SPSS vs Access

[Urban Planning Major]

Good day Access Guros
I want to know from the Access professionals that are familiar with SPSS
Data Editor what makes Access better. You know SPSS haves a table view and a
variable view similar to Access table datasheet view and design view SPSS
haves a suntak just like Access haves a syntax. SPSS haves frequencies
similar to Access queries and SPSS haves reports that generate graphs not
really similar to Access. My boss asked me a question about a certain
database our team is working on.He wanted me to tell him why I wouldn’t use
SPSS for our database. I didn’t know why then but after seeing a demo on SPSS
I might have to say SPSS can do it a good job. Nevertheless want can I say
that Access can do that SPSS can't do?
Thank you

 

[Matthias Klaey]

Good day Access Guros
I want to know from the Access professionals that are familiar with SPSS
Data Editor what makes Access better. You know SPSS haves a table view and a
variable view similar to Access table datasheet view and design view SPSS
haves a suntak just like Access haves a syntax. SPSS haves frequencies
similar to Access queries and SPSS haves reports that generate graphs not
really similar to Access. My boss asked me a question about a certain
database our team is working on.He wanted me to tell him why I wouldn’t use
SPSS for our database. I didn’t know why then but after seeing a demo on SPSS
I might have to say SPSS can do it a good job. Nevertheless want can I say
that Access can do that SPSS can't do?
Thank you

The main difference ist that SPSS is a statistics package and Access
is a database (frontend). SPSS is like Excel, it stores data in flat
tables, and it is not possible to relate tables among each other.

On the other hand, you can use Access (with the built in Jet Engine or
with any other Database Management System) to build and interact -
well - with a database. A database is fundamentally different from a
flat table like an Excel Worksheet or an SPSS table, in that a
database usually consist of many tables that are interrelated with
each other.

You can easily use SPSS to do graphics and reports on an Access (or
any other) database, but you cannot use SPSS to store data in the way
a database system does.

HTH
Matthias Kläy