Microsoft Access supports direct import of spreadsheet data from files you've created in Microsoft Excel or saved as XLS or XLSX files in another application capable of creating Excel-compatible ...

If you find that you are frequently creating new sheets, or need to create complex calculations, switch to an Access database and import the sheets you have already created in Excel.

For such scenarios, Access is a vastly superior tool to Excel. In Access, you would create one table (a list) of employees, with each record containing the employee’s name and ID number.

Excel possesses formidable database powers. Creating a relational database starts with a Master table that links to subordinates called (awkwardly) Slave, Child, or Detail tables.

Microsoft Office is more than the sum of its parts—you can link an Excel database table to an Access database, integrating your data and adding value. Here's how.