It is not fair to say “Access is better than Excel” or “Excel is better than Access”. The question is not about one program being better than the other. The question should be “which program is most suited for the data and the users?” This means that an understanding of the data and users is essential to make an informed decision regarding which program to use for a project. While not an exhaustive list, these are some questions to consider about the data:

• Will the data be updated and reported upon regularly?
• Does the data contain multiple attributes regarding multiple entities?
• Are those entities related and thus the data related?
• Does the data require strict control in order to maintain a high level of data integrity?
• Will the data be aggregated into complex reports?
• Will structural changes to the data be made over time?
• Will reports be added to the program over time?
• Does the data require high level security?

Similarly, here are some questions to consider about the users:

• Who will be entering the data into the program?
• What level of computer skills do those users posess?
• Will the same users be retrieving data from the program for reporting purposes?
• If no, what level of computer skills do the retrieving users possess?
• Are the users geographically located in the same place?
• Will the users need to access the program from different computer systems?

The purpose of the questions regarding both data and users is to assess the needs of both. The more complex the data the more likely Access is the best fit. If the data is relational, then Access is the fit since, as mentioned in the previous section, Excel handles nonrelational data. Additionally, if the users have low levels of computer skills, Access provides the database developer with ways to make data entry and retrieval user-friendly.
Microsoft provides examples of appropriate use of Access. Those include such purposes as tracking of inventory, assets, orders, tasks and/or nutrition, managing contacts, organizing lending libraries and event planning. Click here to see more information from Microsoft about when to use Access and Excel.