M
Michael Camm
I have an Access application that people use to enter data. Then they
upload the database file via a ColdFusion application so that the
information can be transferred to the parent, MS SQL Server database (that I
do not administer).
That's all fine.
The problem is that TEXT fields in Access can only support 256 characters,
while SQL Server can support up to 4,000 characters in an NVARCHAR field.
The desktop database is already cranked up to 256, but the corresponding
fields in the SQL Server database are set to 500, and some are set to 1000.
This means that the people that use the MS Access database will not have the
ability to record as much data per field as the people who enter the data
into SQL Server via an another online application. It also means that
information that is exported from SQL Server may be truncated when it gets
transferred to MS Access.
Now, the administrative personnel involved in the project got a hold of the
fact that the MEMO data type has no character length restriction - and are
being very insistent that ALL of the TEXT fields in the database should be
converted into MEMO fields instead.
I find myself rather speechless on the subject. The "if that were a good
solution, everybody would be doing it" argument doesn't go very far. The
"then say 'goodbye' to almost all of the data validation operations and
actionable visual basic modules" doesn't go very far either.
Can anyone contribute to this argument? Why can't you simply change all of
the TEXT fields in a distributed MS Access desktop application into MEMO
fields?
All input is appreciated.
upload the database file via a ColdFusion application so that the
information can be transferred to the parent, MS SQL Server database (that I
do not administer).
That's all fine.
The problem is that TEXT fields in Access can only support 256 characters,
while SQL Server can support up to 4,000 characters in an NVARCHAR field.
The desktop database is already cranked up to 256, but the corresponding
fields in the SQL Server database are set to 500, and some are set to 1000.
This means that the people that use the MS Access database will not have the
ability to record as much data per field as the people who enter the data
into SQL Server via an another online application. It also means that
information that is exported from SQL Server may be truncated when it gets
transferred to MS Access.
Now, the administrative personnel involved in the project got a hold of the
fact that the MEMO data type has no character length restriction - and are
being very insistent that ALL of the TEXT fields in the database should be
converted into MEMO fields instead.
I find myself rather speechless on the subject. The "if that were a good
solution, everybody would be doing it" argument doesn't go very far. The
"then say 'goodbye' to almost all of the data validation operations and
actionable visual basic modules" doesn't go very far either.
Can anyone contribute to this argument? Why can't you simply change all of
the TEXT fields in a distributed MS Access desktop application into MEMO
fields?
All input is appreciated.