Follow up inquiry from previous inquiry regarding Access and real estate short term rentals

Bill Jones 0 Reputation points
2025-12-30T16:12:40.9966667+00:00

This inquiry is an attempt to obtain the final result and procedures used in a previous question which originally posted on Microsoft Support Community.. migrated therefrom to here. Cliff on this site suggested to Phil Stephenson that he suggest a new thread of TechNet forum-Sql server Data Access for expert help.

Three others and now four have the same question.Access is the app I want to use because there are only three villas with short term rentals, but moreover, the fact that it is not online is a bonus for security in my view. I have watched several utube presentations and with some modification by a trained IT person, it is my strong belief that it can produce rental agreements (reports) and compute the rent, produce a sub total. and then compute the tax, and a grand total.

Can you lead me to what the original questioner was presented by others and his final choice.

The expense of VRBO and AirBNB is signficant ( lessens the amount of rent obtainable in many cases) and data bases linked together not suspect to scammers(I hope) shines brightly.

Looking forward to responses.. I think that I know that Access does not use SQL logic

thanks

Microsoft 365 and Office | Access | For business | Other

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  1. George Hepworth 23,120 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-12-30T17:47:30.3+00:00

    Unfortunately, the people who volunteer their time here (and elsewhere) are NOT able to do research on your behalf regarding questions posted on other forums.

    However, to address a couple of your comments.

    Yes, Access is indeed a great choice for this kind of database application.

    All of those tasks you describe are commonly handled in different applications.

    If you want to look for sample databases and templates that can help you get started, that would be a good investment of your time. There might even be samples out there based on a very similar business model. It's a matter of using the search tools available to you.

    You are not correct in thinking that Access does not use SQL logic. The foundation of Access and nearly all other relational database applications is the use of SQL, via queries, to manage your data. The data resides in tables. Getting the data into and out of tables, and manipulating it all involve SQL in one way or another, either directly through queries or indirectly through bound forms.

    In conjunction with understanding that, it's probably also worthwhile to review the basic components of a relational database application.

    There are three primary components:

    The Data Layer:
    All of your data is stored in tables in a database. Access has a built-in database called ACE. However, Access also has the ability to connect, or link, to many other databases such as MySQL, SQL Server, Postgres, Oracle, and others. The more complex applications tend to use of the larger database engines, but the ACE database engine built-in to Access will be fine for a small, simple application as you describe it.

    The Interface:
    You and your users interact with the data in the tables through a custom interface. It consists of forms and reports primarily. Forms are used to manage data interactively. Reports are used to summarize and display data.

    The Logic Layer:
    You need code that manages all of the other components. It will include VBA code and sometimes Macros. This code incorporates the logic that underlies your application.

    The first, and most fundamentally important component is the table design. Start there.

    Decide what data you need to track: Rental property, rental agreements, tenants, repairs and maintenance, and all of the other things that go into the process. Set up your tables accordingly. Then you can come back and ask people to review and suggest enhancements.

    Get started by investing time in learning about the Rules of Database Normalization.

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  2. AI answer

    2025-12-30T16:12:51.1933333+00:00

    Microsoft Access can indeed be a suitable choice for managing short-term rental properties, especially if you prefer a local application for security reasons. You can create rental agreements, compute rent, calculate taxes, and generate reports using Access.

    Key Features to Implement:

    1. Database Structure: Set up tables to hold information about properties, tenants, rental agreements, and payment details.
    2. Forms: Create forms for data entry, allowing you to input rental details easily.
    3. Queries: Use SQL queries to retrieve and manipulate data, such as calculating totals and generating reports.
    4. Reports: Design reports to format rental agreements and summaries of transactions.
    5. Calculations: Implement calculations for subtotal, tax, and grand total within your forms or reports.

    SQL in Access:

    While Access does support SQL, it uses a specific dialect known as Access SQL, which is slightly different from standard SQL. You can use SQL statements to perform data manipulation and retrieval effectively.

    If you are looking for expert help or a community discussion, consider posting on forums like TechNet or Microsoft Support Community, where you can find others with similar inquiries and solutions.

    For further guidance on using Access SQL, you can refer to the Microsoft Access SQL reference documentation.

    References:

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