Second question and another reason to export your data into Access is the amount of data you're holding in Excel. If you have a lot of data, Access can make finding, reporting and filtering your data much easier.
A third question to ask is, what kind of data are you manipulating - text or numbers? Excel excels at numbers and the calculations you perform on them. But if you need to store text, then use Access because Access can store a large amount of text, up to 2GB. Also, Access lets you create data entry forms so users enter data just way you want it to be entered, so there's less chance of error. If you're interested in reports, then you would also choose Access over Excel.
If you have multiple users working simultaneously - Access does this very well. Excel lets you share a workbook, but is really designed for one user at a time. However, if you like using visual displays like Pivot Charts and Tables, then Excel is the way to go!
By now you should have a good idea when to use Excel and when to use Access. If you need more help choosing, using or building a spreadsheet or a database, give me a call, I'll be happy to assist you.
Please download a PDF of my presentation Choose Access or Excel
