Re: Is MS Access A Toy?
- From: "Larry Linson" <bouncer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 01:50:08 GMT
No, it's not a toy. No, it doesn't have all the features of server
databases.
The Jet engine and the current Access 2007 DB engine that is derived from
Jet are installed by default, and they are file-server database engines.
Details of the difference between server and file-server databases have been
discussed many times -- you should get more information than you probably
want on that subject if you search the archives of this newsgroup at
http://groups.google.com.
And, MS SQL Server, Oracle, and other server DBs have logging features that
improve recoverability in case of hardware, network, or software errors
(could be other software that brings a system down).
It's a very good software program for "tracking" things, where the
timeliness of recovery is not as stringent as in some "transaction",
"real-time", "mission critical (e.g., 24/7/365) applications. Further,
Access is a superb, superior tool for creating the user interface part of
client-server applications which use the "more robust" server DBs to store
the data -- when it does not depend on the file-server database engine to
store its data, it gains the advantages of the server DBs, and retains the
advantage that there is no faster, easier way to create a client application
for DB work than Access because it is designed for DB work. Most computer
languages used to create the client application are general application
generators and lack specific database-centric operations.
As you might guess, when you compare the included Jet / Access database
engine (which come along as part of the less-than-US$1,000 Office
Professional software) to server databases which cost thousands, or hundreds
of thousands, you'll find the server databases have additional capacity for
storage, and (only in some cases) better performance. Of course, you don't
go out and buy a cluster of server machines to run Access with Jet / Access
DBs, either. (The Access / Jet database engine has a maximum of 2GB
capacity, but Access also has the capability of concurrently being linked to
more than one Access / Jet database to allow more than 2 GB -- few
experienced Access users/developers, however, would recommend you use
multiple linked databases other than as a temporary expedient while
converting your data storage to a server DB.)
Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP
"Earl Anderson" <isobadd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:jMyWh.354$xT3.21@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Recently, as I was 'flipping thru the TV channels', I heard some woman on
a CSpan show 'chiding' the federal government for using MS Access for
maintaining records on tracking something (I can't recall--maybe guns,
maybe chemicals, maybe cancer research, maybe it was AIDS cases) but
whatever it was, she snickered and 'poofed' twice as she said something
like, "that agency has said they have kept track of it in Access. Can you
believe Access?" It was as if she was saying that for something as
important as 'whatever' it was, the Feds could not be serious if they were
keeping track of it in MS Access.
This brings two (2) immediate questions to mind. First, not knowing what
her level of knowledge was as to the capabilities of Access, would Access
be considered as a less than 'serious' method of tracking 'whatever' for
the US Government (like a toy) and second, assuming she wanted 'whatever'
tracked in Oracle or SAP, what are the primary differences between Access
and 'The Big Boys'?--Would an analogy be the difference between a pickup
truck and a semi tractor trailer or a Piper Cub and a Boeing 747? I guess
I'm also asking when would it be prudent and necessary to move from Access
to something more 'powerful' or 'reliable' or 'faster' or larger' or
'stable' or 'whatever'?
Thx...
Earl Anderson
.
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- Is MS Access A Toy?
- From: Earl Anderson
- Is MS Access A Toy?
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