Which SQL Server?

[Guest]

I am considering moving my BE to SQL Server 2005 (I have Access 2003), but I
don't get all the versions they have. I will have 20 or so users talking to
SQL Server tables via Access front ends on their desktop. Can I get away
with the free developer version? (I know -- I wish).
Also, should I NOT go ADP with the idea that the company will someday
upgrade to VISTA, which seems to be ADP hostile?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Guest]

I am in a simmilar situation so I may be able to help. SQL Server 2005
Express Edition (the "free" version) should have no problem running your
current BE with only 20 users accessing it. SQL Server 2005 Express Edition
is pretty limited, but since you will only be using it as a back-end for
Access I doubt you would miss any of the features of the other versions.

 

[Guest]

Thanks. That is good to know. I think Microsoft's comparison chart is
lacking a simple user limit column (or simultaneous user licence, or whatever
they want to call it.)

 

[Sylvain Lafontaine]

If your current BE is actually Access/JET, then quite probably there won't
be any problem about capacity or number of users to move it to SQL-Server
2005 Express. Anything that an Access BE can take, SQL-Express should be
able to take it.

Of course, you might have some other problems about the design or VBA code
but these are usually easy to solve if the BE can take the load.

As for ADP, MS is in the process of slowly killing ADO and to replace it
with ADO.NET; so ADP shouldn't take to long to follow the same fate. For
how long before it's officially killed (or deprecated) ? Your bet is a good
as mine.

I would say that if you are already using ADP, then keep going with it until
you can (or must) migrate to .NET (or go back to ODBC linked tables). If
you are not already using ADP, then I would say that choosing to go this
route a this moment would be a risky move.

 

[Pat Hartman \(MVP\)]

Stay away from the .adp format. I believe at the moment it does not support
any of the SQL 2005 versions. It is also not being developed further by the
Access product team. The .adp format has never been particularly popular
due to its lack of flexibility when working with other table types and the
annoying differences in the object builders.

Linked tables in an .mdb should give you everything you need. On rare
occasions (usually bulk deletes) you will want to consider pass-through
queries. You just need to be careful with your forms. All forms should be
based on queries with selection criteria that limits the number of rows
returned from the server. You especially don't want to open a form bound to
a table since it just sits there sucking records over the network in the
background until every record is retrieved from the server. Take a look at
the KB articles regarding client/server performance for Access.

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

Thanks. That is good to know. I think Microsoft's comparison chart is
lacking a simple user limit column (or simultaneous user licence, or whatever
they want to call it.)

Something similar, called processes, was limited to five in the MSDE
(SQL Server 2000) days. However that limit does not exist in SQL
Server 2005 Express. Also that five processes is not at all the same
as five users. Furthermore it was only throttled. One credible
person indicated he had 75 Access users hitting one SQL Server MSDE
system.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
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