Re: Upsizing To SQL Server

Wayne <cqdigital@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Can anyone point me to any info on the pros and cons of upsizing small
to medium size databases to SQL Server?

If the user base is never going to be more than about 10, the app
isn't totally mission critical and the record count will never get
into the hundreds of thousands, is upsizing even worth considering?

Don't bother.

The biggest problems are in stability of the hardware and the number of users making
changes. Reporting or inquiry only users don't make a difference. Editing/Updating
users have been successfully in the ten to fifteen range.

However your big concern is how mission critical is the data and can the data be
rekeyed if you lose a day.

Mission critical means can you afford to lose an hour if the database is down?
Frequently the data can't be rekeyed. A classic example being a call centre where
you are receiving incoming calls.

Losing a day means that if you have to restore from backup do your users have the
paperwork in place so they can rekey the data? Are there enough staff to re-enter
that data?

I recall a posting by someone working for a large casino/hotel operation in the mid
to late 80s stating to what lengths they spend over a million dollars duplicating
their IBM S/38 mini-computer in another offsite location with data inserts and
updates being copied from the main system to the backup system in under a second.

Thier attitude was that they could never afford to lose a room reservation. Imagine
the mess if they lost a days worth of phone calls. <shudder> And the newspaper
stories by the upset clients. And expenses while they placate the customers so they
don't go to the newspapers. <smile>

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
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