To get the most out of data you will need to manipulate it and compare figures to reveal the impact they have, which is all possible via software programmes.

It would be unusual to collate lots of information from workplace assignments and leave them to gather dust. Practically every workplace across the globe bases its future decisions on statistics of some kind. From sales figures to customer numbers and investment from shareholders, these are all important variables to consider when attempting to make businesses thrive.

For example, a web-based firm that wishes to attract more internet visitors will most certainly track the number of clicks to various parts of its site to see which areas are most popular. It would be unwise to leave these kinds of calculations without investigating them further, as figures are a good way of highlighting relationships between data that could suggest ways of improving organisations and retention of their clients. Microsoft Excel is a great starting point for gathering the data produced by organisations such as the one mentioned in the previous example.

Tables that contain visitor numbers will show where they are spending the most time and what areas of the portal are most popular. This is very useful information, but it does not really reveal the deeper connections that could exist. For example, certain articles and stories may become more popular at different times of the year, especially if they are linked to major events that are taking place, such as the World Cup or breaking news stories.

In addition, other factors could be influencing what components of a portal are better-visited, like the seasons or new television and movie releases. In order to see if there are relationships between these kinds of factors, it may be necessary to build a database containing the information. Access has been designed to allow you to draw comparisons between different variables and tables, meaning more conclusions can be drawn from databases rather than the documents produced via Excel.

The majority of those in the workplace appreciate the data drawn from Access, but they may see the generation of these figures as a bit of a mystery. As new database products hit the market they aim to become more user-friendly, and this is true of this programme. Computer programming is moving from the realms of IT experts to the workplace as a whole, meaning it is becoming ever-more simpler to direct an application in the manner you wish.

There are lots of different terms involved when it comes to creating functions that transform your databases from dry data to reports that have lots of impact and are easy to understand. Expressions is one of those terms that may mean little to the novice but is familiar to the skilled. Simply, these are a popular way of comparing and contrasting different figures.

For example, you may want to compare the number of visitors who clicked on the clothes shopping part of your website in August as compared with September. Expressions help you to perform these tasks easily and repetitively. They assist you in delving further into the tables and reports that you have built by pulling information from throughout your databases.

For instance, you may create an expression that compares which kinds of clothes were more popular in the August as compared with September, and it may prove to be children's back-to-school items, meaning in future you can boost advertising in this sector to capitalise on interest in the products.

Access is database software that takes into account the novice programmer and the skilled. It supplies you with in-built functions and templates so you can get started using ready-made expressions. This helps take the fear out of compiling databases, allowing you to compare and contrast figures with ease.