[AccessD] OT: Dice.com on ms access

DWUTKA at marlow.com DWUTKA at marlow.com
Fri Dec 8 10:56:54 CST 2006


I agree.  Especially in web apps, I have NEVER had a web based app fall over
due to too many users, and practically every dynamic web page I have built
uses an Access .mdb in the background (Access 97 usually).

Drew

-----Original Message-----
From: artful at rogers.com [mailto:artful at rogers.com] 
Sent: Friday, December 08, 2006 9:44 AM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: Re: [AccessD] OT: Dice.com on ms access

Overall, I think the writer hit most of the nails on the head. I do,
however, take issue with one point: the small number of users. I developed
an enterprise app for a custom travel agency. Four offices scattered across
North America, everyone communicating with a single Terminal Services box
which hosted an ADP which spoke to a SQL Server box -- 70+ simultaneous
users and not a hiccup in sight. It worked flawlessly. Granted, that's not
the scale that General Motors or Chrysler requires, but I wouldn't call it
"a small number of employees."

IMO, Access has been seriously under-rated by professional .NET etc.
developers, and not only by them, but also by MS. I admit that I stretched
the envelope, experimenting in this and that way, using replication etc.,
but at the end of the day I had a single enterprise app that did everything
but the accounting, and that was accomplished using the API to QuickBooks.
So I am the LAST person to admit the lack of scalability of Access apps.
Maybe Amazon couldn't run on an Access app, but I have no clients in that
category. And I am quite willing to pose Access against any .NET or Ajax
solution in the realm of <300 simultaneous users.

Arthur


----- Original Message ----
From: Mark A Matte <markamatte at hotmail.com>
To: accessd at databaseadvisors.com
Sent: Friday, December 8, 2006 10:05:27 AM
Subject: [AccessD] OT: Dice.com on ms access


Hello All,

My job yesterday pretty much 'ticked' me off ...so I went to 
dice.com,reactivated my account, and updated my resume(2 hits already).  
Anyway...today at the bottom of the sign in page they featured an article 
about access comparing it to Lego's.  You have to have an account to 
see...so I'll paste the text below.  It made sense to me and thought some of

you may enjoy as well.

Happy Friday,

Mark A. Matte

Microsoft Access Developer - Grown-up fun for the Lego Builder at Heart
By Joseph Faillace


When I was a young lad my parents got me my first box of Lego's. From that 
time on and for many years afterward they would oftentimes find me on the 
floor of my bedroom quietly building some construct that I had imagined in 
my head. For them it was the cheapest babysitter they ever found. For me it 
was an opportunity to build something from beginning to end. Lego's was an 
outlet for my creative juices - though what I was building was relatively 
small, all my big ideas could be found in the careful placement of every 
individual block. There was nothing else quite as satisfying as seeing my 
own little building, car or entire town come to life. When I began 
developing solutions in Microsoft Access I finally found a career that was 
an adult equivalent to my childhood passion.

Developing Microsoft Access databases is all about building excellent stand 
alone small scale solutions. Unlike working on a larger Enterprise database 
where you are one of many developers doing your part to contribute to the 
maintenance or inception of a new tool, in Access development you are "the 
man" - the buck stops with you and it's your way or the highway - as well as

any number of other clichés. But seriously, the great thing about getting 
assigned to a Microsoft Access gig is that you get to think out a plan of 
attack, create a design spec, a table structure, the look and feel of the 
interface, a testing plan and then follow it through to implementation. For 
me, variety is the spice of life and I enjoy working on all different 
aspects of the development process.

Now, if you are the type of person who prefers to get lost in the crowd, 
Access development is not for you. Whether you are creating a database for a

Mom and Pop shop or a Fortune 500 company, the success of the project 
primarily falls on you. You need to carry the project through from beginning

to end. People are counting on you, and often you alone, as their only path 
to process improvement. However, as is often the case, the more weight that 
you carry the greater level of satisfaction you get of seeing a project to 
completion.

Some of the little things that make developing in Access nice are that, 
unlike a larger system, there are fewer users on Access and issues can be 
identified more quickly. Also since the Access database is not a 
company-wide program, the red tape factor is greatly decreased, meaning you 
can make changes more readily, push up or pull back schedules, and bend 
testing criteria to your will. You can push the limits of your ideas, try 
things out, go where no man has gone before, and see, taste, smell and touch

the fruit of your labor.

Microsoft Access development is also a great spring board to a number of 
other career options. Since Access contains all the portions of a larger 
Enterprise system you can hone your skills on common languages and knowledge

like VBA, SQL, report design, and XML. Let's not forget that Access has a 
bigger brother (SQL Server) which you can download for free off the 
Microsoft site (SQL Server Express). Your Access database's backend can be 
converted to SQL Server. You can expand your knowledge of this Enterprise 
database making yourself more valuable to your clients or employer.

If you are not in the IT industry but have interest in pursuing this type of

work, you can work on Microsoft Access on your home PC and use it to solve 
problems in your current profession. Join a discussion group and take free 
tutorials. Microsoft Access is a great way to get your foot in the door to 
our booming industry.

So, if you have big development ideas, but would prefer working in a smaller

environment where you have more control and responsibility, then be the 
corporate world's next Lego builder. Be an Access developer.


Comments? Please contact us at feedback at dice.com.

_________________________________________________________________
View Athlete's Collections with Live Search 
http://sportmaps.live.com/index.html?source=hmemailtaglinenov06&FORM=MGAC01
-- 
AccessD mailing list
AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
-- 
AccessD mailing list
AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com



More information about the AccessD mailing list