Welcome

Presentation

Names, motivations, what is your goal on this course, what job, domain, do you want to work on after the university ?

GOALS

Employability Skills

• Critical Thinking

• Communication

• Collaboration

• Knowledge Application and Analysis

• Social responsability

• Ability to select the appropriate tool or technology based on business and project needs.

Professional Skills

• Accepting criticism

• Customer Service

• Interview Skill

• Problem solving

Programme

Office and computer

Microsoft Office is a suite of productivity applications developed by Microsoft.
It includes tools for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, email, and more.
Popular programs in the suite are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access.

File management

WORD

Microsoft Word is a word processing program used to create and edit text documents.
You can write letters, reports, resumes, and more using various formatting tools.
It includes features like spell check (tool that automatically detects and highlights spelling errors in a text.), templates, and the ability to insert images or tables.

EXCEL

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application for organizing and analyzing data.
It allows users to perform calculations, create charts, and use formulas or functions.
Excel is widely used for budgeting, data analysis, and project tracking.

POWERPOINT

Microsoft PowerPoint is used to create slide-based presentations.
You can combine text, images, animations, and videos to present information visually.
It’s commonly used in business, education, and public speaking.

ACCESS

Microsoft Access is a database management system (DBMS) included in MS Office.
It allows users to create and manage databases using tables, queries, forms, and reports.
Access is useful for tracking large amounts of data and creating custom applications.

Example of Automation in Access

Let’s say you work for a small membership association.

You use Access to store member data (name, email, date of registration, membership status, etc.).

Now imagine this automated task:

Every time a new member is added, Access automatically sends a confirmation email, updates their status to “active”, and adds the registration date.

How it works:

• You create a form for adding new members.
  1. First, you create a table (e.g., Members) with fields such as Name, Email, DateRegistered, Status, etc.
  2. Then, go to the “Create” tab and choose: Create a form based on this table
  3. Access automatically generates a form linked to this table.
  4. When the user fills out the form (e.g., a new member enters their name, email, etc.), and clicks “Save” or moves to a new record, Access automatically adds the data into the linked table (Members, in our example).

• You add a macro or VBA script that triggers when the form is submitted.

• The macro performs several actions automatically without you needing to do them manually.

Other examples of automation in Access:

• Automatically generate monthly reports.

• Send reminders for membership renewals.

• Update fields based on conditions (e.g., “inactive” if not paid in 6 months).

Limitations

An Access form can't be published on a public web page.

A form generated by Microsoft Access is meant to work inside the Access application, either on a local computer or within a private network (intranet).

It cannot be embedded in a public web page or opened in a web browser.

Why can’t an Access form be made public online?

• It’s not designed for the web — it’s a desktop-based Windows form (.accdb).

• It only works via Microsoft Access or Access Runtime.

• It can’t be displayed in HTML or accessed from a browser.

Alternative solutions if you want a public web form connected to Access:

❓Are these tools outdated?

No, but… they’re no longer alone.

Tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access are still widely used, especially in businesses, government, and education.

Microsoft continues to update them regularly, particularly through Microsoft 365, the cloud-based, collaborative version.

What they still do well:

• Strong compatibility (with .docx, .xlsx, .pptx formats)

• Rich features, especially for advanced tasks

• Seamless integration with Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, etc.

• Reliable offline use

But today, there are modern alternatives that are more lightweight, often collaborative, cloud-based, and sometimes free:

So, outdated? Not really. But sometimes less suited.

• For remote teams: Google Workspace or Notion is more flexible.

• For modern databases, Access can feel too heavy or limited.

• For startups or agile projects, simpler or more specialized tools are often preferred.

MS Office is still a strong reference, but other tools may be more effective depending on the needs, budget, and collaborative workflow.

Other tools

• MS Office is best for users who need powerful, offline-capable tools with deep functionality and long-standing compatibility.

• Google Workspace is ideal for teams that prioritize collaboration, simplicity, and cloud access.

• Notion & Airtable are great for custom workflows, project and knowledge management, and light relational databases, especially in creative or agile teams.

Discussion

• What tools are you using to takes notes, make spreadsheet and automation?

• For the next week, prepare a short presentation and exemple of one or two tool you use.

Homework

• For next week, watch this video about all the MS Office tools and use cases : https://youtu.be/LmKUxgSIADU?si=AuOQTQ2vb0JsQQpm
  • Watch the video and do a list of apps that are mentionned and what are used for.
  • Take a look on Internet the change that have made on these apps. Some are not loger here, and some have a new name.