I found this course to be extremely interesting and can honestly say that I learned something new in every lesson. The concept that I learned the most and can now add to my skill set is Microsoft Access.  In my career, I utilize Microsoft Excel daily and often create pivot tables, charts, and macros to manipulate and display data, but I had never used Access prior to this class. I certainly learned additional tips and tricks from working through the Excel lessons in the course, but I realize now what a valuable tool that Access can be when trying to summarize and compare data.

Access is a database management system that can help you design, find, and manage large sets of data. While I prefer to work in excel due to the use of charts and graphs, Access is a better tool for entering substantial amounts of data and finding relationships within that data. An access database has five main components. The first one being tables, which is where the data is stored, the second would be the queries which are the questions about the data. Third would be forms that provide the framework for your database. Fourth are the reports, which gather and format the data from the tables and queries. The fifth and final component are the macro-objects which are programmable tools that are used to interact with the forms or other objects. Having the opportunity to learn about all these components and participate in the hands-on training offered by SimNet, allowed me to expand my knowledge base and provide me with options for data mining I will use daily.

I will be able to utilize Microsoft Access to manage the administrative functions associated with claims processing, payment, and revenue recognition. Using the database will make it easier to make comparisons and find relationships between items like state regulations, insurance plans, and managed care contracts. The fact that I can import data into Access from Excel is also a benefit that I will take advantage of. This will save time and effort as I work with large sets of data. I am also excited to be able to share my newfound knowledge with my employees and overall, provide new tools that will result in better time management and process improvement.

Thank you, MIS 204!

References

Great Learning. (n.d.). Components of MS Access –Objects.  Great Learning website: Components of MS Access –Objects – Great Learning (mygreatlearning.com)