Access
Most business users will have the business version of Microsoft Office, that includes Access in the package.
Having got this program, a surprising number of users then use Excel or, worse still, Word, to construct databases.
While there is a learning curve attached to Access, the same can be said of most programs.
Examples of Access applications are given below:
Example 1
A solicitor client maintained a client ledger using a loose-leaf folder. It was my misfortune as reporting accountant to the Law Society
to review this system every six months, and there were invariably mistakes in a hideously cumbersome system. The person in charge of the
ledger left suddenly, and I was called in to maintain it until a replacement was found. I seized the opportunity to replace the manual system
with an Access-based client ledger, where all transactions were posted automatically to Sage. The client's annual audit and accountancy fee
reduced by 90%, and my system was approved by the Law Society on a subsequent visit. Review visits were reduced to once every two years.
Example 2
A chamber of commerce had a large and complex membership database maintained on a card index system. Given the length of some members'
membership, the state of their cards left much to be desired, and the information stored was illegible. I aws invited to address the problem
and created an Access based members ledger, again linked to Sage. The organisation were able to lose a member of staff with the new and
improved system. In addition, they expanded the system to incorprate event management, wich led to a 100% improvemnt in revenue from that source.