Review: Access Workbench

For some years, I have been asked to review a product that I have only just gotten around to looking at. It was developed by Garry Robinson, who publishes a very useful web resource called vb123.com and who recently wrote one of the best books on Access security, Real World Microsoft Access Database Protection and Security. The product is called The Access Workbench (TAW)

Review of Adventnet SwisSQL SQLOne Console, SQL Query Converter

Recently, SwisSQL approached me for a review of their product that can convert SQL statements from one dialect to another. They told me that "SwisSQL SQLOne Console" is a GUI application that can convert SQL statements from one RDBMS implementation to another and the dialects supported include:

Microsoft SQL Server
Sybase
Oracle
IBM DB2
Informix
MySQL
PostgreSQL
MySQL
and last but not the least, ANSI SQL

The Future of Access

Jon Sigler of Microsoft visited the Denver Access users group with some comments about where Access is going.

Migrating Microsoft Access Applications to SQL Server

Microsoft Access targets individual information workers and small teams that use the Microsoft Office System to track, manage, prioritize, and act upon an increasing volume of business information. The data stored in these databases rarely justifies moving to a more robust platform until the application begins expanding into departmental scenarios. When this happens, it is worthwhile to consider moving the data into a more robust platform for enhanced reliability, scalability, and greater IT control. In most cases, the data can be moved through a process called "upsizing" while the Access application front-end continues to provide information workers with access to critical data. Microsoft has created resources in the following three categories to help manage Access data in your organizations:

Working with PowerPoint Presentations from Access Using Automation

Create a PowerPoint slide presentation from scratch using Access data. In addition, display and control a slide show from within an Access form. Walk through the solution and explore ways to extend the sample for your own applications.

Access Development Best Practices

Online Chat with Chat Participants: Tim Getsch, Microsoft Access Program Manager, JP Bagel, Site Manager, Mike Wachal, Lead Beta Engineer, Mike Gunderloy, independent Access developer, Sanjay Jacob, Microsoft Access Program Manager, and Rita Nikas, Microsoft Access MVP Lead

Basics for Building Microsoft Office Access 2003 Runtime-Based Solutio

Jan Fransen reviews how to use the Microsoft Office Access 2003 Runtime with the Microsoft Access 2003 Developer Extensions so users without Microsoft Access 2003 installed can still use Access-based applications.

Performance Tuning Tips for Using Microsoft Access

If you are really interested in the fastest performance, don't use Access as a front-end to a SQL Server database. While Access is relatively easy to learn and fast to develop in, its performance if poor when compared to other front-end options. But if you like to develop in Access, or don't have any choice, then the tips on this page will help a little to boost your application's performance.

Slowly Changing Dimensions Are Not Always as Easy as 1, 2, 3

To kick off our first column of the year, we're going to take on a challenging subject that all designers face: how to deal with changing dimensions. Unlike most OLTP systems, a major objective of a data warehouse is to track history. So, accounting for change is one of the analyst's most important responsibilities. A sales force region reassignment is a good example of a business change that may require you to alter the dimensional data warehouse. We'll discuss how to apply the right technique to account for the change historically. Hang on to your hats — this is not an easy topic.

Installing and Configuring SQL Server Reporting Services

In this chapter, we discuss various installation setups you can use to install and configure Reporting Services. For the most part, this process is managed by the Setup.exe installation wizard, so expect to be prompted for a number of configuration options that determine how, where, and whether each segment of the Reporting Services package will be installed. We know that there are a variety of ways to install Reporting Services, so we've tried not only to address the common case, but also provide hints and techniques to be used for some of the more sophisticated installation scenarios. To make this process as painless as possible, we've broken this chapter down into several sections: