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SQL Server or MS Access, which is right for me?
There are both similarities and differences where Access and SQL Server are concerned. The similarities make it easier to
understand the differences.
Both SQL Server and Access are relational databases. The database
is made up of tables which can be linked together, or joined, to provide varying snapshots of the data. For instance,
there might be a table of analytes and a table of test results. To see the results for a given day the analyte table
would be joined to the test results table and the result date specified as Today, for instance.
Relational databases are generally easily adapted to external programs such as report writers and spread sheets. The
structure of a SQL Server database and that of an Access database would be nearly identical. They would vary only
in the internal representation of the data.
The differences between SQL Server and Access mainly revolve around where the data is processed. The term client/server
can be applied to a program that uses SQL Server, but it cannot be applied to a program that uses Access. client/server
programs generally run faster, are more stable, and can support a larger number of concurrent users. The are a more
enterprise wide solution. This is because all client/server database
activity takes place on a separate machine, called the server. Only the results of a database activity are sent back to
the user's PC, generally called the client. If Access is used, even if the database itself resides on a server, all the
database activity takes place on the client. This is slower because all of the data has to pass from the server to the
client A great deal of network traffic is generated. This slows things down and allows fewer concurrent users to be well
upported.
Other activities take place on a database server, such as SQL Server, that do not take place with Access. Maintenance of
the database, updating of indexes, and realtime repairs are occurring concurrently with user access. This results in a more
stable database environment. SQL Server also makes better use of memory and other resources than Access does. If a SQL
Server environment slows down the database can be split and part of it placed on an additional server machine. Depending
on the program up to double the performance can be achieved. None of this is available via Access.
The other differences concern price. A Visual Basic program that uses Access does not incur any additional costs because Access comes standard with Microsoft Office. SQL Server requires an additional machine and SQL Server itself is not inexpensive. Whether or not the difference in cost is worthwhile depends on the number of users to be supported, the stability required, and the performance of the system.
For more information regarding the differences between the two types of databases, please see the article:
Explore the differences between ISAM and relational databases
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