The purpose of this brief is to provide an overview of the multiple aspects of access to consider when using administrative data for social policy research. It includes discussion of access to data, importance of relationships, considering and valuing both confidentiality and access to data, and building capacity for the use of administrative data. As an overview, it is intended to raise awareness of issues rather than extensively describe access issues or offer strategies for overcoming challenges in accessing data. Multiple other resources are available regarding the use of administrative data. (author abstract)