Microsoft Access: Alive & Well In 2023

Well folks it's that time again. Time to answer everyone who emails me at least once a week asking if Microsoft is planning to retire Access. It's now 2023 and I can say with confidence that Microsoft Access is very much alive and well.

Links

• Buy Access: https://599cd.com/BuyAccess
• Access Runtime: https://599cd.com/Runtime
• Benefits of Access: https://599cd.com/Benefits
• Access Roadmap: https://tinyurl.com/yy9vbafr
• Access Online: https://599cd.com/AConWEB
• DAAUG November 2022: https://youtu.be/TC8b6DrCh7Y?t=3359

Updates

• 2023-02-18: Another great article on the topic from Karl Donaubauer over at Access Forever on how you (the Access developer) can counter rumors of Access' demise.
• 2023-02-17: The Current State of Access - presentation for the DAAUG by Karl Donaubauer.
• 2023-01-13: A student emailed me today concerned that he was "in a meeting today and was told that Microsoft will no longer be supporting Access after 2025." Yes, Access 2016 and 2019 will be heading for "end of support" in 2025, but that's just their normal schedule. They do it with ALL of their software. They're still supporting Microsoft 365, Access 2021 and whatever version comes next. Here's the full list of products reaching "end of support" in 2025. Excel and Word are on there too. Don't panic. I told him to "forward a copy of [my video] to whatever fartknocker told you this and send them a heaping serving of my SCORN!"

My Previous Video & Links

• Is Access Going Away: https://599cd.com/AccessGoingAway

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More Info

The last time I updated this video was back in 2020. I posted some links to other articles and videos including interviews with Access team managers at Microsoft. They were very emphatic that Access is alive and well and that Microsoft is continuing to develop and support it. https://599cd.com/AccessGoingAway

In fact, this question just came up again in a November 2022 online meeting of the Denver Area Access User Group where they asked team members from Microsoft if there were any plans to deprecate Access and of course their answer was absolutely not. https://youtu.be/TC8b6DrCh7Y?t=3359

So here are some of the top questions I've been asked over the last three years since I previously updated this video. The first one is: "is Microsoft Access still available?" Some people can't seem to figure out how to buy it. Well yes Microsoft Access is still available either as a standalone purchase or as part of a Microsoft 365 business subscription, which is what I recommend. https://599cd.com/BuyAccess

Is Microsoft Access free? No unfortunately unlike word and excel there is no free online version of Access. It's a desktop application only. However, if you're planning to deploy an Access solution to your office you only need to purchase one copy of Access itself. Only the developer who is building the database needs a paid copy. Everyone else in your office can run the free runtime edition. https://599cd.com/Runtime

Why should I use Microsoft Access? The top reasons are that Access is still the most popular desktop database solution for small and midsized companies. Access has a proven 30-year track record of success and yes it just celebrated its 30th birthday back in November. Access is much easier to use than other high end database solutions. It works well with other Microsoft Office products and integrates easily with things like word excel and outlook. There is tons of support out there from Microsoft Access including thousands of free videos from people like me. And if you get to the point where you start to outgrow Access you can very easily upscale it to SQL Server. Benefits of Access: https://599cd.com/Benefits

Is Microsoft still supporting Access and adding new features? Yep. They've got a page on their website called the Microsoft 365 road map where they outline what they're working on and when they expect to release it. Access Roadmap: https://tinyurl.com/yy9vbafr

Does Access work online? Access by itself is only a windows desktop application however there are lots of different ways you can use your database online including connecting to SharePoint or SQL Server, working with remote desktop software, or using a service such as Access database cloud. https://599cd.com/AConWEB

So, as you can see Microsoft Access is still very much alive and well in 2023 and will be for the foreseeable future. What I'm going to do now is include my 2020 version of this video that goes into even more detail about how Access is still relevant. Pretty much everything that I said back then is still valid today. 

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