Access Data Projects

[Ebbie]

Hi,

I wanted to know if Access Data Projects is a good option to choose for
a SQL Server Database Frontend. The other option is C#.
The database will be accessed by multiple users (around 100 users) on a
LAN. ADP looks viable coz the users are used to working on a MS access
database.
Please post your replies with reasons as to why you think your choice
of f-end is better

Cheers!

[Andy Williams]

Ebbie,

I'll probably get laughed out of the group for saying it, but ADP is
certainly a viable front-end for SQL Server. You can develop some powerful
apps very quickly with it. But it really depends on what your current skill
set contains. There is a learning curve with any new development
environment, and even if you are skilled with MDB's/Jet/DAO, data access is
a whole different world with ADP's. I've not used anything beyond Access
2000, so someone else will have to comment on the later versions. My
company has used an order entry system ADP that I wrote for the past 5
years. I don't deal with it much anymore, but the users like it and that's
what really matters.

A few things to consider about using Access: Deployment - do all the users
already have Access licensed and installed? You will have to have at least
the Access runtime installed on each machine. Another thing that is a pain,
you have to have a separate copy of the ADP on each computer, two users
can't use the same file at once. That may not seem like a big deal, but in
the real world it can create a nightmare when it comes to version control.
Printing different reports to different network printers can be problematic
also if you have a mix of operating systems. For a while we had to maintain
a separate version for win98 and XP. If you do decide to go the Access
route, get Mary Chipman's Microsoft Access Developer's Guide to SQL Server.
Also, don't fall into the trap of using bound forms and wizards. Do all
your data access with ADO code.

Honestly though, if you're developing something for 100 users, and you have
a reasonable amount of time to complete the project, you should take the
plunge and learn .net or some other *real* development package. I prefer
vb, but to each his own... Which ever way you decide to go, make sure the
database guys know what they're doing. Developing a front-end for a crappy
database is a pain in the ass no matter what environment you're in.

-Andy
"Ebbie" <ib***********@ gmail.com> wrote in message
news:11******** **************@ f14g2000cwb.goo glegroups.com.. .

Hi,

I wanted to know if Access Data Projects is a good option to choose for
a SQL Server Database Frontend. The other option is C#.
The database will be accessed by multiple users (around 100 users) on a
LAN. ADP looks viable coz the users are used to working on a MS access
database.
Please post your replies with reasons as to why you think your choice
of f-end is better

Cheers!

[Andy O'Neill]

"Ebbie" <ib***********@ gmail.com> wrote in message
news:11******** **************@ f14g2000cwb.goo glegroups.com.. .

Hi,

I wanted to know if Access Data Projects is a good option to choose for
a SQL Server Database Frontend. The other option is C#.
The database will be accessed by multiple users (around 100 users) on a
LAN. ADP looks viable coz the users are used to working on a MS access
database.
Please post your replies with reasons as to why you think your choice
of f-end is better

Cheers!

Both alternatives are viable.

ADP can be difficult to work on, for some reason code or techniques that
work in one form will not work in another.
Before taking that route I would recommend searching using google groups and
reading up lyle fairfield's advice.
I would point out that there is little difference in efficiency between
using an mdb and tables linked by odbc compared to an adp.

Different versions of access on a user's machine can be a real problem for
access based development. The dotnet framework doesn't have that problem.

I distribute new versions of mdb, adp or dotnet exe by the same mechanism.
Instead of the usual shortcut to the exe or whatever on their machine the
install gives a shortcut to a bat file on a server. This xcopies a new
version of the exe if necessary and then runs it - start to avoid leaving
the dos box up.

If you're familiar with vb at all then I would go for vb.net rather than
c#.net. There is no real advantage of either so if you know C then c#, if
you know VB or intend doing office vba then vb.

To my mind access' strength is really in the reporting.
Crystal ( in dotnet ) can be a right pain. There again if you're doing a
lot of graphs then crystal might be better suited.
Whereas in vb6 bound grids weren't such a good idea ( and people used
flexgrid plus text boxes etc), the bound grid in dotnet is a viable option.
The new gridview or whatever it's called in dotnet 2005 is even better.

--
Regards,
Andy O'Neill