Pulling data from Access database into Intranet?

[Stewart]

Hi there,

I have an Access database, which contains the details of company staff
and services. The plan is to extract data from this database onto our
forthcoming Intranet (no inserting, updating or deleting at this
point). The Intranet itself has been created in ASP.NET, using
Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2005.

My concern is that we will encounter a slow response when pulling data
from this Access database across the network (should also say that this
database has been secured). We have approximately 250 staff members,
although it is hard to gauge how many staff members will be accessing
the data at any one time.

What I would like to know is, what would be the most effective way of
pulling data from the Access database to the Intranet? For example, I
was looking into splitting the database, converting the backend to SQL,
and linking it. As a relative newbie, I'm wondering if any problems
will arise from this? Or, should I just maybe try using the database
in its current form.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Best Regards,
Stewart.

[Bob Alston]

Stewart wrote:

Hi there,

I have an Access database, which contains the details of company staff
and services. The plan is to extract data from this database onto our
forthcoming Intranet (no inserting, updating or deleting at this
point). The Intranet itself has been created in ASP.NET, using
Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2005.

My concern is that we will encounter a slow response when pulling data
from this Access database across the network (should also say that this
database has been secured). We have approximately 250 staff members,
although it is hard to gauge how many staff members will be accessing
the data at any one time.

What I would like to know is, what would be the most effective way of
pulling data from the Access database to the Intranet? For example, I
was looking into splitting the database, converting the backend to SQL,
and linking it. As a relative newbie, I'm wondering if any problems
will arise from this? Or, should I just maybe try using the database
in its current form.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Best Regards,
Stewart.

Why don't you try using it in its current form and perhaps testing with
2-3 people to see if you can simulate the load of multiple concurrent
users. If you have the ability to have each of 2-3 people run 2
computers at the same time, then you can probably do a pretty good mini
"load" test with 4-6 concurrent users. If that works, then maybe you
can arrange a test with a larger group of people.

Bob

[Jim Underwood]

If you plan on putting the data in SQL Server and linking to it from Access,
this will allow your current users to continue to use the Access front end
for all their work. For web access, you would have your .Net app connect
directly to SQL Server, not to access. At this point Access is for display
purposes only, not for data access. If you do not need the users to use the
Access GUI, then you don't need to use access at all.

Never use an Access database for more than 3 or 4 people if you have a
choice.

"Stewart" <St******@vodafone.netwrote in message
news:11*********************@b28g2000cwb.googlegro ups.com...

Hi there,

I have an Access database, which contains the details of company staff
and services. The plan is to extract data from this database onto our
forthcoming Intranet (no inserting, updating or deleting at this
point). The Intranet itself has been created in ASP.NET, using
Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2005.

My concern is that we will encounter a slow response when pulling data
from this Access database across the network (should also say that this
database has been secured). We have approximately 250 staff members,
although it is hard to gauge how many staff members will be accessing
the data at any one time.

What I would like to know is, what would be the most effective way of
pulling data from the Access database to the Intranet? For example, I
was looking into splitting the database, converting the backend to SQL,
and linking it. As a relative newbie, I'm wondering if any problems
will arise from this? Or, should I just maybe try using the database
in its current form.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Best Regards,
Stewart.

[Rich P]

When you say you will convert the back end to sql do you mean a sql
server DB? That would be the way to go - then you would not have to
worry about concurrency issues. As long as you are using ASP.Net 2006 -
a sql server 2005 DB would be the most ideal solution - since VS2005 was
specifically designed for use with Sql Server2005 (although VS2005 will
support sql Server 2000 and MS Access as well). Just note that yuour
aspx application IS the front end for your data. A table in a sql
server DB can handle a lot more traffic than the same table in an MS
Access db because the Sql Server engine is about 1000 times bigger than
the Access Jet engine (that is not an exageration). One Access DB can
store up to 1 gig of data (2 gigs if you want to count unicode - but
still 1 gig of specific data) where the Sql Server DB can store up to 1
terabyte of data (1000 times bigger). Not to put down Access, but with
250 users I don't think the Access Jet engine would be the most reliable
solution. What will happen with Jet if 10 or more users try to hit the
page at the same time, Access will freeze up and the page will never get
rendered, and from my experieince, the only way to resolve the problem
would be to reboot the server. Of course, that was using regular asp.
I have never used asp.net with Access in the production environment.

Rich

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[Larry Linson]

"Jim Underwood" wrote

Never use an Access database for more
than 3 or 4 people if you have a choice.

Factors in how many users can be supported in multiuser include the
requirements, design, and implementation of the database application and the
hardware, software, and network environments. If all factors are near
perfect, we have reliable reports of over 100 concurrent users. Even if not
all are near perfect, we routinely see reports of 30 - 70 users.

But, in cases where we are rather sure that all are about as far from
perfect as can be, people have reported Access "falling over" with as few as
four users. However, unless your database is in the "about as far from
perfect as can be," you can disregard the dire warnings about so few users.

I'd venture to guess that if someone went out of their way to do everything
wrong, it would be possible to create a database that wouldn't even support
one or two users. <GRIN>

A good website with lots of information on multiuser use of Jet is MVP Tony
Toews' http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP

[Stewart]

Thanks for all your replies - very helpful indeed.

I think I will try a few test runs in its current form, just to see how
it performs (more out of curiousity than anything else!).

However, I'll take your advice and convert the back-end to SQL.
Keeping the Access front-end will be of great benefit as it is
user-friendly for our Administration staff who will be modifying the
data.

Rich P, it is an SQL Server Database (SQL Server 2000), so that should,
in theory, work pretty well.

Stewart.