Access hosting

In simple terms, a database is a collection of tables called schema which can store the given data in various formats and then the same data can be retrieved in different formats based on the user’s requirements by writing corresponding queries. As is evident, the internet is a place where a lot of information gets transferred for one place to another. Most of the websites over the internet have some or the other form which needs to be filled to store data like, user information of the person who visited the website, information like the email addresses of the people who are subscribed to some new letters, data pertaining to the usage information of the website etc. which needs to be stored. Again, since though this raw information is useful, it may need to be represented in different views and formats to make it more understandable and it is for this job that the database comes into picture, when thinking about creating a website.

There are various different database service providers, which provide different tools for small-end to very high-end requirements on data on different platforms and each of these databases has its pros and cons. The main database options available include MS Access, MS SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, SQLite and others. The first decision on which of the Database Solutions to be used in the website is based on whether the web hosting server hosts a Windows Platform or a Linux Platform. This decision should be made considering the costs and the scripting language that the developers are going to use.

Here, we are considering the details and performance criteria which govern the option of using the Microsoft Access, which is the database application that comes bundled with the Microsoft Professional Office Suite for the usability in a web designing, since it is one of the most widely used and the most widely offered DB option when it comes to windows hosted websites. However, the following salient Features of Microsoft Access need to be considered when, deciding whether or not to opt for this DB-provider for your website.

Like almost all Microsoft products, the biggest benefit of using Microsoft Access is the ease of use. The frontend of the Access DB make it a child’s play to work with, with options like drag and drop and visual designs for creating not only the schema design directly from the E-R diagram, but also creating queries and reports with the frontend. The Access DB also comes with an integrated development environment and a very well developed debugger, which eases the debugging hassles of the user.

Unlike MySQL and SQL Server, which need a DB server to be hosted and kept up, the MS Access uses a flat file for storing the DB information. This ensures that whenever needed the whole DB can be backed up by just copying a file and storing it safely. It also results in the fact that the too many connections error on the DB Server do not happen and the load of the DB server is also not increased.

The Microsoft Visual Studio provides excellent integration with MS Access and hence, MS Access will work seamlessly with ASP.NET based websites. However, this benefit is also a huge con, since MS Access is supported only on Windows Platform and hence, if the web hosting server runs on Linux or Solaris, it will not support MS Access.

The other thing to remember while considering Access Hosting as your backend DB is that unlike the other options like MySQL and SQLite which are not only open source, but also free, MS Access is a Proprietary software, which comes with a License fee, and the web hosting charges may go higher since you will need to use both a Windows Server and a MS Access License.

Last but not the least Microsoft Access is not very scalable, when it comes to huge Databases having millions of entries. Theoretically, MS Access can have a DB file as big as 1GB in a single DB and can even have other tables in another files, which are linked to this Database. However, having huger database files will very adversely impact the performance of the Database. It should be remembered that this software was written to manage smaller amounts of data and if a huge amount of data needs to be stored, and a Microsoft solution is to be deployed, SQL Server would be a much better bet.

All in all, to conclude, while MS Access is not the best solution for you if you are either short on budget, or need to store very huge amounts of data or simply if your hosting server is not a Windows Server, it is a very good choice if a small and simple system needs to be deployed immediately, more specifically if the underlying technology is ASP.net.