Yes [SQL Server] Views are similar to queries except that views don't
take parameters
Jet VIEWs (SQL language keywords in uppercase, not shouting <g>) do not
take parameters either.
An Access query which uses the PARAMETERS keyword is the equivalent of
a Jet PROCEDURE
(
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HP010322191033.aspx).
Put another way, if you use Jet's
CREATE PROCEDURE (<parameter list>) AS
syntax then open the resulting object's SQL pane in Access, you'll see
the above syntax replaced by the construct
PARAMETERS said:
I'm not sure that [SQL Server Views] are updatable
Well, not all Jet VIEWs/Access Query's are updatable and the same
applies to SQL Server.
Broadly speaking, if a row in the view can be mapped to a row in a base
table then the VIEW/Query is updatable. Both engines allow VIEWs to be
updateable; the question is, when does each engine give up trying to
determine whether a VIEW is updateable? It is tempting to assume SQL
Server would try harder but that may not be correct e.g. for testing
whether there are cascade cycles in DRI (foreign keys) across multiple
tables, the Jet 4.0 implementation is better than that of SQL Server
2005 because SQL Server gives up earlier.
Regardless which engine wins that particular race, SQL Server come out
top because it supports INSTEAD OF triggers.e. you can make an
otherwise non-updatable VIEW appear updatable by trapping INSERT,
UPDATE and DELETE operations and handling them 'manually' in a trigger.
SQL Server's WITH CHECK OPTION is also useful in that it does the
opposite i.e. restrict some operations on an updateable VIEW without
the overhead (e.g. maintenance) of an INSTEAD OF trigger. Arguably,
without these extensions Access/Jet needs to be smarter at determining
whether a view is updateable.
I really don't know where you are going with this.
Sharing knowledge for the benefit of the reader. I hope that by
proffering information you will do the same e.g. you know that some
Access Queries are updateable but do you know what makes it updateable
or otherwise? an example of a Query that a human could easily map to a
base table but on which the engine chokes? a link to Jet's functional
spec in this area <vbg>? If you (or anyone else) does, they could post
it here.
Jamie.