If the existing process of Access and Excel are not meeting our database then the implied convenience is still representing a higher cost in terms of purchase price, implementation and maintenance. With the recent advances in FoxPro's basic package, we should consider the additional power available from Visual FoxPro. Excel & Access Combination

Access and Excel offer features like: data filtering, sorting and grouping, dynamically generates SQL code, saves ad-hoc database reporting queries, stores temporary ad-hoc database reporting tables and much more.

The combination of Excel and Access is certainly at the low end of the database market in terms of how robust the database is with speed and performance. However, the bigger advantage of Microsoft Access and Excel having the ability to integrate data with the other Microsoft Office products and the strong end user tools that are easy to use give line management an ability to create their own SQL code or tables in a very economical and cost effective manner will always look good for upper management and accounting.

Access also allows for a host of powerful reporting functions. Reports produced through Access can be sent directly into Word or Excel with the click of a button. Because we also utilize Microsoft's emails functions these Access reports are easily e-mailed directly to individuals or groups and thus avoiding the costly process of printing, copying and distributing reports. Since we are now an Internet ready shop, Access can also convert reports or retrieved reports into a HTML format and thus makes the process of publishing data on the Internet or our internal intranet very simple.

The combination of Access and Excel offer all of the query...

These ad-hoc data analysis and reporting capabilities make Access and Excel very capable tools for our organization. The management team will need a very reliable replacement if they are to give up their ad-hoc query and OLAP abilities.
FoxPro

One major advantage of FoxPro is that there is a significant advantage to an organization separating its business logic from its database package. The perk here would be that Microsoft could continue to upgrade the database technologies as they emerge but we would not be fully obligated to buy those upgrades. but, we do want the ability to upgrade our database when new advances are made such as better compression support for sound, image, video, voice, fingerprint and retina scans. We do not want to have to update our word processor each time an advance becomes available.

For example, when a database of the future is changed to offer additional SQL or Java support, the new functionality could be forwarded to us via the Internet or we could pass until a later upgrade is made. We would not have to upgrade the entire Microsoft Office products throughout the organization. In other words, separate may be better in this respect. In addition, by having our database packages as a separate entity, we could have increased data security. "Except for the Component Gallery and foundation classes, Visual FoxPro 6.0 is only a small upgrade from Visual FoxPro 5.0. If you need these features, then you should definitely upgrade to the new release; if you already have an organized set of classes written, the upgrade may not make as much sense." (Article, 200X)

Aside from price and performance, a product like FoxPro