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Access vs SQL

This is a discussion on Access vs SQL within the SQL Server forums, part of the Microsoft SQL Server category; --> hi there, a while back i got into a bit of ASP programming and needed database access. since msAccess ...


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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 02-29-2008, 02:56 AM
Dan.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Access vs SQL

hi there,
a while back i got into a bit of ASP programming and needed database
access. since msAccess was installed on the system i was using at the time i
used that and have used that since. but then i heard something about sql and
that it's better to change to that as early as you can because it's hard
converting access databases and all the code that goes along with it. i
would like to know what advantages the sql holds over access.

thanks in advance
Dan.


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  #2 (permalink)  
Old 02-29-2008, 03:03 AM
sai
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Access vs SQL

I guess the major different is that the speed, stability , security
and stored procedure. MSSQL is the strongest DBMS on Microsoft Product
line. There is no doubt in its speed and stability.

stored procedure make you simplify your asp procedure and centralize
in to the DB. It also can speed up your development time.

how to choose the suitable database, which depend on what's your
project size and how complex of it.

sai.

"Dan." <no@ddress.fr> wrote in message news:<c8hugi$sv6$2@news.tiscali.fr>...
> hi there,
> a while back i got into a bit of ASP programming and needed database
> access. since msAccess was installed on the system i was using at the time i
> used that and have used that since. but then i heard something about sql and
> that it's better to change to that as early as you can because it's hard
> converting access databases and all the code that goes along with it. i
> would like to know what advantages the sql holds over access.
>
> thanks in advance
> Dan.

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  #3 (permalink)  
Old 02-29-2008, 03:04 AM
John Shaw
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Access vs SQL

Hi Dan,

I guess the biggest difference is that Access is single-threaded. If
two users hit it at the same time, it has problems. My org wanted to
use a single-threaded postal address scrubber a few months ago. I ran
scripts from two different machines that looped through 50 addresses.
I killed it every time.
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  #4 (permalink)  
Old 02-29-2008, 03:04 AM
Tony Toews
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Access vs SQL

jmshaw@weir.net (John Shaw) wrote:

>I guess the biggest difference is that Access is single-threaded. If
>two users hit it at the same time, it has problems.


But the Access back end is on a file server? It's a shared file. Multiple users can
update it at the same time just fine.

>My org wanted to
>use a single-threaded postal address scrubber a few months ago. I ran
>scripts from two different machines that looped through 50 addresses.
>I killed it every time.


What do you mean by killed it? Was this postal address scrubber written in Access or
what?

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
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  #5 (permalink)  
Old 02-29-2008, 03:04 AM
Greg D. Moore \(Strider\)
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Access vs SQL


"Tony Toews" <ttoews@telusplanet.net> wrote in message
news:mvsfb09o57hbku3cv9f6lnaclhnm8gllpe@4ax.com...
> jmshaw@weir.net (John Shaw) wrote:
>
> >I guess the biggest difference is that Access is single-threaded. If
> >two users hit it at the same time, it has problems.

>
> But the Access back end is on a file server? It's a shared file.

Multiple users can
> update it at the same time just fine.
>
> >My org wanted to
> >use a single-threaded postal address scrubber a few months ago. I ran
> >scripts from two different machines that looped through 50 addresses.
> >I killed it every time.

>
> What do you mean by killed it? Was this postal address scrubber written

in Access or
> what?


Ultimately my experience is that while SQL Server will scale better, etc...
one can write poorly written apps on a SQL Server that will kill it and one
can write well written apps on Access that will fly.

I found out the local ITT school has a teacher teaching students that Access
has a hard limit of something like 24 users. I confirmed this with two
students. Note the teacher wasn't suggesting that as a soft limit to use as
a rough guide, but taught it as a hard limit.

Fortunately I was able to correct at least two students.


>
> 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



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  #6 (permalink)  
Old 02-29-2008, 03:04 AM
david epsom dot com dot au
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Access vs SQL

Access is not single threaded. In fact, one of the many problems
that users have with Access is that some applications (eg IIS)
have problems dealing with a multi-threaded process such as the
Jet database engine.

Jet was designed to operate as a partially distributed database
engine. If you need to operate Jet as central database engine
you should increase the number of threads. If you need to operate
Jet as a central database engine in a context that can not handle
thread creation, you should reduce the number of threads to 1.

(david)


"John Shaw" <jmshaw@weir.net> wrote in message
news:91422298.0405281610.6f22a1a3@posting.google.c om...
> Hi Dan,
>
> I guess the biggest difference is that Access is single-threaded. If
> two users hit it at the same time, it has problems. My org wanted to
> use a single-threaded postal address scrubber a few months ago. I ran
> scripts from two different machines that looped through 50 addresses.
> I killed it every time.




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  #7 (permalink)  
Old 02-29-2008, 03:05 AM
Ryan
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Access vs SQL

It's difficult to say exactly which is better as it depends on the
task you want to do.

I've been using both Access and SQL for several years and generally
use Access for smaller applications (one off's) with low numbers of
users. (such as the one on www.ryan.dial.pipex.com - my own stuff
which I'm working on at the moment - as you will see, you can do quite
a lot with it) This isn't because of any limitations of Access, but a
preference to keep our main apps (at work) consistent. SQL is used for
anything likely to be a permanent release and with lots of users. For
instance SQL handles record locking better IMHO. Access is easy to
develop in very quickly with limited knowledge (and powerful if you
know what you are doing).

Access queries will provide you with SQL statements which are almost
right for using in SQL itself. It doesn't take long to learn what
changes you may need to make as they are only subtle differences. I
prefer SQL as I can lay out the code in a neater manner, but Access
has a better graphical front end.

SQL is your back end and Access can be both the front and back end or
you can use a mix (Access front end, SQL back end). This is a nice
compromise if development costs are low (ish).

I found Access to be very useful in learning about database
programming and coding in VBA. It's all in one package so easy to work
with.

SQL can be a little harder, but it's well worth the effort. Once you
get up to speed and comfortable with it, you should find it better
than Access, but will still need a development language. I use Delphi
as my main development language and the two work well together.

The good thing about SQL is that there are a lot of people willing to
help out on this forum. The Access one seems to have been taken over
so I don't bother with it any more.
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  #8 (permalink)  
Old 02-29-2008, 05:30 AM
Jim Kennedy
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Access vs SQL


"Dan." <no@ddress.fr> wrote in message news:c8hugi$sv6$2@news.tiscali.fr...
> hi there,
> a while back i got into a bit of ASP programming and needed database
> access. since msAccess was installed on the system i was using at the time

i
> used that and have used that since. but then i heard something about sql

and
> that it's better to change to that as early as you can because it's hard
> converting access databases and all the code that goes along with it. i
> would like to know what advantages the sql holds over access.
>
> thanks in advance
> Dan.
>
>

SQL is not a database it is a language. (Structured Query Language)
SQLServer is a database. Don't confuse the two.
Jim


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  #9 (permalink)  
Old 02-29-2008, 05:30 AM
David Portas
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Access vs SQL

These articles may be helpful.
http://www.aspfaq.com/show.asp?id=2195
http://www.aspfaq.com/show.asp?id=2214

--
David Portas
SQL Server MVP
--


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  #10 (permalink)  
Old 02-29-2008, 05:31 AM
Trevor Best
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Access vs SQL

(non existant groups removed from x-post)

David Portas wrote:
> http://www.aspfaq.com/show.asp?id=2214


From that site:
<---
SQL Server handles NULL values differently. Access assumes NULL = NULL,
so two rows where a column is <NULL> would match a JOIN clause comparing
the two. By default, SQL Server treats NULLs correctly as UNKNOWN, so
that, depending on the settings within SQL Server, it cannot state that
NULL = NULL. If you are trying to determine whether a column contains a
NULL value, the following query change should be made:
-- Access:
[...] WHERE column = NULL
[...] WHERE column <> NULL

-- SQL Server:
[...] WHERE column IS NULL
[...] WHERE column IS NOT NULL
--->

WTF? Where on Earth did that information come from? That is totally
incorrect. Access has never treated a null as equal to another null.

--
This sig left intentionally blank
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