Ms Access Data Project Application (ADP)
This approach “Internet enables” the Ms Access application, but does cause performance issues and is expensive to maintain. An Ms Access Data Project (ADP) replaces the native Ms Access Jet Engine datastore with a SQL Server database. This configuration requires that all queries in the Ms Access application be replaced with SQL Views, Functions and Stored Procedures (the most appropriate SQL technique). Users access the individual Ms Access forms via a standard web browser.
Ms Access Data Project (ADP) Application Scorecard
Ms Access Data Project Application (ADP) Limitations
Developing Ms Access Data Projects does make the Ms Access application “a web based database available on the Internet,” but also requires that Users run the Ms ADP application through the Ms Internet Explorer browser, and each User must have a locally installed copy of Ms Access (or the appropriate Ms Access Runtime engine) for the web-based database application to function properly.
Ms ADP applications are limited primarily due to more complex deployment issues such as Ms Access Runtime and/or IE Browser availability and version issues. While overcoming some of the inherent Ms Access multi-user deployment limitations, the Ms Access Data Project approach can also suffer from poor performance, unlike in standard web based database applications, due primarily to the start up of the local instance of Ms Access. Data security, reliability and integrity are Excellent, albeit entirely dependent on the SQL Server design.
