database updating on a network

[JohnM]

A school system is interested in buying my VB.net application finally. They asked me a question and I could use help. My application updates a small access database. The student would come back the next day and pick up where he left off and the answers he entered the previous day would be there. This works fine on a stand alone PC ay my house. The teacher asked me, if my application is put on the school network server and all 20 student PC's see the application, would my application still allow each of the students to update my access database within the application??? The teacher explained to me that each student pc would see an "image" of the application.

I apologize for being long, but the answer is very important to me.

Thank you for your time

John M

 

[jcrick]

John,

The simple answer is yes.

However, MS Access is well known for limited performance and whilst many people do use it in networked applications, including myself, generally once you get above 5 concurrent users it begins to suffer.

If this is a simple application, which it probably is if you use MS Access, then a good low cost option would be to convert to MySQL. From your description I would imagine you won't need the additional features that MS SQL Server would offer.

So, give it a go - it may well be OK. But if your performance is poor and you cannot find a work-around, move to MySQL.

Jerry

 

[JohnM]

Thank you

Jerry, Thank you very much. I'm going to contact the school today.I will let you know how it goes performance wise with more than a few users. This would be my first sale!!! I don't know much about MYSQL but I will start reading up on it now because I need the sales.

Thank you for the time.

John

 

[cjard]

a good low cost option would be to convert to MySQL.

Ugh. I have to say that MySQL is genuinely the most expensive free database I've ever used. Because it doesnt support the enhanced designer assistance in Visual Studio, you end up writing masses of code by hand. Given the choice between spending 3 weeks (i.e. thousands of dollars) tearing my hair out writing data access code and getting it to work, I really would rather just pay the license (i.e. hundreds of dollars) for SQL server, or use the development copy that comes with VS, and either have the client install the free SQLExpress, MSDE or pay the license for SQLS themselves.. Oracle also have free and paid offerings that integrate with VS.. THe other DBs, I wouldnt bother with.

 

[JohnM]

Thanks Cjard

The school just called me today and they are going to buy the application!

It looks like I have alot of work ahead of me to be able to have options should the MS Access data base slows the application. Thanks Cjard and Jerry for the ideas on this. I'll let you both know how it actually works in their classroom.

John

 

[JohnM]

Application Performance with Access DB

I went to the school that bought my application (with Access data bases) to show the students how to use it. There were 10 pcs working it on the network. The speed as they went thru each form wasn't bad. Not as fast as if it was a lone pc but the high school kids didn't complain about the speed.
This was my first sale and only the first time they have used it. Too early to say for sure. After a week or so, I'll see if I get phone calls from the teacher on its performances.

 

[cjard]

I used to work for an EPOS company whose product was based on a jet database. One till was master (had the database locally), and we tended to stick to instalations that only required the master till because the lockup issues we experienced with just two tills were horrendous. There is no way I would ever attempt to use a jet database in a commercial multiuser environment again. That said, I'm amazed that the company I did a lot of work for after the epos guys, used an access database for CRM on a network of 50 machines without experiencing significant lockups (one per week)

The difference maybe was the way it was coded; the epos was vb6 hitting a jet mdb, the CRM was an access front end, vba script stuff.. Maybe Access was doing some magic that the VB6 program wasnt.. but the sooner you can migrate your app to sqlserver express the better, in my opinion.
Note: i use the terms access and jet specifically here for a reason.. jet != access

 

[JohnM]

Thank you

Cjard,

Thank you for your answers. I am new at this and thrilled that I sold an application. Now I have to get back to earth and be realistic. I have to get up to speed on what you are talking about so I can make it better.

Your time is very much apprecaited.

John

 

[delstar]

... and either have the client install the free SQLExpress, MSDE or pay the license for SQLS themselves..

Keep in mind that SQLExpress does not allow remote connections.

 

[cjard]

Keep in mind that SQLExpress does not allow remote connections

"..by default"

http://blogs.msdn.com/sqlexpress/archive/2005/05/05/415084.aspx