Making Access database "global", is it possible?

[o0ski]

Hi everybody!

I have now got an ms access database in my hands. It has been in developement for about 2 years. It's splitted so it has all the tables in one file and forms and reports in a few other files.

It has been in use on a network folder in a very small scale but now my boss want it to be used in a big scale (think all over the world).
Is it possible to put the database on a server or something to be able to use it with the current forms, reports, queries and so on all over the world?

Hope you guys know what I'm asking here, please say if it's anything I made unclear.

[June7]

You want to serve Access data on the internet? Review these articles for starters
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...ffice.10).aspx
http://www.pcapps.com/database-servi...-internet.aspx
and
http://superuser.com/questions/24726...r-the-internet

[o0ski]

You want to serve Access data on the internet? Review these articles for starters
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...ffice.10).aspx
http://www.pcapps.com/database-servi...-internet.aspx
and
http://superuser.com/questions/24726...r-the-internet

to quote one of the answers on the site:
"MS Access 2010 is a file-based database. Thus the only way to share it with a separate front-end / back-end database (linked tables) setup is if you expose the file share on the Internet. This is most definitely NOT a good idea.

Even if you use a VPN to add security you will probably find performance unacceptable. The only realistic solution is to use a SQL Server back-end and link to that from the MS Access front-end databases."

SQL server back-end? How complex is it?

[smallapplications]

to quote one of the answers on the site:
"MS Access 2010 is a file-based database. Thus the only way to share it with a separate front-end / back-end database (linked tables) setup is if you expose the file share on the Internet. This is most definitely NOT a good idea.

Even if you use a VPN to add security you will probably find performance unacceptable. The only realistic solution is to use a SQL Server back-end and link to that from the MS Access front-end databases."

SQL server back-end? How complex is it?

Actually, I have to disagree with this statement that the ONLY realistic solution is to use SQL server - based on my experience with access databases on the web (and it goes back to 1998), the web application developed with PHP, ASP, WhizBase (and even if I do not have any experience with these - Perl, Python, Ruby, ColdFusion) and access MDB file, can be a very good solution and much easier to maintain, backup and modify.
Another thing - with web solution you should not have any issues with licensing (particularly with CALs).

HTH,
Faco

[o0ski]

Actually, I have to disagree with this statement that the ONLY realistic solution is to use SQL server - based on my experience with access databases on the web (and it goes back to 1998), the web application developed with PHP, ASP, WhizBase (and even if I do not have any experience with these - Perl, Python, Ruby, ColdFusion) and access MDB file, can be a very good solution and much easier to maintain, backup and modify.
Another thing - with web solution you should not have any issues with licensing (particularly with CALs).

HTH,
Faco

The thing is that I would need to use the exactly the same forms and stuff that i have right now, in other words; change nothing and just share the file with the data and send the other files to them who should use the database.

[June7]

I haven't yet tried to serve Access database on the internet so can't say for sure but I am doubtful this can be done through web browser. Believe must build webpages that interact with the data tables. Otherwise, users would have to be able to log on to your computer/network as a remote user and directly run the file (very slow). You could allow users to download the files (FE and BE) and then they could work with them from their local workstation. But this would not be a dynamic link. To obtain changes in the data or design would have to repeat download.