features sql server 2016 versus sql server 2016 express

This makes SQL Server well suited for database driven websites. Microsoft Access on the other hand, doesn't handle this type of load very well. SQL Server was designed to have many hundreds, or even thousands of users accessing it at any point in time. SQL Server is a more robust database management system than Access. SQL Server can be quite expensive, depending on the licence (although there are free options available). If you already have Access installed as part of the Microsoft Office suite, purchasing SQL Server is an extra expense that may not be necessary - depending on your situation. In fact, forms and reports can be generated within a single click in Access.Īnother reason you might use Access instead of SQL Server is money. Plus, generating a report is a lot easier in Access. Not something you can do with SQL Server - you'll need a separate application for that.

You can also create forms straight from within Access.

It has a uniform interface that is consistent with the rest of the Office suite which can be great if you're an Office user.Īccess also includes wizards that walk you through the process of doing something new. You can often email an Access database file to someone and they can just double-click to open it.Īccess is generally a lot easier to use than SQL Server - especially for beginners. Many corporate environments and small businesses have Office installed. One reason you might choose to use Access over SQL Server is for compatibility/sharing. It's for this reason that Access has traditionally been used for smaller applications, with a small number of users accessing it simultaneously. It is often used by small businesses and corporate departments for building small database applications that serve a specific purpose.Īccess has lower specifications than SQL Server (see below), so there are many things it can't do that SQL Server can. Microsoft Access is a desktop relational database management system (RDBMS) that comes as part of the Office suite of products. Here's a comparison of Microsoft Access and SQL Server from a technical perspective, as well as from a functionality standpoint.

Features sql server 2016 versus sql server 2016 express