A Guide to Database Management Systems - DBMS
Microsoft Access is a low cost relational database management system (RDBMS) used mainly by home users and small businesses with one or two system users.
The DBMS can run on a personal computer or server and provides an easy-to-use interface for designing simple databases, reports and data entry forms.
The current version of MS Access allows you to save, read, and interchange data in XML format. The DBMS also has good ODBC capabilities (for connecting to other data sources) and can grab data from external databases and spreadsheets.