Cheapest way to get Microsoft Access

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MurrayM

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#303701 1-Mar-2023 17:27

Continuing my hunt for a Microsoft Access alternative (see here) I'm thinking if I can't find a suitable alternative to Access then I might be able to use the real thing. Even though I run Linux I do have Oracle VM VirtualBox set up to run Windows 10 and it seems to run quite well, so I'm guessing I can run Access within that.

That being the case, what's the cheapest way to get Access? Can you buy it by itself like you used to be able to in the old days or is it only available via something like Microsoft 365 Personal/Family? I see I can buy Microsoft 365 Personal directly from Microsoft for $119 per year or $10 per month. I only need Access, don't need Word, Excel, Outlook, etc; any way to buy just Access?

Andib

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#3043731 1-Mar-2023 17:40

Access is avaliable as a standalone product from Microsft

https://www.microsoft.com/en-nz/microsoft-365/p/access/cfq7ttc0hhmx?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Anywhere cheaper and you start getting into the 'grey market' keys which for a business I would avoid.

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CYaBro

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#3043740 1-Mar-2023 17:50

FYI you can't use Microsoft 365 Personal/Family subscriptions in a commercial setting.

You'd need Microsoft 365 Apps for Business.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

johno1234

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#3043741 1-Mar-2023 18:01

I’m a fan of anvil which might work if you wanted something web hosted rather than desktop. There’s-a free edition.

https://anvil.works/

BarTender

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#3043747 1-Mar-2023 18:59

As someone who worked with Access a bit, I found converting everything to a SQLite database to be a better long term solution. There are ODBC drivers for SQLIte, there are plenty of free excellent GUI's, lots of tools to mass convert Access Databases to SQLite.. and it is faster than Access and cross platform. And it's free and open source.

Edit, this is how I converted the RSM MDB to SQLite: https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=49&topicid=223239&page_no=1#1869399

gbwelly

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#3043768 1-Mar-2023 21:37

Not really particularly grey market: https://store.removed

michaelmurfy

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#3043773 1-Mar-2023 22:17

Removed the link above as it is the exact gray market we're talking about when we mention gray market.

Unless if you buy it from a reputable store or straight from Microsoft you're likely buying it from a gray market if prices are "almost too good to be true".

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gbwelly

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#3043802 2-Mar-2023 07:34

michaelmurfy:

Removed the link above as it is the exact gray market we're talking about when we mention gray market.

Unless if you buy it from a reputable store or straight from Microsoft you're likely buying it from a gray market if prices are "almost too good to be true".

When you consider how many people from here have purchased this deal and activated against their Microsoft IDs, it's not a particularly grey market.

You should also head over here and get rid of this too for consistency: https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=164&topicid=303182

MurrayM

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#3043827 2-Mar-2023 08:19

BarTender:

As someone who worked with Access a bit, I found converting everything to a SQLite database to be a better long term solution. There are ODBC drivers for SQLIte, there are plenty of free excellent GUI's, lots of tools to mass convert Access Databases to SQLite.. and it is faster than Access and cross platform. And it's free and open source.

Edit, this is how I converted the RSM MDB to SQLite: https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=49&topicid=223239&page_no=1#1869399

Can you point me to some GUI's for SQLite? What I want to end up with is something that looks like an app, with menus and forms and reports (all customised with my business branding), eg a proper form and report designer. Must also enforce referential integrity (eg delete a record on the "1" side of a 1-to-many relationship and all records on the "many" side should also be automatically deleted). I don't want something that just lets me access the data in some sort of grid/table view, in fact tables and queries should be hidden away from the user. Something like SQLiteStudio doesn't do what I want.

MurrayM

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#3043828 2-Mar-2023 08:22

CYaBro:

FYI you can't use Microsoft 365 Personal/Family subscriptions in a commercial setting.

You'd need Microsoft 365 Apps for Business.

Ah, good point. I think we'll just go with that since the software in the bundle might come in handy and it includes Access.

CYaBro

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#3043838 2-Mar-2023 08:56

gbwelly:
michaelmurfy:

Removed the link above as it is the exact gray market we're talking about when we mention gray market.

Unless if you buy it from a reputable store or straight from Microsoft you're likely buying it from a gray market if prices are "almost too good to be true".

When you consider how many people from here have purchased this deal and activated against their Microsoft IDs, it's not a particularly grey market.

You should also head over here and get rid of this too for consistency: https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=164&topicid=303182

I bought a lifetime Getflix sub from that site many years ago and it’s still working so is it a grey market site?

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

Andib

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#3043847 2-Mar-2023 09:25

CYaBro:

I bought a lifetime Getflix sub from that site many years ago and it’s still working so is it a grey market site?

Being grey market doesn't mean what they're offering isn't going to work. In the case of the Microsoft software in the thread linked, I'm sure it will activate and keep going for the life of the software but for commercial use I would strongly recommend against it as those licences will not pass an Microsoft audit as they're not intended to be sold in NZ for commercial use.

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MikeAqua

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#3043961 2-Mar-2023 14:43

As a current access user (legacy application) who has done some development work in Access: Why would you do this to yourself/others?

It's basically a legacy app that Microsoft reluctantly continues to support.

It can be difficult to find people who are familiar with it if you need to outsource technical support.

It doesn't even play that nicely with other Microsoft apps.

Mike

MurrayM

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#3044200 3-Mar-2023 10:19

Because I know how to use it and can knock up what we need in just a few hours. No need to outsource anything as I can do it all myself. This is just fairly simple CRM but with custom fields and doesn't need to connect to other MS apps. Using Access seems to be the cheapest and fastest way for us to get what we want. We need something fast but there's always the possibility that we might migrate to something else in the future.

1101

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#3047149 8-Mar-2023 00:05

Andib:

Being grey market doesn't mean what they're offering isn't going to work. In the case of the Microsoft software in the thread linked, I'm sure it will activate and keep going for the life of the software but for commercial use I would strongly recommend against it as those licences will not pass an Microsoft audit as they're not intended to be sold in NZ for commercial use.

Even cracked software will work. Doesnt mean its legit.
MS (single lic) Software loaded onto more than 1 PC will activate : again not legit :-)

Ive had a clients gray market MS Office fail activation on re-install . Rang MS for activation.
MS support said it wasnt a product sold for the NZ market & refused re-activation