Maximum users in an access database app

[Craig]

What is the maximum number of concurrent users in access 2000 without
creating any problems or lockups

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

There are some reports of people with 1000 users at the same time when using
a access 2000 adp project.

So, much of your question is really going to depend on a lot of issues.

If you are taking about using the JET data engine in a file share mode
without sql server, then the answer is not so cut and dry.

We often see posts here of a people complaining that a form loads slow, and
they only have one user! Ask yourself how well does your application run
with 2 users on a network, and then compare the speed as to when you have 10
users? Can you tell the difference? (hint: if the application is well
designed, you will not notice the difference between 2 users, and 10 users).
If the two users don't run well, then what can you expect?

Since some people complain about performance with just one user, then I
guess in that case, 1 user is too many! Like art, movies, and books, some
are really good, and some movies of late are REALLY BAD. Since software is
such a creative process, then the results are just like good, and bad
movies. Some software written with ms-access performs very well indeed.

When all is right, you can get 50 users working on a file share (some even
have reached over 100 in exceptional cases). In fact MS own web site
actually rated JET for 50 users at one time! However, it really comes down
to risk management, and how much employee time is worth in the event of a
failure. With only two users and a problem, you don't loose very much. If
you loose the output of 40 users in one day, the cost is really high. That
represent more then a month of human work.

Certainly, in the 5 to 15 user range,w ith small tables (say only 50,000
records in a table), and say 30 tables that are heavily related to each
other, that tends to be really easy for ms-access.

Ask yourself how well the application now runs on a network with 2 users. I
have a small application that is used by 5 people all day. (60 tables, 160
forms, tables in the 40,000 record range, and the mde can be zipped onto a
single floppy disk). As mentioned, since the tables are small in this case,
and I have good designs, then virtually all forms load in 1 second or less.
This does not change with 1, 2, or 5 users. I would have to think that 15
users would not be a big deal at all.

So, like a good movie, if you have good designs and very skilled developers,
you will get a lot more users.

There is not a cut and dry answer here, and nor is there for movies either!

 

[Craig]

Thanks for the great insight. Our database is basically replacing an excel
worksheet. A simple job tracking app. Maybee 5 tables(under 1000 records
in the main table) a dozen forms and querries- very basic. We will
probably have about 35 users.

Craig

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

35 users is quite high. If all of those users are to be interactively
editing data, then I would certainly consider using a adp project, or at
least using ms-access with some server based engine. While you don't have
large amounts of data, you do have a high user count for a file share
application.


Regardless, with that many users, you need some good skills in terms of how
you setup and deploy the access application (basic nuts and bolt stuff like
making sure each user gets their own front end. This practice still applies
if the back end is to be sql-server).