Microsoft Access

Microsoft Access is a database management system (part of the Microsoft Office suite of applications) that uses a relational database engine, more precisely: Microsoft Jet Database Engine, and provides:

• graphical user interface
• software-development tools

Also, it has the capability to import or link directly to the data stored in other applications and databases.

Advantages 

• Easy-to-use interface
• Beginners can create databases using a large number of templates
• Good for small businesses with small datasets and limited number of users
• Low costs

Disadvantages

• Difficulty dealing with databases larger than 2 GB in size
• Microsoft Access cannot handle large data requests

Components

• Tables
• Relationships
• Queries
• Forms
• Reports
• Macros
• Modules (used for writing and storing Visual Basic for Applications - VBA)

Development tools 

• Access provides a graphical interface for database management, design and creating queries. It also provides two COM libraries for database interaction.

Versions

• Microsoft Access 1.1
• Microsoft Access 2.0
• Microsoft Access for Windows 95
• Microsoft Access 97
• Microsoft Access 2000
• Microsoft Access 2002
• Microsoft Access 2003
• Microsoft Access 2007
• Microsoft Access 2010
• Microsoft Access 2013