Access to SQL Desktop Server

D

DS

Is there any benifit in switching from Access to SQL Desktop Server?
Perhaps Speed?, Storage Size? If so how easy is it to migrate an Access
to SQL Desktop Server?
Thanks
DS
 
J

Jeff Boyce

Access contains/includes both development/front-end tools, and a back-end
database engine (JET). You can actually store your data in many different
formats (JET, SQL-Server, DB2, Oracle, .txt files, Excel, ...!).

If you tried to migrate an application from MS Access to SQL-Server (Desktop
or otherwise), you would lose all your forms, etc.

Is it the data you wish to move, or are you considering re-writing the
entire application?

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP
 
L

Larry Linson

DS said:
Is there any benifit in switching from Access to SQL Desktop Server?
Perhaps Speed?, Storage Size? If so how easy is it to migrate an Access
to SQL Desktop Server?
Click to expand...

If you mean, you'd like to use your Access database application with data
stored in SQL Server Desktop Edition, that is certainly possible. As Jeff
pointed out, no version of SQL Server provides tools such as Access to
create a user interface, but SQL Server is very good for storing and
retrieving data.

If you run complex Queries, you may get some performance advantage over
using Access with the default Jet database engine. For most typical desktop
database applications, you will not see much, if any, difference. SQL
Server has built-in logging, and some recoverability features that are
better than Jet, as well.

A well-designed, well-implemented Access single- or multi-user database does
not necessarily become a well-designed, well-implemented client application
to a server datatbase just by linking the Tables in the server DB. It may
take some work to even get back to the same level of performance, and the
changes you have to make, as with any changes, may introduce errors that
you'll have to debug.

There's no "general rule," as to whether such a conversion is A Good Thing,
or A Bad Idea... it is very dependent on the requirements of the
application, and the skill of the implementers.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP
 
D

DS

Jeff said:
Access contains/includes both development/front-end tools, and a back-end
database engine (JET). You can actually store your data in many different
formats (JET, SQL-Server, DB2, Oracle, .txt files, Excel, ...!).

If you tried to migrate an application from MS Access to SQL-Server (Desktop
or otherwise), you would lose all your forms, etc.

Is it the data you wish to move, or are you considering re-writing the
entire application?

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP
Click to expand...
I wasn't thinking of rewriting this application. So where does Deskyop
Server get its forms from? I thought SQL Desktop was like a Super Access.
Thanks
DS
 
D

DS

Larry said:
If you mean, you'd like to use your Access database application with data
stored in SQL Server Desktop Edition, that is certainly possible. As Jeff
pointed out, no version of SQL Server provides tools such as Access to
create a user interface, but SQL Server is very good for storing and
retrieving data.

If you run complex Queries, you may get some performance advantage over
using Access with the default Jet database engine. For most typical desktop
database applications, you will not see much, if any, difference. SQL
Server has built-in logging, and some recoverability features that are
better than Jet, as well.

A well-designed, well-implemented Access single- or multi-user database does
not necessarily become a well-designed, well-implemented client application
to a server datatbase just by linking the Tables in the server DB. It may
take some work to even get back to the same level of performance, and the
changes you have to make, as with any changes, may introduce errors that
you'll have to debug.

There's no "general rule," as to whether such a conversion is A Good Thing,
or A Bad Idea... it is very dependent on the requirements of the
application, and the skill of the implementers.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP
Click to expand...
Thanks, I think I'll wait, learn SQL Server and proceed in that
direction in a year or so, with my next application though! Not this
one. You and Jeff have been very informative!
Thank You
DS
 
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