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MS Access Datastore

The MS Access data store application design uses a single back-end MS Access datastore that is connected that is connected to a Windows application Client, which is typically written in Java or VB or one of the Dot Net languages (e.g. C# .NET or VB.NET).

The MS Access Datastore approach uses MS Access exclusively as a datastore, and is generally useful for “occasionally connected” applications that need to be deployed to a standalone PC like a laptop or notebook. MS Access Datastore applications are best suited to referencing information (primarily “read” more than “write”), and frequently the MS Access synchronization capability to used to periodically update and share data.

MS Access Datastore Scorecard

# End Users < 15 Assuming primarily Read-only usage
Deployment Desktop Only LAN or WAN not recommended
Performance Varies # of users, records, and datastore size dependent
Reliability OK Reliability can degrade beyond Read-only use
Data Integrity Poor Limited means to insure data quality and completeness
Security Poor Security is as good as the PC is secure
Data Limit 1GB More data will impede performance and reliability
Maintenance High Manual only; requires End Users to maintain
# of Records < 50,000 More records will impede performance and reliability
Internet Access No Remote access will substantially impede performance and reliability

MS Access Datastore Limitations

The MS Access Data Store method can be used to house data on a network file share, however the Data Store approach forces MS Access to handle multi-user data concurrency issues, which are always best handled by a database server, and therefor can and will impact performance.

Limitations to the MS Data Store Application approach generally include data integrity and security issues inherent with all MS Access file-based solutions. As a desktop product, this model does not lend itself to centralized maintenance — MS Access Repair and Compact must be run by the end users. In the end, this design is as costly to develop and deploy as a full Client-Server application, but lacks the full Client-Server benefits of centralized Security, better performance, and ease of maintenance.

Read about Converting MS Access to SQL Server to solve these issues or contact Practical Computer Applications (PCA) directly at 877-843-3405.

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