Advantages / Disadvantages of Using Access Applications

Question

I was wondering what the advantages / disadvantages of using Microsoft Access would compare to just creating a custom C # application. Is runtime the same? Has the time already passed?

Answer 1

C # is a common development environment designed to create all the applications that can be understood.

Access is a development tool specifically designed for one purpose, i.e. creating front ends of databases.

All components inside Access are pre-created to simplify the interaction with data.

While, of course, there are libraries and controls available for C # that are designed to interact with databases, the less integration of the common development environment for the specific purpose of creating database applications.

Access to database related components is also more mature than anything that could be developed for C #, since Access was about twice as long. This also has its drawbacks, as some of the assumptions about how everything should work in Access also do not work in a modern environment (access was created before the network existed somewhere outside of academia).

I think it’s probably OK to select C # as the development platform for the database application if:

• accessible developers are already familiar with C # database strings, and

• you need to distribute your application to a very large number of users.

Access is quite difficult to deploy, and in large organizations, when you amortize the savings in RAD on a large number of desktops, it quickly overshadows the costs associated with Access deployment problems compared to a standalone executable without dependency execution time.

But we are talking about somewhere far above 100 desktop computers where the line crosses (and maybe closer to 500 or 1000), in my opinion.

Answer 2

Access has many advantages if you are dealing with data. One of the key points is to split “access” in your head (a RAD development studio where you create form reporting code, etc.) and “Jet”, the database engine that comes with Access.

Access makes a great interface for other types of databases, such as an SQL server, and you can make great data management applications very quickly.

You also have an excellent built-in report set and easy access to other MS Office applications (for example, sending mail through the appearance)

Access ran into a bad reputation in IT circles, as IT departments were burnt earlier when they supported some poorly built applications, where the original “developer” had long been released. The fact is that any language can be used to create a bad application, but since more people have access to access to errors, it increases the chances that the developer does not make mistakes!

Answer 3

In my not very modest opinion, the great advantages of MS Access are its low learning curve, and so much has already been done for you. Simple applications can be created by unskilled employees.

This is also one of the biggest disadvantages. MS Access applications often first start with complete beginners, and they can get themselves into a lot of trouble. Quite often they get to the point that they depend on an application that was created to do their job, but it needs to be expanded or become unmanageable due to some early “decisions” they made, they first started creating it (for example, using some human-readable key to link to another table, without integrity restrictions, etc., and now they have much more data than they started).

As a rule, by the time I see this, a lot of work remains to cancel the previous work of the developer. And sometimes it will cost more time to fix it than to start.

On the left, the pro is great for creating fast, simple apps. Even more complex - this is normal if a professional does it. If I had my own path, we would simply provide a version of the execution and save the full version for IT professionals.

Answer 4

Advantages - this is a pre-built functionality, as well as the ability to write your own code if necessary. Of course, all this can be done in C #, it's just not that simple.

The biggest drawback to using Access is that there is at least one answer to every question about SO that suggests using something else. Or better yet, if someone knocks on Access, although they don't know anything about it or haven't used it since 2.0.