, not by developers, but by users.
It is used in commercial software (e.g. gINT)
Should you use it? Probably not.
Should gINT use it? Probably not.
When should you use it? If you have to give a database to a non-programmer who has Access installed on their machine or some other rare use case where is makes sense.
I've actually use (yes present tense) an Access front end to process some SQLite files and it does what I need no fuss no muss.
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I have seen in use by businesses that have poor IT skills and got sold incredibly expensive applications biult with Access.
Please, DON'T use it or recommend it. There are lots of free tools that do much more and are better supported.
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carlospc1970 wrote: have poor IT skills
.. key phrase.
Like anything when abused.
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We're still using it, although after the best part of a year of inexplicable crashes and corruption errors we're in the process of replacing our main database for another one. There's still loads of cheap crappy databases floating about though (some of which are now also developing random bugs even though the source code hasn't changed in months.)
I'd agree with others that it has its place, but its place isn't in a corporate environment. As a rule, it only ever seems to be used in a multi-user setting out of either necessity or cost. Avoid in all other cases.
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I think most issues with Access come from inexperienced developers and a fussy user base. It's easy enough to build some simple things in Access and so people with limited knowledge think they can build high level tools. Those people are dangerous. Again - the problem is with who is developing, not the tool itself. If you know what Access is and you know how to design a proper UI and database, as well as code, then there is nothing that can match the ease and cost efficiency.
I make a living at Access development and I have hundreds of applications in use. Many mutli-user environments. Many with massive amounts of data (though the bigger data sets use a SQL back end), and my user base is happy as can be.
I can do more in .net, obviously, but the infrastructure is much more expensive. If you have an application that does not need to be online (forms-wise), Access is the cheapest, fastest way to go. And in the right hands, at least as powerful. People should stop blaming Access for the crappy skills of many of the people that try to develop in it.
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