Performance of Links? To Import or to Link?

[Tony]

With respect to the questions below, please assume that our database(s)
and all text files are shared on a network file server.

When opening a shared MDB, what is the effect of its accessing data via
a link vice a native table? How does poor network performance change
this answer?

I've heard that splitting a database can lead to reduced performance.
This would lead me to believe that accessing files with linked data is
slower than accessing those with native tables. Then again, large
tables can bloat a database. If an MDB's file size exceeds your RAM,
then my guess is that linking makes much more sense. Is this especially
true on a network?

Now to throw in the big wrench. Large text files with read-only data.
Is it better to link these or import these? What are some of your
reasons? Importing a big file daily can be very time consuming. It's
what we're doing, and I want to know if it's smart.

Thanks,

-Tony.

[Lyle Fairfield]

"Tony" <an*************@navy.mil> wrote in news:1147812090.020458.27890
@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

With respect to the questions below, please assume that our database(s)
and all text files are shared on a network file server.

When opening a shared MDB, what is the effect of its accessing data via
a link vice a native table? How does poor network performance change
this answer?

I've heard that splitting a database can lead to reduced performance.
This would lead me to believe that accessing files with linked data is
slower than accessing those with native tables. Then again, large
tables can bloat a database. If an MDB's file size exceeds your RAM,
then my guess is that linking makes much more sense. Is this especially
true on a network?

Now to throw in the big wrench. Large text files with read-only data.
Is it better to link these or import these? What are some of your
reasons? Importing a big file daily can be very time consuming. It's
what we're doing, and I want to know if it's smart.

Thanks,

-Tony.

Maybe.

--
Lyle Fairfield

[johnvon]

Tony,

It sounds like you are building a data warehouse. If your network
performance is poor, it will really slow down the application. I just did a
similar project where I built the database locally, and then deployed to a
server. It was half as fast!

Do your file imports at night, when no one is working on the system. Set up
an mdb that is only to do the data imports. Schedule it to run when network
traffic is light and when no backups are being run. Have it send you or
someone else an e-mail when it is done, with the status. Start it running,
and forget about it until you get a failure message.

John

"Tony" <an*************@navy.mil> wrote in message
news:11*********************@j33g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...

With respect to the questions below, please assume that our database(s)
and all text files are shared on a network file server.

When opening a shared MDB, what is the effect of its accessing data via
a link vice a native table? How does poor network performance change
this answer?

I've heard that splitting a database can lead to reduced performance.
This would lead me to believe that accessing files with linked data is
slower than accessing those with native tables. Then again, large
tables can bloat a database. If an MDB's file size exceeds your RAM,
then my guess is that linking makes much more sense. Is this especially
true on a network?

Now to throw in the big wrench. Large text files with read-only data.
Is it better to link these or import these? What are some of your
reasons? Importing a big file daily can be very time consuming. It's
what we're doing, and I want to know if it's smart.

Thanks,

-Tony.

[Tom van Stiphout]

On Wed, 17 May 2006 00:24:18 GMT, Lyle Fairfield
<ly***********@aim.com> wrote:

Lyle is right. It depends on so many factors that you'll want to
invest a couple of hours to implement the various scenarios and do
some performance testing of your own, on your network, with your data
files, and your skills as a developer.

Let us know what you find out.

-Tom.

"Tony" <an*************@navy.mil> wrote in news:1147812090.020458.27890
@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

With respect to the questions below, please assume that our database(s)
and all text files are shared on a network file server.

When opening a shared MDB, what is the effect of its accessing data via
a link vice a native table? How does poor network performance change
this answer?

I've heard that splitting a database can lead to reduced performance.
This would lead me to believe that accessing files with linked data is
slower than accessing those with native tables. Then again, large
tables can bloat a database. If an MDB's file size exceeds your RAM,
then my guess is that linking makes much more sense. Is this especially
true on a network?

Now to throw in the big wrench. Large text files with read-only data.
Is it better to link these or import these? What are some of your
reasons? Importing a big file daily can be very time consuming. It's
what we're doing, and I want to know if it's smart.

Thanks,

-Tony.

Maybe.