DB hosting solutions

[ahill48]

Hi,

Back in February, I built a small Access Database for one of my clients. I'm not a database expert by any stretch of the imagination. I had to google and use these forums to figure out how to do every single step. At the time my client had some pretty out there suggestions for how his three locations (a total of 6 PC's) were going to use the DB. He wanted a multi-user DB; however, he insisted we do it using GoogleDrive. I explained that GoogleDrive was a file backup system, and would not allow more than one person entering or saving at the same time, but he insisted it would work.

With the limitations of GD in mind, I set it up so that there were only two PC's (mine and one other) who would use the full Access program to update the file. The rest were restricted to Access Runtime, which only gave them search capabilities. We have avoided conflicts, so far by notifying each other when a full Access user is in the program.

Recently I had a conversation/confrontation with the client, where he insisted that all PC's should have the ability to enter and edit data! Grrrr! Ok, so I painstakingly explained how a DB and GD work and why you cannot have a true multi-user DB in this situation. He asked me to "fix it"!

As I mentioned...not a Database person here. I know we need a host for this 4MB database, but I have no idea where to look. It goes without saying that it will have to be cheap. The reason he insisted on GD was that it was free. It will also need to have enough security to protect sensitive customer information. It also has to be simple...I don't want to have to learn coding or anything like that.

Does anyone have any suggestions of where I can look?

[ranman256]

all you had to do was put it on a network folder, or shared pc.
Google drive was NOT the answer.

[ssanfu]

I would have fired your client...

Are his three locations (a total of 6 PC's) on the same network?

Other options:
1) Easiest and secure (but not cheapest) is to move to the (a) cloud. Each user has their own virtual computer + a VC for SQL Server.

2) If you have a hosted site on say GoDaddy.com, 1AND1.com, IXWebhosting.com, etc, they have window packages with SQL Server. You will be in charge of making the connections secure.

3) Convert to a web based solution.


Fast, Good or Cheap. Pick two

Good + Fast = Expensive
Good + Cheap = Slow
Fast + Cheap = Inferior You truly get what you pay for

[CJ_London]

or move your backend to sql azure - cost is perhaps $10-$20/month depending on usage and your front end remains unchanged other than how it interacts with the data and to make more uses of stored procedures. Other requirement to get through the firewall is each user has to have a fixed IP - typically a one off cost for a few $ from your clients ISP(s)

[Shadow9449]

I have clients using Terminal Server or Citrix and it works great that way. No need to change any code or upgrade to SQL server, which might not be an easy path for a beginning Access user. Again, not cheap. But if the client already owns a server running Windows Server then it should be quite reasonable.

[ahill48]

We have a web host but they won't help me with the DB other than as pertains to how their site performs.

[ahill48]

I would have fired your client...

Are his three locations (a total of 6 PC's) on the same network?

Other options:
1) Easiest and secure (but not cheapest) is to move to the (a) cloud. Each user has their own virtual computer + a VC for SQL Server.

2) If you have a hosted site on say GoDaddy.com, 1AND1.com, IXWebhosting.com, etc, they have window packages with SQL Server. You will be in charge of making the connections secure.

3) Convert to a web based solution.


Fast, Good or Cheap. Pick two

Good + Fast = Expensive
Good + Cheap = Slow
Fast + Cheap = Inferior You truly get what you pay for

Your option 2 above might be it. We have a Bluehost account, and apparently, MySQL is part of that package. I tried finding some step by step how-to's on converting the Access DB to MySQL, I even downloaded MySQL to my own pc so I could test the steps. Well, that didn't work and I don't know enough to figure out why it doesn't.

Any suggestions on where I could learn how to convert/upload my Access DB to MySQL on Bluehost? I learn quickly, but my biggest problem when trying to tackle a project like this is knowing where to start. I like learning new things...which is probably why I haven't fired this client. What I learn doing his cheesy projects I can turn around a use with other clients.

I'm guessing here, but I think after uploading the tables I'll have to recreate the queries and user forms. I have search forms and data input forms. Then I have a number of queries to access specific data. Also, ideally I'd like to set user-level permissions so that some users can only access specific forms.

For security, it will, of course, be password-protected, but I am unclear what other security solutions might be available on the web host side. I have to believe there are options available...probably for a fee.

[CJ_London]

For security, it will, of course, be password-protected, but I am unclear what other security solutions might be available on the web host side.

I don't know about the specific servers you mention but the main and often only one is IP - on the web host server you will have to specify which IP addresses will be allowed in.

I was talking about this to a colleague the other day. One of his clients opened up the allowed IP range as an experiment to allows customers access to their data and was immediately hit with around 10,000 attempts an hour to infiltrate the server. This had a huge impact on performance - and his web host was not to pleased either.

When investigating these things, you need to be clear to the web host about how (or where from) the data will be accessed. The assumption will be that the data is being accessed from a website (which will have one or more fixed IP's). If your client has a fixed IP already (suspect he hasn't) then this is not a problem - the problem will come with home users, who will need to go via vpn to your client and then out to the web db. So they get a fixed IP (per my post #4 above), you add them to the 'allowed' IP list and everything is great - until you have people who want to work from hotspots - and those IP's are shared, so by letting the user in by providing the fixed IP for say McDonalds - you are potentially letting in anyone in who happens to be sitting in McDonalds.

If they do get past the IP firewall, your next line of defence is the login - so make sure this (and any user typed input that is going to be used in a sql statement) is fully protected against sql injection. If you are not aware of it, here is a basic example

https://www.w3schools.com/sql/sql_injection.asp

Don't underestimate the risks and provide a strong defence. There are automated routines out there just trying to get in, whether it is to browse or for malicious reasons is irrelevant.

[CJ_London]

Any suggestions on where I could learn how to convert/upload my Access DB to MySQL

google 'upsize access to mysql' for a number of possible solutions