Build databases faster and easier than before

Forget the learning curve. Out-of-the box templates and reusable components make Access 2010 a fast and simple database solution.

• Get started in just a few clicks. Find new built-in templates you can start using without customization, or select templates from Office.com and customize them to meet your needs.

• Build your databases with new modular components using new Application Parts and add prebuilt Access components for common tasks to your database in a few simple clicks.
  
  

Create more impactful forms and reports

Access 2010 brings you the innovative tools you’d expect from Microsoft Office to help you easily create professional, informative forms and reports.

• Conditional formatting now supports data bars and you can now manage your conditional formatting rules from a single intuitive view.
  
  
  
  

• The addition of Office themes in Access 2010 gives you the ability to coordinate numerous database objects in just a couple clicks and makes formatting a breeze.

Get easier access to the right tools at the right time

Locate the commands you need when you want them and where you want them.

• Easily customize the improved Ribbon to make the commands you need most accessible. Create custom tabs or even customize built-in tabs. With Access 2010, you’re in control.

• Manage your database and obtain a faster, more direct route to your database tools from the new Microsoft Office Backstage™ view. The Backstage view replaces the traditional File menu in all Office 2010 applications to provide a centralized, organized space to manage your database and customize your Access experience.

Add automation and complex expressions without writing a line of code

Access 2010 empowers you to be your own developer by bringing you simplified and easy-to-use tools—even if you consider yourself a database novice.

• The enhanced Expression Builder greatly simplifies your formulas and expressions with IntelliSense. Reduce errors and spend more time focusing on building your database.

• With the revamped Macro Designer, it’s now even easier for you to add basic logic to your database. If you’re an experienced Access user, you’ll find the enhancements are more intuitive for creating complex logic and enable you to extend your database application.

Get a centralized landing pad for your data

Access 2010 offers easy ways to bring your data together and increase work quality.

• Include Web Services and Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Business Connectivity Services data right in the applications you build. You can now connect to data sources via newly added Web Service protocol.²

• Import and link data from a broad range of other external sources such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Outlook, and more. Or, collect and update your data via e-mail—no server required.

Access your database in new ways

Newly added Access Services on Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 enables you to make your databases available on the Web with new Web databases.

• Start collaborating right away. Post your databases online and then access, view, and edit them from the Web. Users without an Access client can open Web forms and reports via a browser and their changes are automatically synchronized.
  
  
  

Whether you’re a large corporation, small-business owner, nonprofit organization, or if you’re just looking for more efficient ways to manage your personal information, Access 2010 makes it easier to get what you need done more quickly, with more flexibility, and with better results.

¹ This feature requires Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 to publish and share a Web database.
² Support for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Business Connectivity Services is configured in SharePoint Server 2010.

Apply professional designs across your Access database.

Take advantage of familiar and appealing Office themes and apply them to your databases with high fidelity both on the Access client and the Web. Choose from a variety of themes, or design your own custom theme, to get great looking forms and reports.

Add navigation to your database using drag-and-drop functionality.

Create professional looking, Web-like navigation forms to make your frequently used forms or reports more accessible without writing any code or logic. Choose from six predefined navigation templates with a combination of horizontal tabs or vertical tabs. Applications with a large number of Access forms or reports can be displayed using multi-level horizontal tabs. Simply drag-and-drop forms or reports to display.

Accomplish your work more quickly and easily.

Access 2010 simplifies how you find and use features. The new Microsoft Office Backstage™ view replaces the traditional File menu to let you publish, back up, and manage your database with just a few clicks. And, with the improved Ribbon, you can access your favorite commands even more quickly by customizing tabs or creating your own to personalize the experience to your work style.

Build your expressions effortlessly using IntelliSense.

The simplified Expression Builder makes it faster and easier for you to build out logic and expressions in your database. IntelliSense — Quick Info, ToolTips, and AutoComplete — enables you to reduce errors, spend less time memorizing expression names and syntax, and spend more time focusing on building application logic.

Design your macros faster than before.

Access 2010 has a revamped Macro Designer that makes it easier to create, edit, and automate database logic. The Macro Designer enables you to be more productive, reduce coding errors, and easily incorporate more complex logic to create robust applications. Increase code maintainability by using Data Macros to attach logic to your data, centralizing the logic on the source tables. With the more powerful Macro Designer and Data Macros, you can extend automation outside the Access client to SharePoint Web databases and other applications that update your tables.

Turn portions of your database into reusable templates.

Save time and effort by reusing database parts built by other users in your database. You can now save frequently used Access objects, fields, or collections of fields as templates that you can add to your existing databases and make you more productive. Application Parts can be shared across your organization to create consistency in building database applications.

Integrate your Access data with live Web content.

You can now connect to data sources via Web service protocol. Include Web services and line-of-business applications data right in the databases you build through Business Connectivity Services. ² And, the new Web Browser control enables you to integrate Web 2.0 content in your Access forms.

¹ This feature requires Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 to publish and share a Web database.

² This feature is configured in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010.