Sharing Databases with remote users

[Guest]

I have been reading a few discussions regarding shared access databases, and
understand the concept of splitting the database into front/back end with
data being the back and displaying the info being the front end, but is this
possible when you have remote users accessing the info from a different
location over the web?
I have read about sharepoint but this seems to suggest a subscriber service.
If we have remote access to our network with static IP, can we just join the
local network?
Any help or pointers would be useful.

 

[Guest]

Front/back end splits end up getting very slow, even on the LAN, unless you
go with Access projects with a SQL/MDSE back end. Access front-end (i.e.
Access itself, not data access pages) to Access back-end across a WAN/VPN is
likely to be virtually unusable. Terminal services is a good solution if
affordable (actually superior performance to multiple clients across a LAN
because the data/program files are local to each of the TS clients). A couple
of dedicated Windows XP PC's with remote desktop enabled is another solution
that allows local access for smaller environments.

 

[Guest]

I have been reading a few discussions regarding shared access databases, and
understand the concept of splitting the database into front/back end with
data being the back and displaying the info being the front end, but is this
possible when you have remote users accessing the info from a different
location over the web?

I've done this myself several times, and the answer is always "too
expensive". In one case it was purely web-based, placing all of the load on
the server, but even the cost of sending the pages over the internet (across
the atlantic in this case) made it unsuable.

If the problem is really "we have a couple of sites..." then you have a very
different solution than if the problem is "we have a lot of customers at
different sites...". If you're just trying to get a couple of offices on a
single db, then the solution is to use SQL Server as your backend and use
it's built in replication system. Not for the feint of heart, but works well
for most simple situations.

Maury

 

[Guest]

Maury and Brian
Thanks for the info, being more of a user than an expert on networking/ set
up etc, it seems as though Maury's solution may work for our application. We
have three seperate locations each with single users, and a base office
location the database is a very simple log of contract details, names-tel
numbers- description of events etc and currently the info is mailed to the
base location and then added by office personnel.
Do you think this is achievable?