Manage your Growth / Target, Attract and Retain customers


Target and retain your customers with Microsoft® Access

Microsoft Access for Windows 95 makes managing your business database simple. And a well organised customer database is vital when you are trying to target, attract and retain customers.

With Microsoft Access for Windows 95, you can manage your data without having to think too much about the software you are using to do it. To get you started, three methods of designing a database are included: a database wizard containing 20 standard templates; intelligent tables linking in to Microsoft® Excel; and a table analyser wizard (which deciphers flat-file data from numerous formats and creates a relational database from them). The ërelationalí element is shielded from the user, so inexperienced users can soon learn to handle powerful queries and applications.

Extracting information is easy with three simplified tools if you are not comfortable with the Query By Example grid. The first of these is the Filter By Selection command, in which a user highlights a selection of data, then filters the underlying data in that part. This enables users to limit their view of the data they have located. Filter By Form, the second extraction tool, enables forms or datasheets to be used to formulate a query, and a function called Simple Query Wizard enables users to choose data from a drop-down box. The wizard will include any related tables where necessary, again making a complex task easy.

Integration with other applications is a vital consideration when choosing a database management system, and Microsoft Access leads the field. You can move chunks of data to and from Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel very simply. The menus in Access are consistent with all the other Microsoft Office applications. In addition, Access has a database explorer that looks like Explorer for Windows 95 - meaning users only have to understand the one navigation tool - and it supports dragging and dropping database objects onto the Windows 95 Desktop. It also works alongside the Windows 95 Briefcase for updating replicated versions of the same data on a mobile computer.

One of the most impressive features within Access 95 is the Performance Analyzer. When run at a single, large table (like that produced by Excel), it will break it down into several tables and give you a normalised database.

In fact, the Performance Analyzer will go further than that, because it will also make recommendations on how to improve performance, and then actually proceed to make the changes for you.

Of course, you will often need to look at your data in the form of a report, and Microsoft Access contains pre-defined style sheets which will give professional-looking, easy to comprehend reports at the touch of a button. Calendar Control is another very useful feature which allows users to select date ranges without having to worry about how the field is formatted. This control can also be bound to forms, and dates selected through it will be inserted into fields.

These are just some of the features that are available in Microsoft's Access 95. Its power and Wizards make it suitable for a wide range of business needs, and users should also find it easy to get to grips with.