DBase IV to Access 2k3 conversion.

[Guest]

I may be doing a conversion of a DBase IV backend to Access 2k3 and was
wondering if there is any books or articles that touches on this. I realize
it should not be hard as there is the import function in Access to bring in
Dbase IV. The client states he will only have about 20,000 to 30,000 records
a year. So would it make sense to use a SQL back end?

TIA

 

[Immanuel Sibero]

Hi Cyberwolf,


There's not much to say about converting a DBaseIV app to Access other than:

- All user interface elements - forms, reports, queries have to be created
from scratch.
- Records in DBase tables (implemented as dbf files) can be imported
directly into Access tables.
- Since you are practically rebuilding the application, an overall review of
the old DBaseIV app design may be desirable. You may decide that the design
can be improved for various reasons (i.e. some tables may not be normalized,
duplications, additional fields needed, etc).
- The fact that you're converting from DBaseIV to Access does not
automatically mean that SQL back end is the choice. SQL back end is an
option for any Access application (i.e. whether it's new development, in
production, or a conversion from DBase or other platforms). Considerations
in selecting SQL as back end include robustness, number of users, security,
performance. Access can handle 20,000 - 30,000 records without blinking.


HTH,
Immanuel Sibero