Remote Access to MS Access 2013 on Windows 7 Server

[msilva100]

Hello,

I need to have remote access to a MS Access 2013 Database running on a Windows 7 Server.

Can someone kindly recommend a remote access tool?

Thank you.

[zmbd]

You must work with your IT support team.

[zmbd]

One more thought,
Because "remote" has a few meanings, I may have assumed something not in evidence, my apologies.
:x-_-x:

If you will please allow me a second chance here, two thoughts come to mind:

+If the database is split, then install Access on the remote PC as one does in the normal LAN/Client. Copy the front-end to the remote PC. Once done sign in to your network, load the front end. You may need to refresh the linked tables. This of course is predicated on the connection being LAN/Client in nature such as with a VPN connection.

+ The only other option, if Access lives on the server, is to work with your IT dept. to provide the remote desktop to the Access program. Keep in mind, performance may be very poor depending on how the remote is configured and the connection.

There have been some threads here covering these topics:
+Bytes.com search on keywords: MS Access Remote

+Bytes.com search on keywords: "ms access" VPN network

If neither of these searches return something useful or if the first suggestion doesn't apply, please post back with some detail concerning the nature of the desired remote connection.

[msilva100]

I have developed a software package on MS Access 2013 and I want 8 users to use this application. The operating System is Win a Windows Server on a Windows 7. Some of the users will be logging in from the outside of the Network with some type of a VPN program. Looking for guidance on how this could be done.

[zmbd]

IMHO, with VPN, your best option will be to split the database and then install at least the Access runtime on the remote client and distribute the front-end to the client.

Your data file will reside on the server and the client will have to log on to the network, preferably map a network drive to the VPN, to connect to the backend data file.

Mind you, I am not a networking expert by any stretch of the imagination. There are, however, others here that have some experience with similar situations.

[jforbes]

If you want to use strictly VPN, following zmbd's advice is gonna be your best course of action. But, even if you split your database, you'll run a higher risk of corruption of your data as VPN just won't be as reliable as typical network. With the decrease of network reliability, it increases your likelihood of corruption during writes to the Database. Then again if, your seven outside users aren't adding data to your database, then you can pretty much ignore everything up to this point other than zmbd has got you covered.

If your remote users are going to be entering a lot of data, you may want to consider one of the following options:

• Porting you Backend Database onto a SQL Server. This would pretty much eliminate the possibility of corruption due to an unreliable network connection and it would speed things up. This can be a lot of work and it might not eliminate the need for VPN.
• Implementing Terminal Services (or Citrix). This option could be in place of VPN as Terminal Servers can have a public facing IP. Using this option would allow your users to logon to a tightly controlled environment. So the making sure your users are using correct version of Access/Office problem goes out the window. Also, since it would be on the same physical network, the database should execute much faster. I would still split the database when using a Terminal Server as reliability isn't the only advantage of a split database.
• Similar to a Terminal Server installation is to use RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) to control a PC (or virtual machine) that is physically located on the network. It would be more stable and faster that VPN alone, but would add the overhead and maintenance associated with maintaining the additional computers.

One other thing that can complicate your implementation that you might want to consider is if your database has links to network resources stored in it's tables or code. For example, our databases commonly have URLs to other files on our network stored in it. These files are attachments like Pictures and Customer Correspondence (emails and PDFs). These URLs often include a mapped Volume like "F:\Someplace\f ile.jpeg". Drive Mapping can get a little hairy with VPN as it doesn't always restore mapped volumes. You may not have to worry about it, but it can be a source of frustration.

[msilva100]

Thank you so much for your great feedback. Happy Holidays