#2: Learning Curve:
Microsoft Access has such a low learning curve that in the mid to late 90′s. it spanned an entire industry of power uses.

Motivated business users that were intimidated by the learning curve associated with a lot of data analysis tools, found it easy to purchase and install microsoft access and then start modeling / analyzing data.

A lot of other data analysis tools that were described with words such as: “powerful, robust, enterprise,”, etc. were useless because the average user could not overcome the barrier of learning time or the steep learning curve.

Even when an organization managed to purchase the more expensive data analysis tools, these tools were often under-utilized because they were complex and difficult to learn unlike Microsoft Access.

1. The need to know your database schema, data dictionary and your subject

2. Jeff says Microsoft Access is the best data analyst tool … I was a Microsoft Certified MS Access Professional

read more about jeff’s thoughts here: http://weblogs.sqlteam.com/jeffs/archive/2007/04/13/How-to-be-an-Effective-Report-Writer.aspx