New Access Targets Wider Audience

Selinda Chiquoine

Although Access 1.0 did an admirable job of allowing developers to write applications without having to delve into code, Microsoft's $99 introductory price tag attracted many end users who were overwhelmed by the program. Microsoft has added ease-of-use features to Access 2.0 for end users and developers alike while also improving its programming capabilities. Access 2.0 is what Microsoft wanted Access 1.0 to be: an easy-to-use, full-featured, relational database for Windows.

Although Wizards and Builders guide the creation of tables, forms, and queries, Access 2.0 is not a simple program. Yes, Access targets end users, but it also serves power users and developers. Based on my use of a preliminary version of Access 2.0, the new ease-of-use features will be welcomed- -and needed--by less-technical end users.

For the first-time database user, I still lean toward Lotus Approach for Windows: It's less intimidating, and its learning curve is not as steep as Access's. But Access 2.0's ToolTips, Wizards, and cue cards have narrowed the end-user gap significantly. And, with Access 2.0, Microsoft's adherence to the menu structure found in other Microsoft Office Windows applications is paying off. Users familiar with other Office products will be able to perform basic commands immediately.

Lotus and Borland both target a narrower segment of the database audience with their respective Windows databases than does Access: Approach targets end users who want to create applications without having to confront programming tools, and Paradox targets developers. However, Lotus plans on eventually adding its own programming language, LotusScript, to Approach. And Borland will add tools to make Paradox easier to use for end users, says Vince Casarez, product manager for Paradox . But if you want a Windows database today that offers both power and ease of use, the nod goes to Access 2.0.

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Illustration: Access's ease-of-use features should appeal to end users and developers alike. For example, to create a table, you can either use a Table Wizard or write a SQL statement in a data-definition query. Microsoft has added FoxPro's efficient Rushmore technology to make set queries execute much faster than in Access 1.1.