Your sql server usually isn't on the same machine as the cf server, so, were it me, I could load up the access db on my development machine at home and use the copy of cf server I use there for development to connect to both the access db and the oracle or other db on the linux server elsewhere.
As to an offline version in Access, my answer would probably be "MS Access is incapable of handling the features required for your online database, however, there is no reason that the tools and reports you need can't be developed in a fast loading and browser-friendly sub-application you can use to monitor your data, including exporting _some_ ( not all ) of your data to text files which can be imported into other applications and possibly MS Excel spreadsheets and _much_ less robust MS Access databases if you feel it's necessary." S. Isaac Dealey Certified Advanced ColdFusion 5 Developer www.turnkey.to 954-776-0046 > There is a situation that I encounter & I wonder how others handle it > It is fairly common (almost a given), that a new client will have some > or all of his data available in offline MS-Access databases. > It is usually necessary to manipulate this data (validate, normalize, > etc) to convert it into a usable online database (storing it in a more > robust RDBMS). > I have found that CF is an excellent tool for this. > I normally just upload the MS-Access mdb file to the hosting service. > Then I write CF programs that convert the data from MS-Access to, say > SQL-Server, or Oracle. > No problem, as long as the host service is running on a windows > platform -- MS-Access is usually supported. > But what happens if the Host uses a non-windows platform? > How do you read a MS-Access database on, say a Linux Box. > I guess you could capture the Access database into SQL-Server, > offline, if you had: > 1) a windows machine > 2) MSDE or SQL-Server > 3) MS-Office > This extra step gives you a mirror of the client's MS-Access db on > SQL-Server -- you still need to manipulate it for validation, > normalization, conversion to online, etc. > What do you do if you need to go to some other (not SQL-Server) RDBMS, > that doesn't have the ability to capture Access databases? > The problem gets compounded if the client requests periodic creation of > an offline copy of the online database > -- for offline analysis, etc. > Is this an issue that any of you run into with any frequency? > How do you handle it? > (Of course the easy out is just host on windows platforms that support > Ms-Access -- but that is totall the wrong reason to make a hosting > decision). > TIA > Dick > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=4 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists&body=lists/cf_talk FAQ: http://www.thenetprofits.co.uk/coldfusion/faq This list and all House of Fusion resources hosted by CFHosting.com. The place for dependable ColdFusion Hosting.
