What exactly is Microsoft Access (seriously)?

[Victor]

Sorry if this is a strange question, but...

What exactly is "Microsoft Access"? Is it a GUI used to manage a database? Or is Access
a type of database? Or both?

Or is the program Microsoft Access a GUI used to manage JET databases which have the
suffix .mdb?

Sorry for the newbie questions...

Vic

 

[Rick Brandt]

Sorry if this is a strange question, but...

What exactly is "Microsoft Access"? Is it a GUI used to manage a
database? Or is Access a type of database? Or both?

Or is the program Microsoft Access a GUI used to manage JET databases
which have the suffix .mdb?

Sorry for the newbie questions...

Vic

Yes.
Only by common vernacular.
Sort of.
Yes, but not limited to Jet databases. That's just the default or "built in"
one.

 

[Victor]

Yes.
Only by common vernacular.
Sort of.
Yes, but not limited to Jet databases. That's just the default or "built in"
one.

Thank you.

Rick, your last answer... what other databases besides JET can Access manage (did I ask
this question right)?

Can I use MS Access 2002 to manage a mySQL database, or a MS SQL database? Do I need to
install additional drivers to manage these databases?

Vic

 

[John Vinson]

Rick, your last answer... what other databases besides JET can Access manage (did I ask
this question right)?

Can I use MS Access 2002 to manage a mySQL database, or a MS SQL database? Do I need to
install additional drivers to manage these databases?

Yes, these or any other ODBC compliant database. You can even manage
(to some extent!) dBase files, comma-separated-text files, Excel
spreadsheets, etc. etc.

John W. Vinson[MVP]

 

[Rick Brandt]

Thank you.

Rick, your last answer... what other databases besides JET can Access
manage (did I ask this question right)?

Can I use MS Access 2002 to manage a mySQL database, or a MS SQL
database? Do I need to install additional drivers to manage these
databases?

Well, yes you need drivers, but if you obtain a different database engine then
you will have those. I actually seldom use Access against Jet tables. My
databases are in SQL Server (two versions) and UDB400 on the IBM ISeries. I
also have utilities that work with data in Paradox, and Foxpro not to mention
Excel files, text files, etc..

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Define "manage"...

You can put data in and get data out from a wide variety of data stores.

But if you are asking "can I alter the file structure of a DB2 database
using MS Access"...

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

 

[Rick Brandt]

Define "manage"...

You can put data in and get data out from a wide variety of data
stores.
But if you are asking "can I alter the file structure of a DB2
database using MS Access"...

Regards

Well there's always passthrough queries...

ALTER TABLE foo...

 

[david epsom dot com dot au]

Originally, Access was a database product, with a GUI,
that used the Jet database engine, and allowed you to
'access' a whole lot of common 'database' formats.

And interfaces were provided to allow VB and ODBC to
access 'Access' databases.

Because the ODBC interface is called an 'Access' interface,
a lot of people still call that kind of database an
'Access' database.

Over here in 'Access' land, it is more useful to make a
distinction between a 'Jet' database, and an 'Access' project,
because it turns out that you can have different kinds of
Access versions in the same version of 'Jet' database:
A Jet 4 database can hold an Access 2000 project, or an
Access 2002 project, or even an Access 2.0 or 95 or 97 project
(although you can't use the project in that form), or even
no Access project at all. And Access can continue to use
data from a Jet 4.0 database containing an Access 2.0 project,
or data from a Jet 2.0 database with or without a project.

Furthermore, there is no 'Access' api to access a Jet database
anymore, but there are several non-Access API's: DAO, ADO,
ADO.Net, ODBC. And those API's can't access the 'Access'
project, even if there is one in the database, which there
may not be, if the database was created through one of these
Non-Access API's!

And more, Access 2000 was extended to allow you to store
an Access project in a SQL Server database. (Although that
has been gradually killed off)

So you see that the link between 'Access' and 'Jet' has drifted
over time.

(david)

 

[Victor]

Yes, these or any other ODBC compliant database. You can even manage
(to some extent!) dBase files, comma-separated-text files, Excel
spreadsheets, etc. etc.

John W. Vinson[MVP]

Ah... so, if I have mySQL drivers installed, I can manage a remote mySQL database using
MS Access? And if I have the MS SQL 2000 0r 2005 drivers installed on my client, I
should be able to manage my MS SQL database on a remote server?

(not that I'd do that, mind you, I have SQL Server Management Studio Express installed.
I'm trying to get a handle on capabilities)

BTW, when I write "manage", that includes accessing and read/write the data. I don't
want to confuse Access and access. I'm about to be placed in a strange situation where I
need to manage JET, mySQL, and MS SQL databases. I'm coming up to speed real fast, and
this has been a tremendous help. It would be real nice if I could use just one GUI to
manage these different databases, so I'm trying to learn the capabilities of what I
have.

 

[John Vinson]

Ah... so, if I have mySQL drivers installed, I can manage a remote mySQL database using
MS Access? And if I have the MS SQL 2000 0r 2005 drivers installed on my client, I
should be able to manage my MS SQL database on a remote server?

Yes, I have done all of the above.

(not that I'd do that, mind you, I have SQL Server Management Studio Express installed.
I'm trying to get a handle on capabilities)

BTW, when I write "manage", that includes accessing and read/write the data. I don't
want to confuse Access and access. I'm about to be placed in a strange situation where I
need to manage JET, mySQL, and MS SQL databases. I'm coming up to speed real fast, and
this has been a tremendous help. It would be real nice if I could use just one GUI to
manage these different databases, so I'm trying to learn the capabilities of what I
have.

You can certainly run PassThrough queries in full T-SQL - or MySQL -
so anything you can do with a query can be done from Access. Reading
and writing the data in the tables, using bound or unbound forms, etc.
all work nicely.

John W. Vinson[MVP]

 

[dbahooker]

Access is a FRONT-END for SQL Server.

SPIT ON ANYONE THAT STORES DATA IN MDB

 

[dbahooker]

you DONT need special drivers for SQL Server

Well, yes you need drivers, but if you obtain a different database engine then
you will have those. I actually seldom use Access against Jet tables. My
databases are in SQL Server (two versions) and UDB400 on the IBM ISeries. I
also have utilities that work with data in Paradox, and Foxpro not to mention
Excel files, text files, etc..

 

[dbahooker]

the BEST tool for managing SQL Server 2000 is Access Data Projects.

but it's best to use SQL Authentication.. just make sure you use strong
passwords


MS is too drunk and proud to secure SQL Authentication-- even though
2/3rds of the companies i've ever worked at use SQL Authenticaiton for
SOMETHING.

WIndows Authentication just doesn't work well enough in my opinion

 

[Tony Toews]

BTW, when I write "manage", that includes accessing and read/write the data.

Ah, see when I read "manage" to me that means creating databases,
tables. fields in tables, indexes, relationships and lots of other
stuff. I'd using other terminology for the
reading/inserting/updating of data.

Managing Jet databases is fine in Access. But for SQL Server you'd
really want to use Enterprise Manager or whatever it's SQL Server 2005
equivalent is. You could do some of that within Access but you'd
have to write the SQL statements yourself instead of using a GUI
manager.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm

 

[dbahooker]

Tony;

I totally disagree.

Managing SQL Server objects with Access Data Projects is a wonderful
choice.

ADP has better wizards for writing sprocs than almost anywhere else.

-Aaron

 

[Victor]

Ah, see when I read "manage" to me that means creating databases,
tables. fields in tables, indexes, relationships and lots of other
stuff. I'd using other terminology for the
reading/inserting/updating of data.

I didn't ant to get into the awkward situation where I'm writing "I'm accessing access
with access. Can I access mySQL with access"?

Or, to make things really confusing, "Can I use access with sql"? That would start a
terminology debate, or a discussion on capitalization, I can just see it. Can you Access
it with your mind?

Someone would respond with the wrong info, and someone else will chide me for not
mentioning Jet. Ah, the characters you meet on the internet...

 

[Tony Toews]

I didn't ant to get into the awkward situation where I'm writing "I'm accessing access
with access. Can I access mySQL with access"?

Or, to make things really confusing, "Can I use access with sql"? That would start a
terminology debate, or a discussion on capitalization, I can just see it. Can you Access
it with your mind?

Someone would respond with the wrong info, and someone else will chide me for not
mentioning Jet. Ah, the characters you meet on the internet...

Yup, lots of characters out there. Including me.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm