I used to program in Access, love the package. Not sure about bookkeeping though.
You would have to program it yourself, or use it like a spreadsheet (Excel). Either way it wouldn't be as easy as Sage, as Sage is a complete package already written for you.
You can download a Microsoft Office Professional 60 Trail, just Google it.
Where you thinking to save money? Probably look at one of the online packages that is available.
Hi, A firm i work for has a database they setup which works quite well as it intergrates with job tracking sheets in a manufacturing business. It is mainly used as a cash book and doesnt have assets and liabilities but does produce a trial balance. For what it is meant to do it is very good but the book keeping side is simple but works.
As James says, Access is a bit like Excel insomuch as it an empty vessel to start with in which you create you own custom tables, queries, and reports, that are linked to each other. It is a great bit of kit, and if the database has been well constructed, it may be easy for the end user to operate.
However, using Access to create a database is not for the faint hearted. What starts off as a simple project tends to grow into a monster, when you start to break down the tables into their sub tables, or start adding more functionality.
I suspect that the client that uses it has built, or has had built, a custom database, and as such the only thing you will play with, is whatever they have had created, which will be as individual as any Excel spreadsheet you may have created. So using Access will not help with your clients bespoke database. Although it may help you understand how it works.
Okay,I am used to creating bespoke spreadsheets, so I feel confident I can manage this. Does it have a bank rec facility od do you think someone will have set one up? Thanks to all, Tony
You need to think Excel with a bit of nitrous oxide injected
Where as Excel is two dimensional, Access is multi-dimensional. If you think how many applications can be created using a blank Excel spread sheet. It is the same with Access. Which on its own is just a tool to make a new tool of your own design. It can be more or less anything the creator wants it to be.
Whether it has a facility to bank rec, will depend entirely on what has been created by the developer of the database.
I would imagine that the database itself will protected, so that no changes to its structure can be made, except by the author. What there will be is a user interface that can be used to enter the data. Until you see it, it will be impossible to say what it can do.
