Web front end for MS-Access

AndyJB

Evening All,
I have an MS-Access database with a number of forms and tables etc. What I'd like to do is build a web based front end to replace the existing forms that will allow users to access [add/delete/modify] the various tables.

Can anyone suggest low cost / freeware (preferred) solutions that I could use?

Thanks

ron_darrell

Get some basic hosting with ASP or PHP support and away you go. Check out tutorials on these techs at http://www.w3schools.com

Eoin

I can't remember the name of it, but there is a free ASP package that provides a web front end to a database, that allows full access to do everything.

It's effectively a web based GUI for Access, so you may want to write your own pages that limit the access to people (i.e. so they can't drop tables), and ties together the joined tables properly.

Red Alert

PHP has a connector as does ASP so you'll be ok. You may hit limits on number of connected users to the access DB however. A quick fix might be to migrate the data to a MySQL and link the tables to an access front end for people who want thick client features.

AndyJB

Thanks very much for all of your postings. Much appreciated.

Regards,
AndyJB

DublinWriter

OP - today's MS Access database is tomorrow's support nightmare.

If you are going down the ASP route, you might as well consider using a 'real' DBMS such as SQL Server Personal or Oracle Lite. Both can be downloaded freely.

AndyJB

DublinWriter wrote: »

OP - today's MS Access database is tomorrow's support nightmare.

If you are going down the ASP route, you might as well consider using a 'real' DBMS such as SQL Server Personal or Oracle Lite. Both can be downloaded freely.

Thanks for that. I've already up sized some of the Access tables onto SQL Server. I'll have a play with MS Visual Web Developer, but if theirs anything else worth looking at please do let me know.

Thanks again.

Seth Brundle

DublinWriter wrote: »

OP - today's MS Access database is tomorrow's support nightmare.

If you are going down the ASP route, you might as well consider using a 'real' DBMS such as SQL Server Personal or Oracle Lite. Both can be downloaded freely.

In what way? I have used (and still have some) sites using Access and there has never been an issue. There are concurrency issues but if these arise, then consider upgrading.
Granted MySQL, MSSQL or whatever will be better and presumably faster but that is not the point. Is Oracle available on any Irish shared hosting a/cs?

DublinWriter

kbannon wrote: »

In what way? I have used (and still have some) sites using Access and there has never been an issue. There are concurrency issues but if these arise, then consider upgrading.
Granted MySQL, MSSQL or whatever will be better and presumably faster but that is not the point. Is Oracle available on any Irish shared hosting a/cs?

Access is fine for small databases with one or two users.

I've come across many situations where an Access database was developed by an end-user many moons ago, and many years later suddenly 10 people are using it, the filesize has gone over 200Mb and the data starts getting corrupted on a weekly basis.

The point is that MqSQL, MSSQL and Oracle are 'proper' DBMSes with features such as transaction rollback and the ability to let data be backed up without having to kick all the users out.

KellyCS

AndyJB,

If using Access, with ASP.Net 2.0, the following MSDN articles may be of interest:

Visual Web Developer - AccessDataSource Control
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/b277ts6z(VS.80).aspx

Also, this one:
Using the Microsoft Access Providers to Replace the Built-In SQL Server Providers
http://imar.spaanjaars.com/QuickDocId.aspx?quickdoc=404

There are many scary stories about using Access on web sites, some true, but when the database (and associated program code) is designed correctly, it does have its place - depending on the traffic level expected.

Note what the author of above article says about Access performance:
"While an Access database is useful in many situations, it's just not as powerful as its bigger brothers SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005. For many small to medium-sized web sites, you'll find that Access works fine, though. Just don't use it to run the next Yahoo killer web site on it...."

Access is usually free with most hosting companies, but not so for SQL Server. Hosting365 does not charge extra for SQL Server. Although I used Hosting365 for my most recent web project, it did not require a database.

I see you are using Visual Web Developer. I first used this for my most recent web project, and I look forward to using the 2008 version - no longer in beta, and now available for free download.

James

Red Alert

I'd go for Mysql which is free and included in a lot of windows and linux hosting plans. A PHP based solution might make it easier to take advantage of cheaper hosting (if you're not doing it internally).

DublinWriter

Red Alert wrote: »

I'd go for Mysql which is free and included in a lot of windows and linux hosting plans. A PHP based solution might make it easier to take advantage of cheaper hosting (if you're not doing it internally).

Can Mysql do record-level locking? Last time I looked it was only capable of locking at page-level.

Red Alert

If it can, it'll be with the InnoDB storage engine only, but I'm not sure.

chowkodali

Andy i would not suggest using MS-Access with a web application. There are lots of problems while using Access at the backend as a database. No hosting provider supports for MS Access now a days:rolleyes:. Better migrates the Access data to MySql. MySql is faster and easy to troubleshoot.

Check this for more info.
http://dev.mysql.com/tech-resources/articles/migrating-from-microsoft.html