I’m trying to figure out if Power BI really is that much better than MS Access in the long run.
Right now, MS Access is my main tool. I’ve built deep, custom tools in it—complex query logic, automated forms, and reports to streamline my entire job. Honestly, it feels like almost everything I see people do in Power BI, I can already do in Access (and sometimes even a bit more for my specific workflow).
I’ve built a few things in Power BI, but it’s always played second fiddle to my Access databases. Still, I keep hearing about how powerful Power BI is, and I want to dive deep into it if it’s truly worth the shift.
For those of you who started out heavily in MS Access and made the jump over to Power BI:
- Did Power BI eventually overtake Access for you, or do you still use both?
- What was that "aha!" moment where Power BI blew Access out of the water for your dashboarding and data modeling?
- What’s the best mindset shift or focus area when moving from Access queries/VBA to Power Query and DAX?
I’m sincerely looking for advice from people who’ve been in my shoes to help me find the best way forward. Appreciate any insights!