Obtaining Microsoft Access 365

The usual method for obtaining Microsoft Access 365 is through a Microsoft 365 subscription. Here's a breakdown of the most common and recommended ways:
✅ 1. Microsoft 365 Subscription (Recommended)
🔹 For Individuals or Businesses:
You get Access as part of certain Microsoft 365 plans.

Plan	Includes Access?	Notes
Microsoft 365 Personal	✅	For one user, includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher
Microsoft 365 Family	✅	For up to 6 users
Microsoft 365 Apps for Business	✅	For businesses, no Exchange/Teams
Microsoft 365 Business Standard	✅	Includes Access, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint
Microsoft 365 Enterprise Plans (E3, E5)	✅	Full suite, for larger organizations

👉 You can install Access via:

• https://www.office.com
• Click “Install Office” > Custom installation allows selecting Access.

🛍️ 2. Standalone Purchase (Less Common)
You can also buy Microsoft Access 2021 as a standalone application (one-time purchase):

• Available on Microsoft Store or third-party retailers.
• Does not receive continuous updates like Access 365.
• Best for those avoiding subscriptions.

💡 Notes for Developers

• Microsoft Access is only available for Windows, not macOS.
• Microsoft 365 subscriptions allow you to install Access on up to 5 devices per user.
• As a developer, you may also use Access Runtime (a free, read-only version) for deploying apps to users without full Access.

🚀 Typical Installation Steps (after purchase):

1. Go to https://account.microsoft.com
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account.
3. Under "Services & Subscriptions", click Install Office.
4. Follow the installer — Access will be installed with the suite (or you can customize to include only Access).

Microsoft Access and Excel are both part of the Microsoft 365 suite, but they serve different purposes. Access is a database management system, ideal for managing and analyzing large amounts of structured data, while Excel is a spreadsheet program, primarily used for calculations, data analysis, and visualization. Access is included in various Microsoft 365 subscriptions
In addition to a Web browser, you will need Microsoft Access 365 as well as Excel 365. The reason for Excel is that I will be showing you how to import and export data between Access and Excel. Access should already be installed on your PC, this course does not cover the installation process. You will be working on a course project called Clients and Consulting Database. (You will learn more about the course project later in this module.) Part of your learning will also take place in the Northwind database that comes with Access. One last feature you will want to have installed with Access is the Calendar ActiveX control that comes with Access. Install this from Setup if you have not installed Access yet. If you have already installed Access, you may want to reinstall it to use the Calendar ActiveX control.

I recommend several books to assist you as you work with Access. One is a quick reference and gives instructions about how to complete tasks, but does not delve much into why or when you might need to do the task. The others are more complete references with lots of explanatory text and examples. Each book represents the years 2013 and 2016, you should refer to the version of the book that matches your version of the software. Here are the recommended books:
Access 2019
To purchase a copy of any of these texts, click on the links above.

You will need to download a copy of the Consulting database to work on throughout the course. You will also find an Excel spreadsheet file that you will need to complete the exercises later in this course.

• Additional Resources
  You will find a number of helpful links to Access reference materials on the Help page.
  Click the Help button on the toolbar to go to this page.
  In the next lesson, we will examine some of the features you can expect to encounter throughout the course.

Click the Exercise link below to proceed with downloading the Consulting database you will need for the course.
Consulting Database - Exercise