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Customer case study: moving from Excel to Access

We love Excel (as-a-matter-a-fact, both teams report up to the same VP) but there are times where it isn’t the best tool for a database :-). Steven Thomas recently did an interview with Cancer Lifeline about how they moved from Excel to Access. Here is the article intro:

Sometimes a business solution is created by using Excel when Access is more appropriate. Or, perhaps Excel was originally a good idea, but the data has outgrown an Excel solution and it is time to use a database program. Fortunately, you can move your business data from Excel to Access.

Cancer Lifeline, a non-profit organization based in Seattle, originally designed its grant-tracking system by using Excel. After running into trouble with data redundancy, they decided it was time to give Access a try.

Dr. Kerry Fowler provides volunteer IT support for Cancer Lifeline. He agreed to an interview in which we discussed Cancer Lifeline's IT needs, his role and technical background, how they used Excel, and what they have done with Access.

View article…

Posted: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 10:28 PM by Clint Covington

Comments

grovelli said:

http://www.dmreview.com/news/1030746-1.html gives a very good rationale for why Access and Excel should keep on staying together within Office and why their future is bright.

# August 7, 2008 2:43 PM

Joe Dowski said:

grovelli....I read the article you linked to....I'm not sure that that put Access/Excel in the best light or not.  Again, it goes back to one's own point of view.  If you're IT you would view all the spreadsheets & databases as a bad thing because you have no control....If however, you're the business, you love Excel/Access precisely because you have the control over analysis & presentation, etc.....

# August 7, 2008 4:06 PM

grovelli said:

Hi Joe, you're right, I'm part of the second category :-) and I think that's the environment Access+Excel have to leverage if they want to keep on thriving.

# August 7, 2008 4:25 PM

Joe Dowski said:

grovelli,

FYI, I'm right there with you as an analyst attached to the business rather than IT.. : )

J.

# August 8, 2008 9:59 PM

grovelli said:

And I'm an energy manager whose performance got a boost by using Access :-) My personal experience makes me believe that business managers would improve the quality of their job if they tapped into Access but not many do(to their detriment) because of the amount of the time and dedication it takes to become proficient in it but the internet has changed that(for me at least) because it allows me to rub shoulders with people who develop Access programs for a living and I've soaked as much as I could! :-)

I guess Clint could indeed land on the home page of CNN or quoted by the Wall Street Journal if he succeeded in moulding Access so that it becomes mandatory for biz managers! :-)

# August 9, 2008 3:31 AM
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