...Access

Access is a relational database management system from Microsoft. For some time it has formed part of their popular Office suite. Access also has an IDE - integrated development environment - so you can build forms, reports and macros, as well as write VBA to turn your database into an application. The mechanics of the database are built around Microsoft's Jet database engine.

Sadly, this is where the problems start. Jet is no great shakes in the performance stakes - concurrent usage causes Jet databases to slow dramatically. Also, remote usage is pretty grim too. These problems illustrate the problem with Access - it's ideal for small databases on local hosts used by a limited number of people - more serious requirements suggest the need to upsize to SQL Server or similar. Fortunately this is very easy to do from Access 97 onwards.

The upshot of this is that some people (Oracle DBAs mainly, ho ho) tend to look down their noses at Access, sneering that it "isn't a proper database". In response to that I'll say that, whilst Access certainly has its limits, it isn't wise to diss something for what it can't do unless you appreciate what it can do. As it is, Access is a powerful tool, meeting the needs of tens of thousands of users around the world. I'll just climb off my soap-box now...

Curiously Access, like Star Trek films, alternates between good and bad releases. Version 1 was nothing special; 2 was the first 'proper' desktop database application, and introduced stable coding with Access Basic; 95 was bug-riddled, so much so that many users opted to stay with the 16-bit version 2 even though 95 introduced VBA and replication; 97 was a landmark in that it offered all the benefits of 95 but without the bugs, plus greater integration with SQL Server and Exchange/Outlook; 2000 looked promising, introducing data access pages for web integration and (finally) sub-datasheets but again there were a lot of bugs; 2002/3 were better. As for 2007, it's a little early to say.

...this site

This site is written in my spare time and is intended to be a home to all the Access crud that's accumulated in my head over the years. It's hosted by Brinkster, another one of Bill Gates's side projects. Why Brinkster? It's free, offers 30Mb of space, doesn't cover your site with too many ads (that's my job, ha ha), and hosts Access databases for you - parts of this site are generated by Active Server Pages querying Access databases. On the down side, Brinkster is a bit slow and (unlike me) resides in the US. Conclusive proof that you can't have everything in life. Anyway, you'll find that this site is best viewed with a screen resolution of at least 800x600, and a 24-bit colour depth. Also, your browser must support Javascript to enjoy the site in all its so-called glory.

...the author

I'm a business systems analyst/programmer. I develop small systems and desktop solutions, hence the expertise in Access. I've been using Access since about '94, starting with version 2. I'm currently using 2003 at work and 2002 at home, whilst my particular area of interest regarding Access is performance - I'm really quite a sad case when it comes to squeezing every drop of speed out of the Jet engine. I also like to dabble with VB, SQL Server and web technologies. I'm a part-time student too, having recently complete a computing Master's and now taking a diploma course in creative writing. I write this and two other web sites in my spare time - I should get out more, shouldn't I? Anyway, to contact me leave a message in the Accessory Forum.

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