Quote:
Originally Posted by RWebb
Excel is like a flat file database - if you need relational then go to Access
I haven't used it in decades, and was never able to wean myself off of dBase II, etc. - ultimately my need for a database died...
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If you need relational then I'd recommend MariaDB (the Free fork of MySQL. You can still get MySQL free and kinda Free but it isn't as Free as some would like, hence the fork) and any programming language, perhaps a browser front end.
Learning how to do it using MySQL and say Java or Python or PHP won't be any harder than doing it with Access, and it frees you up on a lot of things, like being able to move to other bigger better platforms/servers, change operating systems, you aren't dependent on future compatibility with Office stuff, etc.
If you really want access the OpenOffice equivalent (Base) does the form design, etc. like Access but talks to MySQL/MariaDB on the back end.
If you have an Access db, it is possible to do a one time one way "upgrade" to move the data to a MS SQL server but then you are still stuck with MS and license fees and depending on their future compatibility.