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Week 1: Roles of Databases, MS Access Familiarity, and Requirements Gathering Discussion Choosing a Database (graded) 1. 2. 3. Microsoft Access is one of the most popular database platforms on the market. However, there are many competitors. Why do you think that Access is so popular? What are some of the other types of databases available? Discuss the differences between Access and its competitors. Are there truly any differences or are they the same technology implemented in different ways? Do you think that Access can serve as a corporate database solution, or is it strictly a personal database solution? What might be the difference between a personal and corporate database solution? Responses Response Class: Read this first. Author Professor Schiller Date/Time 7/8/2012 12:26:44 PM Class: On this subject of choosing a database, you will probably need to do some research in the textbook and online for information. Remember that you need to post a link to your source, and that you need to explain in your own words the main points or findings from your research and relate it to the questions that are asked. Try to deal with the questions 1, 2, and 3 above in the form of a separate running thread on each question. RE: Class: Read Brittani Wigal this first. 7/10/2012 10:55:24 PM http://www.rptsoftware.com/aboutus/microsoft_access_database/ In my opinion Access is popular because it is a Microsoft product. Microsoft is well known and used by just about everyone. We even use these products in school and chances are in a job we will typically use them too. Typically these products are fast, easy to use and very reliable. There are many other databases besides Access. It would take too much time to list all of them, so I will name 10: 4th Dimension Helix Linter InterBase Oracle Dataphore SQL OpenBase Greenplum MonetDB RE: Class: Read Charlotte Hagans this first. 7/11/2012 7:44:47 PM I am agreeing with you that Access is user friendly and relatively easy to use. There are numerous other databases out there, but I have never used them. You have provided a good list of others available. RE: Class: Read Sharon Gibson this first. 7/11/2012 3:54:47 PM Brittani I agree that Access have many great and useful features. I think that because technology is continually evolving; there is always a new program coming out to make data entry more user friendly. I’m sure that the ten databases that you named all seek out what their competitors are lacking and try to make the product much better and cost efficient. RE: Class: Read Shannon Busse this 7/12/2012 9:28:38 PM first. I am going to agree with you. Microsoft has a huge pull when it comes to its software. Every computer you buy has Microsoft built into it in some way. It is a complex bunch of programs that can be very difficult to understand for some. Just because you get one does not mean that you are going to get the next. Access is popular because it can help make databases make sense. It is a little more simple to use than others. It is popular probably because it also offers a tutorial that allows the less knowledged person understand. RE: Class: Read Rod Chapman this first. 7/11/2012 8:31:39 PM Microsoft has a huge advantage in the software arena since it offers a solution for most of the business needs of today, and the different pieces in the suite work fairly well together as far as transferring data from one to another. I know I have purchased software from them because of this and they offer a wide array of products to complete most business tasks. RE: Class: Read Kenneth Joa this first. 7/9/2012 8:43:28 AM A possible explanation to the popularity of the Access database is people's familiarity with Microsoft products. They have been using them for a while now and they are pretty common due to the abundance of computers with the Windows OS. The fact that Access is pretty easy to use does not hinder its case either though. RE: Class: Read Staci Lee this first. 7/9/2012 1:40:52 PM Well known DBMSs include Oracle, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite. It seems that access is probably the most popular because it is a Microsoft product and developing a database in access can be less time consuming than most other databases on the market. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database http://www.activelightning.com/database/compare.html RE: Class: Read Professor Schiller this first. 7/9/2012 4:21:42 PM Staci, Nice set of references! RE: Class: Read Arlene Lazare this first. 7/8/2012 1:21:00 PM Microsoft Access is a database that lets users to make, manage and evaluate large records of information. It is a popular program, whether your needs are that of a small business owner handling the company's info or a researcher that requires the examining of a large data set. Using Access enables you to import data from other programs such as Excel. “Popular database management software applications such as Paradox, Access, and dBASE 5 are utilized to manage databases small enough to be stored on a desktop computer. Some databases are so large that that they must be stored on a server or mainframe computer and accessed by going online. Some large, public databases can be accessed online for a fee. These are referred to as information utilities or online services. You may have heard of or used some of the more popular online services including America Online, CompuServe, and Microsoft Network.” http://www.personal.psu.edu/glh10/ist110/topic/topic07 /topic07_04.html Copy and paste link to your browser. RE: Class: Read Willeen Smith this first. 7/9/2012 7:39:36 PM Arlene I have to agree with what you said about sometimes a database is so large it has to have it's on server. I know that the company that I work for we have our own server at our locations, then we have to access to send large files to our mother company. Sometimes it takes a while because there server is so far away and it's so much data that is being sent from us to them. It really amazes me that you just click a button and so much data can go from one place to another. I feel that Access is so popular because it's a household name that everybody know's and it's user friendly. RE: Class: Read Arlene Lazare this first. 7/11/2012 5:49:57 AM Hi Wileen, We have our server as well but that's understandable considering the size of the company I work for. I think Access is popular for the reasons you mentioned but it is more suitable for companies that are small or mid-sized. RE: Class: Read Staci Lee this first. 7/12/2012 7:08:55 AM Thinking of database that is so large it has it's own server is very intimidating. I can't imagine building that type of database. However having the information stored for easy retrievement is worth having this type of database. RE: Class: Read Professor Schiller this first. 7/9/2012 4:23:15 PM Arlene and Class: This is a good example of summarizing and referencing an Internet source. Question 1 Jennifer Reed 7/8/2012 3:03:07 PM I am not too familiar with Access, but from what experience I have it seems fairly easy to use and is available in the Microsoft package. Access is convenient for the at home database user or a small business perhaps. I would assume that the cost of Access is cheaper than another type of database. Databases are available for all types and amounts of data. Access is considered a smaller scale database whereas Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server and IBM DB2 are considered large scale database management systems (Grauer et al., 2011). Reference: Grauer, Robert T., Mast, Keith, Poatsy, Mary Anne, Frost, Raymond, Day, John, Slyke, and Craig Van (). Database Design Essentials for Business for DeVry University [2] (VitalSource Bookshelf), Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781256091646/id/pgF-6 RE: Question Sean Mccauley 1 7/10/2012 6:56:09 PM I also agree that Microsoft's name being related to the Access software gives it a huge bump. Microsoft programs such as outlook and excel are highly popular based on their ease of use and the Microsoft Office software. Access is also part of the office software which can allow people access to the program even though many people don't use or even know what Access is or used for. Access is a desktop database program as opposed to being server database program. Other types of desktop database software include FileMaker Pro and Paradox among others. Without talking about server database technology, some reason that Access may be popular is it's ease of usage in comparison to others. FileMaker Pro for example has been used with Mac systems mostly. It has only recently begun to make the jump to other OS. FileMaker Pro also tries to be as user friendly as possible by easing the difficulty of using the software. Paradox is also another desktop database software. Although Paradox can be integrated with other types software, it is said to not be as easily navigated as others. RE: Question Nicole Palazzolo 1 7/8/2012 3:31:28 PM Jennifer I do not have much experience with Access either. The only time I have used it was in one of my previous computer classes a few years ago at a different university. It didn't seem easy to use at first, but it turns out that it is very easy to use; however, I do not like it whatsoever! I prefer using Excel worksheets as databases, they are much more easier to navigate through in my opinion, also it could have been the Professor I had at the time that made me not like the program. RE: Question Ashlie Ouellette 1 7/8/2012 4:33:41 PM I'm also with you two above here and I haven't spent enough time with microsoft access to know much of anything about it but i have done a little research and this is what i found. http://www.rptsoftware.com/aboutus/microsoft_access_database/ Mirosoft access is one of the highly used database, it is less expensive then others, It is part of microsoft office. i think its popular because you can download cheap version or use a older version for free, even tho i haven't used access enough to think its easy, it is easy to get around on the program and you can learn as you go. this is one of the smaller databases. Some other databases would be SQL Server or Oracle. RE: Question Yesenia Lopez 1 7/14/2012 11:10:17 PM I agree with you both. I would also ask about quantity and type of product because the database has to be able to organize product information such as serial numbers, product code, color, size, description, tracking numbers, etc. As the types of products and quantity begin to expand a larger database would be more beneficial. However, as a business that is starting off I would suggest using Access. I would also ask “Who will be using the data?” if it is only going to be used by the owner then I would stick with my recommendation of Access, but if the owner was planning on having a team of employees access the data I would suggest using a different database. RE: Question Kenneth Joa 1 7/11/2012 3:07:02 PM I have not used it much as well, but I agree when I did use it, it was not overly difficult and made the work I did a lot easier. I am not familiar with the other database software due to the fact I have never used anything other than Access for my database needs. RE: Question Kelly Dutcher 1 7/10/2012 10:03:43 PM I think that Access is one of the most popular databases because it is produced by Microsoft. I think in general Microsoft programs are extremely user friendly and they have a great reputation associated with them. I know that I as a consumer am more likely to choose a product based on it's good reputation. I think Microsoft has a ton of available information for their users which makes it appealing to consumers because they know they will be able to get help or assistance if they need it. As far as other database software available, I googled "alternatives to Microsoft Access" and found this information: http://alternatives.rzero.com/db.html RE: Question Adam Rogers 1 7/12/2012 10:46:03 PM The three main reasons for the popularity of the access program are its availability, it is ease of use, and the Microsoft name. PCs are a huge part of the home computer market, and they all run Microsoft programs. Demo or trial versions of many programs, like access, come preinstalled on new PC purchases. For this reason Access is easy to get hold of. Access is designed to be easy to use also. You don't have to know all of the programming steps to get results from access, you chose a template, enter the data, save, and then you are ready to start submitting queries. The last reason is the Microsoft name. It's big, it's well known, and it's been around for a long time so people trust it. RE: Question 1 Willeen Smith 7/8/2012 7:03:23 PM Modified:7/10/2012 5:26 PM I really can't say that access is the most popular database due to the fact that I have not really used it. I have been using excel for so many years and it's all that I really know. I did some research on Access from this website called FMS World Class software Solutions. It tells you a lot about Access and it has the goods and the bad's for the software. From the readings it says that Access is the most popular. The success of Access as the most popular database in the world is a testament to its capabilities and the pervasive need for database solutions by productivity workers. Access is the first weapon of choice when it comes to relational databases because of its ability to quickly create useful database solutions. It may not have all the features scalability, performance, reliability, and security of more sophisticated solutions, but for many situations, those features are irrelevant or secondary to what Access offers. Access offers an excellent solution for database challenges facing individuals, small teams, and workgroups across a network. Some of the other types of databases are Oracle, SQL Server, and Sybase. From the research that I have found all of these are database systems, but from what I have read Access is the leader of them all. I found another website talking about the different databases and tells how they work. The number of database challenges within an organization that can be solved by Access is much larger than solutions solved by more complex and expensive solutions. And over time, with the drop in hardware prices and increases in performance, more and more database situations are solved by Access. Reference http://www.wideyegroup.com/computers-and-technology/different-types-ofdatabase/ https://www.fmsinc.com/tpapers/genaccess/DBOD.asp RE: Question Nicole Palazzolo 7/9/2012 3:30:48 PM 1 Willeen, I agree, in fact I don't know anyone that uses Access! RE: Question Kinja Cager 1 7/9/2012 4:15:33 PM Willeen, thanks for the links. I personally do not use Access but I am somewhat familiar. I have also heard that it is one of the most user friendly when it comes to databases week 1 Navdip Singh 7/9/2012 2:02:37 PM Even though Excel is not a database, it is widely used to store data, and it is often used to solve simple database problems. But, Excel is a "flat file database", not a relational database Class: Professor Schiller 7/9/2012 4:32:00 PM As you move on to Questions 2 and 3 at the top of the Discussion Assignment, I encourage you to share your experience or include research information from the Internet. Remenber to include a few sentences of your own summarizing the research information and the URL reference. Short one-sentence responses that do not add to the discussion should not be used. RE: Class: David Lock 7/10/2012 9:23:45 PM There are an enormous amount of database softwares, some of which are industry specific. Access is used as a corporporate software and is rated well. Some prefer Linux based database programs. Below are several reviews and possible options within the web references. http://reviews.cnet.com/1770-5_7-0.html?query=database+software http://ezinearticles.com/?Business-Database-Software&id=4310177 http://products.howstuffworks.com/database-software-reviews.htm RE: Class: Professor Schiller 7/11/2012 2:30:07 PM David, be sure to include a summary or some key points from references when you include them in a posting. Otherwise, it leaves the reader with the task of searching the site for something pertinent to the questions. RE: Class: David Lock 7/12/2012 2:29:35 PM The site offers consumer ratings of various software and costs which give a balanced analysis of the value of funds spent Question 2 Yuri Lazare 7/9/2012 5:33:10 PM One major difference between Access and its competitors is the database user capacity. Access is a desktop based system and is ideal for home network databases or at best small business use limited to fewer than 200 users. For more complex databases that requires user access from multiple locations and a wide user base then server based database systems would be appropriate. Many of the competing database systems offer web based solutions to database management but are often more complex to use and much more expensive than Access. RE: Question Rebeka Andrade 2 7/10/2012 8:43:31 PM I think that the major difference between Access and the other major competitors would have to be the scale of information or capacity it can hold. Some of the mayor competitors for database would have to be like the big companies like Oracle and IBM. I think in a way it is a form of the same technology just in different formats and capacities. For example, the fact that some of this technology is used for bigger and larger corporations. RE: Question Rod Chapman 2 7/14/2012 8:02:13 AM Rebeka, I agree, according to the text Access is limited to a relatively small amount of data and users compared to others that might be used in large scale operations. RE: Question Joelle Yule 2 7/10/2012 3:50:33 PM Further to yuri's point about Access being a desktop based system, I looked online and found a comparison of FileMaker and MS Access. It appears as though, similar to Access, FileMaker is for smaller use, but does have the ability to create and store an overall larger database. The comparison ultimately demonstrates in favor of FileMaker as it's their selling tool, however it points out simplicity versus the need for perhaps additional knowledge for Access. I feel as though I can attest to the need for further training with Access as I don't have the confidence as I do have with Excel for example. On the other hand, it might be in a user's best interest to have more levels of design than FileMaker might offer. I don't have experience with FileMaker, so I can't say that I am certain that it's just another way to set up and facilitate database information retrieval. I think I tend to lean in the direction that these programs do in fact leave the same end result, but it would just be a matter of the the data is manipulated or organized within each program. FileMaker, Inc. (2009). FileMaker and Microsoft Access: A criteriabased comparison. Retrieved from http://www.filemaker.com/downloads/pdf/comparison_fm_access.pdf RE: Question Professor Schiller 2 7/10/2012 1:36:59 PM Yuri, I agree that Access is best used by individuals or small businesses. One critical factor is the number of simultaneous users which is way less than 200, more like 25. RE: Question Ashlie Ouellette 2 7/10/2012 9:19:32 AM The difference between access and other competitors is access is a desktop database along with filemarker Pro which is used great for small businesses or a single user. there are also server databases which are MySQL, Oracle which are heavy duty databases for multiuser, and then you have web-enabled databases which is with web interaction. and work we have a server database that is what im used to working with, i didn't even notice i started here and everyone would be like just save it to the server and i will just open from their computer i was like really you can do that. I had no clue http://databases.about.com/od/administration/a/softwareoptions.htm RE: Question Jennifer Reed 2 7/10/2012 9:51:19 AM I am not that familiar with databases so I had to do some research on this topic. In my opinion, the most obvious difference between Access and its competitors is the fact that Access is located on the desktop and the other larger scale databases such as SQL require a server. When Access is purchased, it is ready to use; no additional software is required. Access is stored on the computer. SQL is installed on a network server which results in a client/server relationship for those who access the database. SQL server environments are designed for more than one user at a time as opposed to Access; Access should be limited to one user at a time. Furthermore, SQL does not offer the forms or query wizard like Access. SQL will perform the same functions but I think it designed for professionals that are already familiar with these features. With Access, recovery of lost data is only possible if the database was backed up to another drive by the user. SQL server has an automated back to a network drive or disc. In comparison of Access and SQL, I don't believe the differences are that great. They both basically perform the same functions just in a slightly different way. Access seems to be for first time users and SQL for large businesses and DBA's. It all depends on expertise level and what is to be accomplished when deciding which database to use. http://www.oncenter.com/support/faq/Differences_Between_MS_Access_(r)_and_SQL_(r )_database_types.html http://www.ehow.com/about_5380306_microsoft-access-vs-sql-server.html RE: Question Professor Schiller 2 7/11/2012 2:34:38 PM Jennifer, Good point about ease of use of Access. The friendly interfaces that do not require programming knowledge in Access make it popular with non-programming users. RE: Question Kinja Cager 2 7/11/2012 9:11:24 AM Jennifer , you make some very valid points when comparing Access to other data bases such as SQL.. I really found your link to have a lot of information in it ,that I was not aware of, I have been doing research also since I do not have much working knowledge on database software . RE: Question Willeen Smith 2 7/10/2012 5:50:04 PM Jennifer Good research, I really didn't know that it was so complicated when you want to create data. Access is going to be a new animal for me to tame. I see why huge companies have to use a server to store all the data that they obtain. Also I didn't know the name of the back up server was SQL, we have this at my job I think I know that we have something called the G drive and we were told that our computer was to crash all the information that we stored on the G drive would not be lots. So I am thinking that we have the SQL system in place to store all of our data so it want get lost if our computers were to crash. RE: Question Caromill Almanzar 2 7/12/2012 10:19:34 PM Jennifer I agree with your inputs, adding to that: Access is a great file management, it can easily recover files. It has two great functions that protects the data: compact - repair and backup; where the compact - repair reduces the size of the database and the backup creates a duplicate copy of the database. Access makes life easier when editing a record or file. After several readings I think that there is not much difference between other databases, for example Oracle does all similar technology as Access. The major advantage that I see in Access that in time of learning is the easiest database to learn and handle. Well I am saying by starting in this class. I have never use Access before. RE: Question Kelly Dutcher 2 7/11/2012 9:05:15 PM I think generally speaking Access and it's competitors are the same technology implemented in different ways. While everyone has made the comments about where the program is run and stored, or how many users can be active and so on, they forget that each one of these programs have the same capabilities and intentions. All the programs are made to store data, but each program has it's own advantages and disadvantages. The creator will have to decide what the specific néeds if the end user are and which database program is best equipped to handle their needs. RE: Question Adam Rogers 2 7/14/2012 10:30:30 PM Access is good at what it is. A general multi-purpose database program. It can handle much larger sets of data than Excel and have related tables which Excel isn't very good at. However it is still designed with everyone in mind. Companies with truly massive databases use database programs specifically designed for their needs. I think Oracle is one of the programs that is better for big database using businesses. So it may be similar technology behind the different programs, but they have been optimized for different functionality. Access Deanna Clavell 7/9/2012 7:21:19 PM Access is the most popular because it is provided with most microsoft applications for businesses. Access is not very user friendly, unless you have extensive training on it. I have used Crystal Reports which can be used for databases and absolutely enjoy working with it. Where I currently work they use Questys, which I am not too familiar with but Access is easier to use. RE: Access Lorrie Sullivan 7/10/2012 2:17:33 PM I found this comparison to share: Why Choose Microsoft Access? Microsoft Access is the most widely used desktop database system in the world. Microsoft Access is part of Microsoft Office so there is a common interface and lots of developers and support options available. You can use the free Microsoft Access 2007 runtime. Microsoft Access is significantly less expensive than either SQL Server or Oracle. Typical development times for custom databases using a qualified consultant (such as RPT Software) are days. Doing similar development using other tools such as .net or building a web-based system would typical be multiples of the time required. Third party support for Microsoft Access databases is very common. Example: interfaces to external databases etc... If you need a database that serves your needs and Microsoft Access is a viable option, it is probably the fastest and least expensive way to get your goals accomplished. Why NOT to Choose Microsoft Access? You have determined that you need a web-based system. You have too many concurrent users. Technical limit is 255 concurrent users, but real world limit is 10 to 80 (depending on type of application). Your users are geographically spread too far and you do not want to use remote control solutions to get around this limitation. You have users on Macintosh computers (consider Filemaker). Your database will be too big to work with Microsoft Access. Usually if you know that something will be over a million records, you might be getting into this situation. Credit: http://www.rptsoftware.com/aboutus/microsoft_access_database/ RE: Access Professor Schiller 7/11/2012 2:36:24 PM Class, this is an excellent comparison. You might want to make a copy of it for future reference. RE: Access Ashlie Ouellette 7/11/2012 8:01:39 PM Thanks for sharing this wih us , this a great idea to look out an check out since we will be working with access. RE: Access Charlotte Hagans 7/13/2012 10:32:49 AM I am learning a lot this week. I knew a lot of people choose access because of it being user friendly and easy to use. I didn't think about the cost compared to others. Even though I guess it makes sense since it is used more for small businesses and individuals than large companies. RE: Access Nicole Palazzolo 7/10/2012 3:16:13 PM Deanna, I agree when you say that Access is not very user friendly. I took a 16 week college course on Access and it was easy in some senses, but difficult and confusing in others. I think there are a lot of people don't use it and that includes the instructor I had. He often got very confused while using it as well. RE: Access Shannon Busse 7/14/2012 7:19:30 PM I agree totally. I am not familiar with Access at all. I had to use it partially in another course and hard an extremely hard time using it. Other people in the course seemed to know exactly what the professor was telling them to do. Not at all in this class is it going to be easy. I am going to take my time and try to figure it out. I hope that I do not fall behind or have to ask for too much help. Never do I mind asking for help but learning on my own would be a great feeling. RE: Access Mark Ramsey 7/10/2012 8:14:39 PM Access can fill a niche and can actually be an asset if you know how and when to use it. Access, when used correctly can be an alternative to the larger database systems. Access can help meet company’s needs and budgets. RE: Access Sara Floodberg 7/11/2012 11:38:02 AM We used Access in my pervious job. I worked at IndyMac Bank. We had one person designing the database, two team leads, one boss above them and at least 20 coworkers using the database. The users would be able to only enter data and see the whole fill per customer. The data would display all their mortgage info plus what we were offering them. We updated the information into the notes. At the end of the day the designer would update the information and print the reports the team leads and bosses needed. This was very beneficial to the company. I think in corporate world is can serve on small department solutions, but it really depends on the size of the company. I created an Access database for my personal use at a previous job and one for the warehouse department. The company was Mohawk Inc (Carpet) so it was fairly large. I don't think that as a company like Bank of America it would be very useful though to small and the ability for many people hands to get into the data is probably not okay! I like Access, but I there are so many different ways to set it up sometimes I get to deep. I am new to Access, so I am hoping to learn a lot from this! RE: Access Professor Schiller 7/11/2012 2:43:15 PM Sara, thanks for sharing your work experiences with databases. Class: Anyone else have experience with databases? RE: Access Sharon Gibson 7/15/2012 6:35:04 PM Sara I agree with you; I have been reading some reviews on Access and it was stating that it would be a great database to use no matter what setting. Whether it is in cooperate or someone starting a small business. Class: RE: Read this first Jb Avery 7/10/2012 8:05:07 AM Some other databases are MS SQL, and SQL. Microsoft access comes with microsoft office professional. Microsoft access inetergrate tightly with microsoft office. microsoft office can be used to build applications rapidly to ssave you money. The differance between Staci Lee 7/10/2012 11:16:38 AM access and competitors One major difference in access verse its competitors is that it may only take 16-20 hours to build the database with access and most of the competitors can take at least 22 hours but usually double that amount of time. RE: The differance between Professor Schiller access and competitors 7/10/2012 1:38:27 PM Staci, What is the reference for your figures on time to build a database? Question 2 Willeen Smith 7/10/2012 5:43:18 PM 2. Discuss the differences between Access and it's competitors. Are there truly any differences or are they the same technology implemented in different ways? To answer this one I really could not come up with anything that I know about Access because this will be a first time using this software. I know more about excel and word. I had to do some research on this one. I found that it's really a lot of other database out there that very large companies use. These companies use the large ones to hold more data then what Access can hold. The article that I found compared Access and Oracle. Difference One: Access is a small database system, which will allow you to create a smallmedium sized database with minimum security features. Oracle can be integrated with NT security, which gives tight control over who can and cant get to your data. Difference Two: Access is a lot slower over networks as all the processing is performed on the client machine, whereas with a large DBMS like Oracle (Or SQL Server), you send only a query (such as "SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE CustID=23;"), and only the required results are returned. If you ran this across a network with Access, all the records would be sent across the network, leaving the client machine to select the required record. Difference Three: Access gets really slow if you try to connect more than 10 users (depending on the size of the DB and how it is being utilized), where are Oracle can accept hundreds/thousands of simultaneous connections (Depending upon the server it is sitting on). The final major difference is that of triggers and stored procedures. Access can NOT store procedures which can be executed remotely. You can write functions and with a bit of "jiggery-pokery" get the server side to execute them vy setting flags or something in your database and getting the server to check at pre-defined intervals if the flag is set. With Oracle/(Other Large DBMS's) you can call the stored procedures and they will be executed on command on the server side. Triggers are like events on an Access form, such as "After-Update". When you update a record into Oracle, you can set triggers to automatically run procedures to check for pre-defined rules or whatever. Oh yeah, and Oracle will cost you an arm an a leg in money and setup/maintenance time. For small databases, where only 1 or 2 users need to access the data, I recommend Access, for Enterprize-size solutions, you really need A Server DBMS such as Oracle/SQL Server. Reference http://www.programmersheaven.com/mb/database/52997/52997/differencebetween-access-and-oracle/ RE: Question Sean Mccauley 2 7/11/2012 6:41:21 PM Access has its subtle differences from competitors based on how the software itself is set up. That being said, from what I can tell most of the other types of software the same general technology, just implemented in different ways. The most obvious difference would the the Microsoft "design" that Access has. Millions of people utilize Windows programs such as word and excel every day, sometimes multiple times a day. Access has a similar set up to its icons and navigational aspects, thus immediately offering a more comfortable approach given that it will be familiar. As others have stated, Access also gives the ability to include 255 users but is best used with about 20. Another huge advantage that Access has to other databases is the support offered by Microsoft. Since Access has become the largest used database, the Microsoft network offers the same support system that is offers with all other Microsoft products. A "behind the scenes" advantage of Access is the cost associated with it. Many computers are coming pre-loaded with Microsoft Office which includes Microsoft Access. This basically makes the software free for those who purchase a pre-loaded machine. Other types of software can cost from a few hundred to thousands depending on the scale of the database needs. http://databases.about.com/od/administration/a/softwareoptions.htm http://www.access-programmers.com/cost-benefits.aspx RE: Question Sara Floodberg 2 7/14/2012 8:01:18 PM I think as a company gets bigger the cost for oracle wont seem like such an arm and a leg! I agree that the 'enterprize-size' would need Oracle/SQL Servers! I am not familiar really wit Oracle, I looked at the website and I was quite impressed with the abilities it has, not to mention it adds and increased security. I think I would want it just for all the fun I can have with it! LOL! http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/sql-developer/what-issqldev-093866.html RE: Question 1 Caromill Almanzar 7/10/2012 9:56:55 PM Modified:7/10/2012 9:57 PM 1a) Access is so popular because when used correctly, it provides an excellent alternative to larger databases. 1b)Some other types are: a) flat-file style of database are ideal for small amounts of data that needs to be human readable or edited by hand. b) Database Management Layer allows programmers to store information as a pair of strings; a key, which is used to find the associated value. c) The relational databases such as MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle, have a much more logical structure in the way that it stores data. Tables can be used to represent real world objects, with each field acting like an attribute. http://www.theonestopwebsiteshop.com/web-design/database-type.htm Question 2 Yesenia Lopez 7/10/2012 11:55:57 PM I believe one of the main differences between Access and other database softwares is the size and number of users the software supports. Access is mostly used as a single user database because it can not come close in supporting the same amount of users other systems such as Oracle does. I know that Access would not be beneficial for franchises that need access to the same database across the country. Access would be more compatible in a small business setting with a limited number of users. Class, An additional question... Professor Schiller 7/11/2012 2:49:35 PM Suppose a friend came to you who was planning to start an ecommerce business selling products online. Based on our discussions so far, and any additional research you want to do, which package and which database would you recommend, and why? Would you want to ask your friend any questions before making a recommendation, and if so, what would they be? RE: Class, An additional Nicole Palazzolo question... 7/12/2012 3:22:14 PM I would definatley say quantity is a big question. When I look on amazon for a product or even our vendors website I am going to go with the seller that has the most product on hand so I don't have to wait for my product. I would definatley use Access for this particular database. RE: Class, An additional Sara Floodberg question... 7/13/2012 2:40:08 PM I agree that quantity is a top question. I think it would also be important to know what kind of product, the size or amount of business expected and how many people are planned employees. I personally would start out with access, as the company grew I would probably switch then. RE: Class, An additional Brittani Wigal question... 7/12/2012 10:44:52 PM If a friend came to me I would recommend using Access. I cannot say that I have used any other program besides Access. Although starting out I would recommend them use it. Why you would want to use Access: It's cheap It's easy Development costs less Great way to show fast results Easy to up size from Access to an SQL Server It's flexible It is part of Microsoft Office so you can use it with Word, etc. Less Code http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-reasons-to-use-access-and-afew-reasons-not-to/401 I do not think that as of right now I would ask questions before making the recommendation. This is because Access is the only one I have used personally. I also have never used Access in anything other than school. RE: Class, An additional Deanna Clavell question... 7/11/2012 8:14:31 PM I would have a lot of questions to ask first. You need to know what information they are trying to keep and the quantity of said products. What do they want to determine by keeping this information in databases. I would recommend Microsoft Access as a beginning tool. RE: Class, An additional Mark Ramsey question... 7/12/2012 6:25:49 PM I would have to agree with Deanna that information is the key in finding the correct tool/database for the "friend". Also, for a start up business Access would be an great way to go, if the business ends up going bigger you can always reevaluate the database at that time. RE: Class, An additional Ashlie Ouellette question... 7/12/2012 8:08:30 AM These are great questions to ask, a few more i would add would be is this products that are going to be for any age you will need to have a web based database, and something that everyone could use easily. I think access might not be a big enough database if you are going to be doing it online and to everyone then you may need a bigger data base, but just to start out you could prolly use access until you see how the business will go. RE: Class, An additional Arlene Lazare question... 7/12/2012 12:56:13 PM Starting an online eCommerce business does not necessarily mean you must spend a lot for the start-up cost that’s normally involved in opening a business. The website for your business must exist somewhere online therefore; you need to find a host. Some hosting plans for small companies offer comparable sorts, which mainly offer unlimited storage space, support for common databases and publishing systems, and anywhere from a few gigabytes to 2 terabytes of data transfer per month. When choosing a host, you can look-up reviews of current or previous customers to see if the host best fit your needs. “How to pick one from the dozens out there? Look for reviews from recent users, with a particular focus on how quickly the host resolves problems and how often the service goes down. If you expect sudden, big influxes of traffic due to promotions or Digg-like flooding, you'll want to ensure that the host can handle it. Ask about these issues if the company doesn't have written policies.” “If you're planning to sell a lot of physical goods, you'll need a service that can handle e-commerce transactions, process credit cards, and provide security for both. Setting all of this up on your own server is an expensive, time-consuming task laden with security risks. It's best to outsource the functions to a hosted service targeted at merchants. Such services can be surprisingly affordable. Yahoo's popular Merchant Solutions start at $40 a month. Ecommerce sites at Netfirms start at a mere $15 a month. You can customize both extensively to match your desired look and feel.” Bottom line is, it best to do thorough research and do careful research before proceeding to ensure that the needs of your business are met however; it’s quite clear that is not essential to have a lot of money to start off your e-commerce business. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/153311/h ow_to_start_an_online_business_for_100.html RE: Class, An additional Professor Schiller question... 7/12/2012 3:58:31 PM Arlene, Excellent reference material pertinent to the question. week 1 Navdip Singh 7/11/2012 2:58:16 PM The differences are that Microsoft Access is a database a program used to store relational information in the computer and retrieve parts of it according to a user's. need. and i belive that Some of its competitors are mysql and Oracle RE: week Lemmesha Wilbert-James 1 7/14/2012 7:27:11 PM That is true it is a data base but you can use excel with Access as well with the information that is provided in excel. Choosing a Lemmesha Wilbert-James Database 7/11/2012 4:40:07 PM 1. Access is more important because it's more organized than Excel which is the only one I know that is their competitor. It is also popular because you can always get to it faster. The only other database I know is Excel. 2. Access is the same as Excel just the difference is you can't change the data in Access like you would in Excel. You also are limited in Excel on how many things you can record versus in Access there is no limit. If anything they both work the same just different setup. 3. Access can be served for personal and corporate it does not just serve one purpose. Personal database would be something that you would use for personal use or your personal business and for corporate database it very different. Question 3 Willeen Smith 7/11/2012 8:29:45 PM 3. Do you think that Access can sere as a corporate database solution, or is it strictly a personal database solution? What might be the difference between a personal and corporate database solution? I really can't say that it would be, because like I said before I really don't know a lot about Access and what I have been researching about it. From the research that I have done it says that Access could be a corporate database solution. That it wouldn't cost a company a hole lot of money compared to all the other expensive database that most corporate companies use. It also says that its user friendly and that it does self fix it. But from what I read it's not as large as the databases that are used in the corporate settings. I feel from the reading that if Access could handle the big load of data that corporate business have it could be the answer. I read so much from the wesite below regarding all the good things about Access. Personally I am stuck the past I really like excel. Reference https://www.fmsinc.com/tpapers/genaccess/DBOD.asp RE: Question Kenneth Joa 3 7/12/2012 1:53:31 PM Just based on utility alone it could be used in some small capacity for corporate settings, but there like Willeen said are databases that are larger for the explicit purpose of holding, manipulating, and just dealing with a lot more data. It does not really make sense for a corporation to waste its resources on a program that will not best serve its needs. They need the most storage for the dollar they are spending and they need a database that can handle a lot of data for sales and numerous other functions. RE: Question Lorrie Sullivan 3 7/13/2012 8:05:47 PM I agree with kenneth. The size of the corporation is the key factor I think. We have a non profit animal rescue group that I help out with as far as the computer side of it. They wanted a database in Access, but I still have not learned how to do this yet... probably soon though... I believe they use excel and just make spreadsheets. Then they have utilized the database functions of constant contact and also facebook "fans" etc., to gather leads for various reasons. At any rate, a non profit like this would benefit greatly from Access database. Even though they have many volunteers that would use it, I think it would suit them well without being too much of an expense. I would also like to use access for my own business, instead of using quickbooks online, which I pay a monthly fee for. The company my husband works for uses SWRemote, a database designed by industry, it is sort of a pre-fabricated database based on the industry you work in, whether it be automotive or HVAC, etc. RE: Question Navdip Singh 3 7/12/2012 4:01:43 PM A properly designed database provides you with access to up-to-date, accurate information. Because a correct design is essential to achieving your goals in working with a database RE: Question Deanna Clavell 3 7/12/2012 8:51:20 PM Access can serve as a database for corporations although they require alot of maintenance and main hours to keep up to date. The load of information may be way more than access is meant to handle. Access is much better for reporting of small things and more for personal use. A corporate database will most likely include inventory, employees, assets, and stock and bond info. The information in any of these categories can be extremely overwhelming and a huge undertaking. A personal database can most likely include information on high dollar items such as electronics, and jewelry. RE: Question Charlotte Hagans 3 7/15/2012 7:00:43 PM This is where tech support would be kept busy. You are correct it would take a lot more service to keep an access database up to date for corporations. I do know of one corporation in particular JLG Industries that does use a access database. RE: Question Rebeka Andrade 3 7/11/2012 11:16:50 PM Question 3: Do you think that Access can serve as a corporate database solution, or is it strictly a personal database solution? What might be the difference between a personal and corporate database solution? I think that Access can serve as a corporate database solution as well, but probably with a small business or for an entrepreneur with their own business. I think that if it came down to a big corporation or company, it would probably have the same functions as Access but at a much larger scale. RE: Question Jennifer Reed 3 7/12/2012 6:10:39 AM Modified:7/12/2012 6:17 AM My first thought about a large corporation using Access as a database was that it would be a bad idea. I say this because of the facts that have been pointed out about access in this discussion; such as the amount of users and data it can hold. So why would a large corporation use Access? According to Luke Chung, FMS Inc., Access can in fact be used in large corporations. Access would be ideal in a corporation especially for the users that aren't familiar with other sophisticated databases, such as Oracle. As for the corporation as a whole, Access will maximize return on investment. The Access Simple multi user platform costs roughly $10,000 compared to SQL Server at $ 500,000 with Oracle and IBM db2 at approximately $ 2,000,000. Along with ROI, Access allows for rapid application development, integrates with Microsoft Office and simple data entry for those that are not familiar with databases. Databases are constantly evolving and changing. "Access supports the migration of Jet to SQL server while preserving the application development investment" (Chung, L. n.d.). Access supports growth of the database and system. Access can support up to 2 GB of data; as the database grows it can be migrated to the SQL server. Access presents many benefits for corporations. However, there is one major disadvantage to using Access in a corporation. Security and data integrity are not as great in Access as compared to SQL Server. Therefore, if Access is to be used in a corporate setting, daily database maintenance (compacts & backups) are critical to the corporation. After reading this research, I am still not totally convinced that Access could be used in a large corporation. It seems that it would depend on the amount data and users. As the article stated, many people are still using Excel to store data. Some may use Access and some may use Excel. If there is an enormous of data from the beginning to be stored in a database, I think a larger database would be more appropriate. But, there is the dilemma of end users not having enough knowledge of the particular database to operate it efficiently and effectively. Reference: Chung, L. (n.d.). Database Evolution: Microsoft Access within an Organization's Database Strategy. Retrieved from: http://www.fmsinc.com/microsoftaccess/strategy/index.asp RE: Question Professor Schiller 3 7/12/2012 4:03:38 PM Jennifer, Another good research input! An Access savvy user in a corporation could probably find some applications that don't require the heavy artillery and can be implemented quickly, altough Excel can be stretched to cover some one-table applications. RE: Question Joelle Yule 3 7/14/2012 11:10:06 AM I've been contemplating the idea that it's ok for larger companies, but limited simply to the uses within. For example, at my previous company, we used an EDI program for our order entry. Our customers would log in and essentially place their own orders or submit their own PO's. Our smaller customers would simply pick up the phone and call order entry or fax it in. To me, this EDI program was designed for a larger use. However, that being said, we used Access nearly daily. We used it more to communicate with different departments, then for reporting. The reporting was actually incredibly basic compared to the info we had to input. For example, I had to enter my customer, what product line, what product, the type of discount it was, the amount of cases it applied to, the start date, the end date, whether or not it did end (annual deal for example) and then the rate. This communicated with my deductions team what deals I was offering. We used this for EVERY account that did business with us, small or large. The only reporting that came from this database was regarding when I inputted it versus start date so they could see how much lead time I was offering, or how many times is was a late entry. This seems to me to be an example of using Access incorrectly, when we should have been looking at a larger data base program that may have been able to report better on how much each customer was getting. Again, it all comes down to purpose. RE: Question Christopher Johnson 3 7/13/2012 11:14:49 PM I think access could be like for an independent contractor, small business, or personal use. Access would be definitely cool for a small business and independent contractor more so than personal. There are a lot of programs out there for a more personal approach that is user friendly compared to Access so I would use another program. RE: Question Ashlie Ouellette 3 7/13/2012 8:14:15 AM I do think access can be used in larger companies just depends what this company needs to do or wants to do with their database, Access can't make web- pages so if you think maybe in down the road that might be an option i wouldn't spend money on access and then have to use another database for creating webpages. Access is the cheaper way to go for companys to use and i think as long as you limit what you want to use in your data base and not have alot of different numbers and information that you don't need then it will be fine with Access. here is a website i found below that has information like what access cann't do things that business should look at before they choose access. http://www.fmsinc.com/microsoftaccess/Strategy/ RE: Question Yuri Lazare 3 7/12/2012 2:27:11 PM I agree with you Jennifer, I am not convinced Access would suitable for a large corporation unless of course if their database would have few employees who have access to it. Within large organizations I can however see Access coming to play in inter-department situations. For example in the last bank I worked for each branch had a local drive which was divided up by departments. The local drive was accessible only to employees of that branch but employees could only access their department's section of the drive. The lending department for example would often have an Excel document of pipeline loan in divided up by categories like negotiating, processing, awaiting approval, and awaiting disburstment, which would be updated by any of the lenders. In such a situation I can definitely see how using Access would be an advantage over Excel for large corporations. RE: Question Kelly Dutcher 3 7/14/2012 7:51:40 PM I think the successful use of Access by a corporation depends upon 2 main things: how large the database will be (how much information will be stored) and how many users will have access to the database. If the information which the database holds can be compact and not grow to an enormous size and the number of users that have access to the database are limited then I do believe that Access could work for a corporation. However, I think one of the best reasons to use a database is because sometimes the information which you are storing gets out of hand and grows to a size that is unmanageable in another program. For this purpose I would definately consider using a database that can handle a large amount of data in case of unforseen additions to the stored data which could come about in a larger corporation. But as we discussed previously, if the creator of the database has given ample thought to the creation of the database then they should be able to determine whether Access would be a suitable database program to fit their needs. RE: Question Nicole Palazzolo 7/13/2012 2:51:39 PM 3 Willeen, I agree with what you said. I personally don't like it, but then again I haven't used it to it's full extent, just in a 16 week class setting. It seems like it would be the ideal choice to use in a corporate setting because it is very organized and thorough; however, I don't think it would be ideal in the sense that it probably wouldn't be able to hold as much information as it would need to being a corporate database solution. RE: Question Brittani Wigal 3 7/14/2012 10:32:02 PM I have quite a bit of experience with Access. I had to use it for 2 years while getting my vocational degree in Computer Graphics. I like Access and I think it is very easy to use. In my opinion Access could be used as a corporate database solution. Although, it probably should only be used for a smaller company. A larger company might need to have a database that can hold more data. Also, I do not have experience in an actual career setting that involves Access. The company I previously worked for used a different database. Different companies will use different databases to fit their needs. RE: Question Rod Chapman 3 7/15/2012 12:41:18 PM From what I have read in the text, it sounds like Access is very limited in the amount of data that it can handle. Not sure why, but if this could be increased in some way, then I would think that Access could be used in a corporate setting. Question 3 Caromill Almanzar 7/12/2012 10:34:47 PM In my personal opinion Access can be use for corporation as well, of course depending on the size of the corporation and the use for it. Now Access will not be a good database if: 1) The company would regularly have more than 15 people actively using the database at the same time - for example quick data entry and/or queries and reports. 2) The company database servers experience periodic, unexpected crashes - e.g. more than 1 per month (in this case you'll have problems with any database system). 3) The company requires extensive database security because of the highly sensitive nature of the data. (Although you can get around this issue by using SQL Server as the database engine with an Access front-end.) 4) The company needs to run multiple Access databases, some with Access security enabled and some without. For personal will be less file to manage and also that Ms Access integrates well with the other members of the Microsoft Office suite of products (Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.), which is a form of advantage to get the whole package. For the corporate I have defined as above. http://www.blueclaw-db.com/microsoft_access.htm RE: Question Sean Mccauley 3 7/13/2012 3:25:19 PM I think that so far, most of us are in agreement that Access COULD be used for a corporation. However, it depends on several factors of the corporation itself including the size, number of users, etc. At the end of the day Access is still a desktop database program. It has size limitations which immediately could place a barrier of usage for larger corporations. The point of a database is to be able to gather information as needed and utilize the data to be advantageous for the business. If the corporation has rolling data (data that is constantly being collected), Access would likely not be able to keep all the data and would have to filter older data out in order to be used successfully. For that reason, Access places many limitations on its flexibility in use for large corporations. differences between Access and its Mark Ramsey competitors 7/13/2012 5:33:55 PM As with all products they have there own pros and cons, but there is a big difference between Access and other databases that i've seen in my many years. I would have to agree with the class that Access is better for home and small business.When we start to look at some of the larger business the databases are/can be more complex. It really comes down to how much money they put into the system. Something that I have seen over and over again are Businesses trying to save money by paying for a cheap database, only finding out that they should have paid the extra money to get the correct one in the first place. the issues and headaches can be felt throughout the entire company. RE: differences between Access and Lemmesha Wilbert-James its competitors 7/13/2012 8:06:24 PM I agree that is so true how business always want to take the easy way out or something less to keep their business running smoothly but instead is hurting the employees who have to work with the programs that they have. RE: differences between Access and Rebeka Andrade its competitors 7/13/2012 10:11:47 PM That is very true, I used to work at an office where they needed to make frequent orders for supplies and they didn't want to pay for the necessary items because they were expensive, then we couldn't fulfill some tasks. Of course, all database softwares have their pros and cons, but if you don't get the right software from the start, then certain tasks or jobs will not be fulfilled. It is worth investing in a good business professional database to accomplish all jobs. RE: differences between Access and Joelle Yule its competitors 7/15/2012 11:49:58 AM Great point regarding new options, however, to your point, it seems that the costs associated are incredibly steep. I certainly don't want to stick up for the companies that don't upgrade, but things change so fast. If a company upgraded each time a new version of Windows came out, it would be a huge expense, only to have to revisit the upgrade in the future. In addition to just the software, there is training. Here we are paying to be educated, but many companies would have to pay for all employees to be educated. I want to throw an experience out there. I recently changed jobs (4th week starts tomorrow) and I went from a company that did Asset Surveys where they did a bunch of processes on your computer remotely, timed it, and determined if you needed a new computer. No jokes, I used to take about 15 minutes per page to move in a PowerPoint presentation that was about 4GB. I still didn't get an upgrade because my computer was less than three years old. The company I work for now believes in staying up to date, and has recently changed their customer database software. Their old system was just old and they decided to incorporate a couple of systems together so that various areas could "talk". As it turned out, the company lost incredible amounts of money. They are invoicing now what should have been invoiced last June, and on large amounts ($250k and up to about $2M). Their public shares dropped due to losing customers and they don't know which bills have been paid. They eventually went back to the old software, but it's only temporary. It's important to note that a change in software or an upgrade could be more costly than the actual software. For me, I am fortunate that I am coming in and learning this "awful" new software, that really isn't too bad. It's all a matter of perception. RE: differences between Access and Caromill Almanzar its competitors 7/15/2012 5:08:41 PM I agree with you Rebeka, finding the right database software is the key to in a company. I think also having a great IT team will help as well, as long as they are knowledgeable of all databases softwares that are out there. But also when creating the business it needs to always be projected how much data wants to handle or will handle, so in this case it can be picked the right one, so later there are no as many crashes and lost data as it is use to happen in most companies. RE: differences between Access and Kinja Cager its competitors 7/14/2012 7:30:02 AM Rebeka, I totaly agree with as well. Companies should invest in adequate software and have a efficient database in place in order to make things run smoothly and to be able to fulfill their customers request in a timely fashion. It is bad for business if you can not get an product or service fulfilled due to a gliche in the company database and or software RE: differences between Access and Yuri Lazare its competitors 7/15/2012 6:41:09 PM Employers need to realize that one cannot put a price on efficiency and invest in a proper database despite the initial cost. In my role a a banker who would review the financial statements of my clients I would often see businesses of similar size having radically different annual cost for employee wages. In most cases we could tie it down to inefficiency in their database system which resulted in high over-time cost. Investing upfront in a good system will save you money in the long run. RE: differences between Access and Sharon Gibson its competitors 7/14/2012 8:14:07 PM Mark I totally agree with you. I believe that my company are one of those that you described in your post;Cheap. I can tell the difference too. There are so many errors and dissatisfied customers because of the lack of database investment. I am looking forward to using access and seeing what features they offer. WrapupChoosing a Professor Schiller Database 7/14/2012 1:41:03 PM Thanks for all your participation to get us off to a running start. This week, we covered several different types of database management systems. For personal/desktop databases on the Windows platform, MS Access is definitely the market leader. On other platforms, such as Mac OS X and Linux, there are other options. There are also some specialized database programs like ACT! for managing contacts. For larger database systems that can work for a medium to large size company, there are several alternatives. MS SQL Server, Oracle, IBM DB2, and MySQL are some of the choices. All of these options are relational databases, which means they all store data in tables and can keep track of links or relationships between records in different tables (such as linking Customer records to the Orders placed by each customer). They also all use queries, forms, and reports, and follow the same principles of good database design. So most of what we learn by working with Access will also apply to other database applications. In Week 2 we will be talking more about how to draw ER diagrams as blueprints for a database, and how to design our database tables to store and retrieve data efficiently. I'll see you there. RE: WrapupChoosing Shannon Busse a Database 7/15/2012 8:04:56 PM This is going to be exciting I'm guessing. There is so much to learn and I am not familiar with Access. ER diagrams are very interesting. RE: WrapupChoosing Lorrie Sullivan a Database 7/15/2012 8:31:25 PM I wish I could contribute more to the end of this discussion, but unfortunately I have yet to finish my assignments because of unforeseen computer & technical issues. At any rate, I am plugging away and will get done as much as I can. It would have been great to know that I would have needed the Visio program earlier on when I registered for class, I asked about all of that and they just said everything I need will be here. Even after I downloaded the free software I still was unable to use it, I have to burn the file to a disc before it can be installed to my computer, and unfortunately I don't have a disc to do this. I am going to make one last effort to use Citrix again, and I really hope that works, otherwise I won't be able get my iLab done. Also, I did try and access the iLab early in the week, it is not that I just waited until hours before my assignment was due... there were login issues that DeVry had to resolve and I wasn't able to login until today. Sorry just frustrated, been at this since 3 pm and it's now almost 11 RE: Question 2 Jb Avery 7/14/2012 11:25:58 PM Access allows you to use have an application that requires multiple user to connect to one data at one time or need to group, sort, and total data based on various parameters. Also having a large amount of data. Access can provide many tools that you can use to identify and extract only the data needed at the moment. Yes I believe that there are truly differences implemented in different ways. RE: Question Kenneth Joa 2 7/15/2012 5:45:13 PM I agree completely, that the application is limited only by the amount of data it can manage, not by its lack of utility or other functionality. RE:Question 3 Jb Avery 7/15/2012 2:23:34 PM I think that ccess can serve as a corporate database solution.The difference between a personal naad corporate soluton is less data. RE:Question Adam Rogers 3 7/15/2012 10:28:33 PM Access can absolutely serve as a corporate database solution. Provided it is a small database for that corporation. Access is designed with small businesses in mind as well as individuals. However it isn't the size of the corporation that is the deciding factor, it is their database needs. It is possible for a small business to have need of a very large database, if this is the case, Access wouldn't serve for them. But it is also possible for a larger corporation to only need a relatively small database.