[AccessD] SQL Server Compact (was: Old Dog - New Tricks)

Gustav Brock Gustav at cactus.dk
Tue Jan 29 03:15:10 CST 2008


Hi Stuart

I don't know of the MS statement about the death of JET but since Access still uses it, it may take a while.
As for distribution, isn't JET just one file only (DAO), should you need it?

Don't know why you mention transactions as this is supported by JET as well.

However, the 64 bit support is a good point, as is the data types which allows you to write engine specific code which allows you to move the database to the normal SQL Server version without modifying your code.
To be precise, the datetime data type is not to the millisecond but only to 3,3 ms, while you - if you like and with some efforts - are able to store datetime with 1 ms precision in JET. This may have improved in SQL Server 2008 (is a Compact version out yet?) with the new and improved datetime data types.

About the encryption, what does the SQL Server Compact offer?

/gustav


>>> stuart at lexacorp.com.pg 29-01-2008 02:10:08 >>>
On 28 Jan 2008 at 10:17, Gustav Brock wrote:

> Hi Stuart
> 
> Why is it "much better"? I haven't worked with it (Access, or rather
> JET is always at hand) so my experience is nil. 
> 
> I can think of the SQL syntax - which I understand is identical to the
> normal SQL Server - and that it can run on PDAs, but doesn't it have
> pretty much the same limitations (size etc.) than Access JET? 


Jet, according to MS is "depreciated technology.  It is no longer part of MDAC.  There don't 
appear be be any intentions to support it on 64bit OS.  Are you sure that it will always be 
available on the target system?

With SSCE, you distribute a few DLLs with your application and you know that the 
environment is exactly the same as on your development machine - no nasty surprises with 
different versions of DLLs on client machines.

Apart from that:

Data Types -- SQL Server datatypes - indexable text  longer than 255 characters, dates to 
millisecond, BigInts...

ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) and Transactions - it's more robust and 
easier to recover from corruption in the event of system crach etc etc.

Transactions

Stronger password and encyrption





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