free DBMS like MS Access?

  • Thread starter Thread starter VMI
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VMI

Are there any free DBMS similar to Access? The reasons I was using Access
was because every client has his own DBMS to store data in. I've heard that
Access can sometimes become very unreliable (although I've never experienced
that) and that's why someone suggested using another DBMS called TurboDB.
The only problem is that it costs $500 to use.
I only wanted a DBMS that could be stored in a file and that each individual
PC could have one.

Thanks.
 
VMI said:
Are there any free DBMS similar to Access? The reasons I was using Access
was because every client has his own DBMS to store data in. I've heard
that
Access can sometimes become very unreliable (although I've never
experienced
that) and that's why someone suggested using another DBMS called TurboDB.
The only problem is that it costs $500 to use.
I only wanted a DBMS that could be stored in a file and that each
individual
PC could have one.
Click to expand...

If each PC has its own DB, Access is fine. What you've heard aboug Access's
reliabllity relates to sharing an Access database across multiple network
clients. On a single machine, as a backend for a GUI application Access is
fast and reliable.

You can also use MSDE, which is a free edition of Sql Server intended for
desktop use. It's a bit of a hastle to set up on the client machines,
though.

David
 
I'd definitely recommend against using Access with more than one user at a
time... Even then... Oh the humanity! MSDE is a good way to go for small
databases (2.1 GB size limit). The best part is it's free, and you can
register with MS to distribute it as part of your application's install for
free.

Thanks,
Michael C., MCDBA
 
If you want volume, you'll *have* to use MSDE or SQL server. Access is
reliable, but not for large amounts of data (>= 1GB). If you don't need the
volume, why not just use an XML file / your own class serialized.
 
I wouldn't say MySQL would fit the requirements stated by the original
poster. It would be akin to distributing MSSQL or Oracle (though not as
expensive).
 
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