Microsoft Access is a database application. Part of the Microsoft Office Suite (depending on version), Access makes it easy to organize and store data, as well as creating data presenttaion and capture applications.

While the most familiar data entry interface is very similar to Microsoft Excel, the underlying application allows you to:

• Query data
• Sort & Filter Data
• Create Reports
• Collate data from different tables
• Build User-friendly Forms for Data Capture

In addition, for developers, it's tight integration with the SQLdatabase programming labguage makes it perfect for use in a corporate environment

On the front-end, a series of well thought out wizards facilitate the setting up and editing of the inital database. Coupled with a reasonable set of help files, and great online support from a huge user base, it is an excellent choice for small to medium businesses.

For use on web servers, or for larger corporations, mySQL, Oracle or other relational databases would potentially be a better fit.