"James" <pr*****@replyToGroup.com> wrote in message
news:Ma*******************@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...
Can someone explain the fundamental difference between creating a "multi
user" version of an Access DB and creating a client-server Access DB?
In the Access world, "multiuser" means a Database done in Access, using the
supplied Jet database engine, with multiple users. Access can also be used
as a "client" to server databases such as Microsoft or Sybase SQL Server,
Informix, DB2, and Oracle by using an appropriate Open DataBase Connection)
ODBC driver with an Access .MDB and Jet, or it can be a client as an Access
"Project" .ADP file with Microsoft SQL Server only via the OLEdb driver.
ie why can't all the users on my network just
click on database.mdb and share the same
database? why would I want to create a separate
client/server architecture?
Firstly, DeanL was correct as far as he wrote, but left out a very important
part: if you have multiple users concurrently connected to the same "front
end" or monolithic database, you significantly increase the chances of
database corruption. Such corruption is _usually_ correctable by the Compact
and Repair function, but not always.
Secondly, there is a hard limit of 255 concurrent users in an Access
multiuser environment, but a practical limit on users doing updates of
something less than 100. With either the Access-Jet-ODBC-serverDB or
AccessProject-OLEdb-SQLServer arrangement, there is essentially no limit on
the number of concurrent users, no matter whether they are editing or just
reading.
Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP