What is the best approach, Access or SQL

hog

hog

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What is the best/most effcient method to develop an application to a backend database.

Currently I have developing using Windows Application using ADO.NET to connect to an Access2002 mdb file residing on a file server running Server2000.

Which is better and why?

My setup described above?

My setup decribed above but using a WEB application instead?

Using MSDE? I have no control over having SQL Server installed on our local server and have no knowledge of it anyway.

Any guidance would be greatly recieved.

Oh also is there any way to optimise the accessing of an mdb file?
 
Access is perfectly fine for a "small" business.

However youll want to change to MS SQL eventually (MSDE will work fine for development). Its much more efficient to use for larger apps. Also the .NET framework offers a specialized namespace just for the SQL Server (rather then using OleDb), which is made to take advantage of SQL Server and give you faster programs overall.
 
If you expect to have more than one user accessing the database concurrently I strongly suggest you use MS SQL Server. Ive used Access in a multi-user environment, and it isnt pretty. Start with MSDE, theres no excuse not to.
 
OK, pardon my ignorance :-( but...

With MSDE isnt there a limit to how many users you have running it as opposed to SQL Server. Also is it the same as Access whereby the MSDE database just resides on a file server and my application looks after everything else?
 
No limit to users but said that the connection degrads after 5+ users connected

Not tested though

Andy
 
Derek you say Access is naff in multi user? I have a application I wrote in Access97, 390MB and accessed by 30+ users with no bother? It is however readonly so that may make a difference??
 
a_jam, this is what I found re msde:

MSDE 2000 is a local data engine that can be shared. It has a managed concurrency workload governor that limits up to five concurrent batch workloads for optimal performance. Commands and log entries are available to monitor instances where more than five workloads are executed concurrently, a situation that can cause slower performance even on well-tuned systems. As more batch workloads are submitted beyond the five-workload limit, the concurrency governor continues to slow down the system. These workloads are not dropped or lost; they are still processed, but in an increasingly degraded performance mode. If your solution must support more than five concurrent workloads, it is highly recommended that you migrate to SQL Server 2000 or SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition for optimal performance at this higher level of scalability.
 
Derek said "Start with MSDE, theres no excuse not to"

This means during development and maybe QA, not for production.
 
Derek you say Access is naff in multi user? I have a application I wrote in Access97, 390MB and accessed by 30+ users with no bother? It is however readonly so that may make a difference??
Click to expand...
A database that isnt written to is fairly uncommon, but yes, Access can handle reads far better than writes.
 
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