coverting to SQL (access 2003)

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OK… I have been advised by our IT department to start thinking about converting all of my access databases to sql. I have asked why…but I get looks like “it is too high tech to explain”. Can anyone tell me the pros of converting to SQL? Why should I?

Thanks, Deborah

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Access works very well for relatively small databases with a limited number of simultaneous users.

Migration to SQL Server is advisable if
– You have tables with millions of records, and/or
– You have a large number of simultaneous users, and/or
– You need more sophisticated security and management tools than Access offers.

You’d transfer the data tables to an SQL Server database, and you could still use Access as a frontend for the users.

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Can the Access front end cope with many users if the backend is SQL Server?

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You should give each user a copy of the frontend, regardless of the backend.

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I understand that Mark, my question (if slightly unexplicit) was, is there any problems using an Access FE with a sQL BE with many users?

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None at all. That is one of the reasons you’d convert to an SQL backend so you could use it with more FE users than Access can comfortably handle.

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Thank you.

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Based upon the looks you are getting (and I assume no answer), I’m guessing that the reason they want you to convert is two-fold. There is the age-old prejudice of IT depts that Access “is not a real database”, and also they feel they will have more control over you if you convert to an SQL database that they control. Given that it will take time and money to convert, I’d ask for a formal statement of their rationale of why it needs to be done, so you can do a cost/benefit analysis.

Hans mentioned some reasons to convert to an SQL backend. Additionally, an SQL database is more stable and less prone to corruption. This does not mean, however, that it is always the right decision to upscale to SQL server. It just depends on the situation.

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