March 17, 2006 at 11:50 am
I've not learned VB.NET yet. I'm moving from VB6.0. Soo.... I need a quick
way to create a form that will allow me to provide a quick way to input info
into an SQL Server DB until i get up to speed. I've learned that I can using
an Access form on the front end and use SQL Server on the back end.
Here are a few of my concerns.
- From what i undersand, Access is very resource intensive; however, only a
few people will be actually using it.
- I'm using SQL Server because there are several different centers and at
least one person at each center will need to be able to access the DB, sooo...
- Will Access need to be installed on the server? Or will their local
computers,
which already have Access installed on them, be enough?
- Will several users be able to input information into the SQL Server
using the
Access form simultaneously if needed?
Thanks guys!
March 20, 2006 at 7:33 am
There are two ways to use MS Access with SQL Server:
1. With an Access Project (.adp) connecting directly to SQL Server.
2. Or, with an Access Database (.mdb) using ODBC.
The project is the simplest approach. Once you specify your SQL Server and Database, the connection information follows the ADP. Each person will have to have their own local copy of the ADP, and use their local copy of Access. As for your resource intensive concern, ADPs use ADO for data access, so network traffic should not be a concern for small data sets. But, do not consider running the MSAccess.exe over the network.
If you need good all-around performance, set up the Access Project application on a Citrix Server or Terminal Server that is connected to the SQL Server on a high-speed network. We have about 35 concurrent users per Citrix Server for a timesheet to billing application, with excellent performance.
MS Access will handle multi-user input. If two users change the same record at the same time, Access will give a message to that effect.
March 20, 2006 at 9:13 am
Thanks very much for the information. I have only one further question.
"Each person will have to have their own local copy of the ADP, and use their local copy of Access. "
Placing the ADP locally on each person's computer is as simple as saving the Access file onto their computers?
Thanks!
March 20, 2006 at 9:24 am
That is correct.
FYI
The reason for separate copies is that after the first user opens an ADP, subsequent users opening the same, exact ADP will open it Read-only. If any of your code alters Access properties or objects, Read-only will not work.
March 20, 2006 at 9:44 am
Just as another option, if you are using Office Pro, take a look at Infopath, which comes with Office. It's essentially a quick form making utility and it works well with MSSQL.
March 20, 2006 at 10:25 am
You may consider compiling the adp to an ade file in a shared network location.
March 20, 2006 at 10:28 am
Thanks for the information guys.
I should have mentioned, they won't be changing or updating any of the information, they will only be doing data entry.
March 21, 2006 at 11:01 pm
No doubt having ADE as frontend is one of the easiest way to get started, let me remind you that MS Access is susceptible to application crashes which happen suddenly and is also resource heavy, it would be better of you have a server with good amount of RAM.
Besides, Access has limited set of controls and all Active X controls are not guarenteed to work on it. In case your application is a not a simple one (frontend wise), prefer not using Access.
As for your question about the location of the ADE's, its always best to have the frontend as close to the database as possible for better results (not just for this but any application). The thing to consider here is, is your server cabpable enough to host SQL and devote processing time to Access and connected users as well?
Hope this helps.
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