[]what is the difference between access & execl?

gilbert

Hey,guys,
to be honest,i do not really konw what the difference between microsoft access and execl,how to compare and contrast them ,i know how to use these stuff,but i have no idea about that difference between them,as i know execl is about calculations,visualiztion and simulation,and access is about database applications and implications.but i still can not undertand about that,any one has any clues,thanks

liamo

Excel is a spreadsheet application. Access is a database application.

If you don't know the difference between them then you need to do a bit of research.

Here are links to some Wikipedia articles.

Spreadsheet
Database
Excel
Access

As to comparing and contrasting them - in what context? Excel has some lookup functionality but it's not a database system. Access has many maths functions but it's not a spreadsheet. They're both crap for word-processing though.

Regards,

Liam

Rollo Tamasi

liamo wrote:

They're both crap for word-processing though.

true, i would say excel would be a better word processor than access thou

democrates

I now use openoffice calc spreadsheet and mysql database, but the differences are much the same.

Spreadsheets allow both data and calculations easily in each cell, and based on the contents/results from other cells as required. But it can be very easy to corrupt your data at any time when updating or sorting, and you may have to go into each cell to verify what it's doing. Modern spreadsheets have nice built-in graphing/charting capabilities.

Databases focus on data integrity, and allow you to report your data any way you want. They ensure records ('rows') remain discrete, you can't sort on one column and end up with data from one record landing in another as can happen in a spreadsheet. But the design must be done right, and that will take some time to learn. Also you'll most likely want to build various user interfaces on, I use php with mysql. This means if your database changes so must your code.

I use both, simply picking the right tool for any particular job. Some examples might shed more light.

Spreadsheets are perfect for once-off calculations. I'll be doing one to compare using the ssia cash to pay down the mortgage versus sticking it in northern rock. Do the calculations for one year, then copy and paste for years ahead. In practice there's a good deal of chopping and changing to get it right, but then copy and paste and it's done. If I pay down the mortgage, that spreadsheet might ever be used again.

They're also good for getting something up and running quickly. At the moment I'm doing my books in a speadsheet because I needed it done straight away for the vat man. As I settle on what data I'm storing, in parallel I'm designing a database for the job so I can rely on records being discrete, report it any way I want, eg vat3, payments due, balance sheet, and add other functions like customer account mangement, task lists etc.

The database will also make it easier to have more than one person using the system so I'm positioned for growth, and I can keep an audit trail of all changes. There's a key difference right there, for a number of people working off the same data, you can't beat a database. You can do it with spreadsheets, but only in certain circumstances.

When developing database reports I often copy and paste the records to calc and use it to do the calculations, comparing results with what my code is producing.

Spreadsheets are quite handy for form design too, very easy to get questions and answer boxes aligned and bordered nicely.

seamus

Use a word processor for word processing.

If you find yourself typing a lot of text into excel, then you're using the wrong program. If you're using excel to have a specific layout to your document, you're using the wrong program.

If you don't know what Access does, you don't need to use it.

gilbert

thanks,guys,i do know them,i also know how to use them,but i just can not tell people about my experience of using.i will try to do some research,thanks guys.:D

democrates

seamus wrote:

If you're using excel to have a specific layout to your document, you're using the wrong program.

In my experience an exception to this is designing forms. I did up a few questionnaires before with a list of questions and either descriptive answers or tick one of five rating boxes.
I did the first one in word, but I found excel allowed me to do it far faster, particularly because it makes alignment a doddle. Word has good alignment tools for sure, great for entity diagrams and what not, but with excel it's implicit in the grid, far less effort. Borders and fills are also readily to hand.

TempestSabre

If you know how to use them the answer should be obvious. In what context is the question being asked?

liamo

gilbert wrote:

thanks,guys,i do know them,i also know how to use them,but i just can not tell people about my experience of using.i will try to do some research,thanks guys.:D

Instead of asking yourself what the difference is between these two applications (because clearly you're having difficulties answering that question), think of situations where a Spreadsheet or a Database would be used in a commercial environment. Then ask yourself why a Spreadsheet could not be used in place a Database and vice versa. For example, I'm sure Google doesn't run its submitted searches against an array of Excel instances. Ask yourself why. Also, if you had set up a spreadsheet filled with formulae referencing data in other cells, allowing a complex what-if scenario, why could a database not be simply dropped in as a replacement?

Regards,

Liam

TempestSabre

Both are data stores. You'd have to look at why you use different types of data store.