Access/Database Server

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jason Gyetko
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Jason Gyetko

Does anyone happen to know if there is someway to connect to an Access
database as a database server. Normally we just put our .mdb file in a
shared directory and access it that way. I guess I'm wondering if you can
use Access more along the lines of SQL server or MYSQL or something like
that. As far as I know, this can't be done. At least without writing some
kind of server app for Access. Does anyone know of anything or some utility
out there that would allow this to happen? Thanks in advance.
 
I don't know how efficient it would be, but I played around with the idea,
creating a linked server on my SQL Server to an Access database. The
syntax to select from that MDB file from SQL Server Query Analyzer is ...

SELECT OrderID, CustomerID, InvoiceDate, InvoiceID, Freight,Crate
FROM MyLinkedServer...tblOrders

It works, but as I said, not sure how efficient it is.
 
Jason Gyetko said:
Does anyone happen to know if there is someway to connect to an Access
database as a database server. Normally we just put our .mdb file in a
shared directory and access it that way. I guess I'm wondering if you can
use Access more along the lines of SQL server or MYSQL or something like
that. As far as I know, this can't be done. At least without writing some
kind of server app for Access. Does anyone know of anything or some utility
out there that would allow this to happen? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
The usual approach is to split the database, keeping the tables in one
location and the front end on the individual workstations.
 
Jason Gyetko said:
Does anyone happen to know if there is someway to connect to an Access
database as a database server. Normally we just put our .mdb file in a
shared directory and access it that way. I guess I'm wondering if you can
use Access more along the lines of SQL server or MYSQL or something like
that.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I'm answering your question but Access works very well
with SQL Server. It also works with mySQL, Oracle and others. The
biggest problem is ensuring you get stable ODBC drivers.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
 
The answer would depend on exactly which features of a client-server
database you were looking for.

One of the main differences between a client-server database such as SQL
Server and a file-server database like Jet is where the processing of the
data happens. With a client-server database such as SQL Server, instructions
are sent across the network to the server, the server processes the data,
and the results are sent back. With a file-server database, using linked
tables, data is retrieved across the network, and processed on the client
PC. Jet is smart enough to use indexes to limit the data that needs to be
returned, but still the actual processing takes place on the client.

If, on the other hand, the front-end is a web application, using server-side
technologies such as ASP or ASP.NET, then the data will be processed on the
server, and only the results sent back to the client, so in that sense yes,
you in this limited sense would be using Jet as though it were a
client-server database. But of course you would still be missing many of the
other important features of client-server databases, such as live backup and
restore, transaction logging, triggers, etc.
 
Aside from the other answers you got, the last 3 versions of the office cd
have included a true server based sql engine for free. The so called MSDE is
a 100% compatible engine with sql server, and it certainly can be used with
ms-access.

So, basically, since a complete server based engine is included with every
copy of office, it is un-likely that anyone really wants to make some
efforts to build some connection system to a file share when the same office
disk includes a free sql true client to server engine.

It has been on the office cd since access 2000.
 
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