accessing an online database from a desktop

  • Thread starter Thread starter giddy
  • Start date Start date
G

giddy

hi,

Is is possible to access an MS Access database from a desktop app if the DB
is hosted on a server? Since i haven't bought a domain yet i can't try it
out? I thought of download the DB editing it, then uploading it again, but
when the DB gets bulky it'll be bad.

Thanks
Gideon
 
giddy skrev:
hi,

Is is possible to access an MS Access database from a desktop app if the DB
is hosted on a server? Since i haven't bought a domain yet i can't try it
out? I thought of download the DB editing it, then uploading it again, but
when the DB gets bulky it'll be bad.
Click to expand...
The easiest way might be just to set up a webservice which services your
requests.

For a more heavy interface you might take a look on Microsoft Sync Framework

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sync/default.aspx
 
Is is possible to access an MS Access database from a desktop app if
the DB is hosted on a server? Since i haven't bought a domain yet i
can't try it out? I thought of download the DB editing it, then
uploading it again, but when the DB gets bulky it'll be bad.
Click to expand...

If you're looking for any type of concurrent access to the database,
you are *definitely* going to want to consider some form of database
server, not a Microsoft Access database. Consider what may happen, for
example, if two copies of the database are being edited at the same
time, and then they are uploaded to the server. This introduces a race
condition that you likely don't want to deal with, because data loss
will be a result.

Access databases only support a limited amount of concurrency when
queries using ODBC, as well. Unless you _know_ that there will only
ever be a single user of the database, I recommend using one of the
many database server systems available---among your choices are
PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Microsoft's own SQL Server.

--- Mike
 
Even for a single user, an Access database is not suitable for remote
access. It's a file-server type of database, not a database server. The
local computer must read and write large chunks of the file. In addition to
abysmal performance, the likelihood of corrupting the database is much too
high. Access is only intended for LAN use, not WAN. As others have
suggested, you need to use either a web interface or a web service, so the
database access is all happening on the LAN where the physical mdb file
resides. Or switch to a database server, like SQL Server, MySQL, etc.
 
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