I am a programmer and am wanting to undertake a project of converting an Access database to an SQL database.
Is this pretty easy to do? Can I just use a tool to create all the tables with the same names and 'copy' over the data?
I know that Access has built in reporting features. Does SQL have these reporting features? If not, is it easy to create them?
You just need to import your access to sql server database.
Check this tutorial:
Importing Microsoft Access 2007 Database Tables into SQL Server
Regards
MS Access is not a database at all, by default, it uses the Jet or ACE database to store data, but Access will also work perfectly well with data stored in a number of other databases, MS SQL included. There is no need to change from an MS Access front-end when you are moving the tables to a new back-end. SQL Server does not have all the user-interface and reporting tools that MS Access has, it is a database, not "a rapid application database development and reporting tool"
Try this one its free from microsoft.
Related
I have created a Database in SQL Server using MS SQL Management studio.
I'm looking for a simple GUI tool to easily search in the database or add new data to the database.
for example, if my database stores links for pictures - each picture has some tables like location, objects, animals, lighting etc.
I want to be able to search the database, so i can choose of a box list for each table instead of Querying through the SQL.
i understand this can be done with Sharepoint and MS Access, but i recon it's too complicated.
any thoughts and ideas?
thnx.
Try using EMS SQL Manager for SQL Server - it has free Lite version which ones limitations are acceptable.
Also you may try DevArt's dbForge Studio for SQL Server - this product's progress is very impressive. It's one of the best solutions for managing SQL Server.
A client wants to host their MS Access 2003 backend database into SQL Server 2008 that resides in a different server. They will be using upsizing wizard to move their databases and tables into SQL server.
A client also has MS Access front end application written in VB. After upsizing their database tables to SQL, they want to use SQL server to read/write data and also use adv. programmability features of SQL Server like stored Procs, functions etc. My team will host their SQL database.
Client will have a growing # of users entering data. So what would be the best option for our team to provide access to our SQL server so that they can use only their databases in our SQL Server?Is there a way to provide them a connection string or something like that so that they could test it in their front end application to see if they could connect to our SQL Server to read/write?Basically I want to know What are the different avenues to connect MS Access 2003 front end application written in VB to connect to SQL Server database hosted in a different server so that a user could read/write to SQL database tables? Any thoughts? Thanks.
Actually, how this setup works is not any different than if your developers were using c++, vb.net, c# or even asp.net. At the end of the day these software development tools such as c++, or FoxPro or MS Access are simply tools that let you write software. The ability of Access to connect to MySql or Oracle or insert your favorite X database brand has existed from day one.
As long as your database supports what is called "open database connectivity" then you are off to the races. And how you setup that database server to allow some software written in say c# or FoxPro or MS Access will not really change much of anything to my knowledge.
So Access is just like any other software tool such as c++ or vb.net – it is a tool that lets you write code and you connect that application and user interface to some database system you choose.
The connection technology that Access uses here is based on industry standards and thus your setup and maintains of the server side will quite much be the same for any other application(s) that you have running on premises that utilize SQL server now.
About the only relevant issue here is that in Access you have a choice of two data object models, ADO and DAO. Right now, since Microsoft is depreciating ADO and they are continuing investment in DAO and also recommending to use open database connectivity. For example, Access 2010 ships with support baked in for SQL Azure (cloud sql), and that support is based on open database connectivity.
So at this point time as it did back in 2003 the recommend data object model in Access is to use DAO.
You can read about the depreciation of ADO support in SQL server here:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlnativeclient/archive/2011/08/29/microsoft-is-aligning-with-odbc-for-native-relational-data-access.aspx
While a for good number of general exports and imports and that of linking to SQL server can occur 100% inside of Access, those users will STILL need a set of client tools beyond Access to effectively work with SQL server if over time they going to start using SQL server features. This thus suggests they will need some edition of SSMS (Sql server management studio). The free express version of SSMS should more than suffice in this case.
I'm starting to learn database, and I will work with SQLce. Is there some type of library that can assist in creating the proper SQL statements for creating tables etc? (Not for query of the database, as I plan to use LINQ). I'm not thinking an MS library, but some amateur project maybe..
You want to download SQL Server Management Studio Express. The SSMS tools let you connect to SQL CE as well as the full blown SQL Server databases, and best of all it's free. You can create your tables via the GUI, and then instead of saving the table, you could have it show you the SQL script instead and learn that way. Everything you do in the GUI executes T-SQL behind the scenes and you have the option of saving all that SQL and running it yourself.
See this stackoverflow question here too for some more details.
Is there an easy way to export a MS Access Database backend (Tables & relations) into an SQL Server database, so that it then can be used as a backend for a tailored application written in C# using Entity Framework?
The Access Database contains at least 50 tables and the export should not ruin its structure and relations.
Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant for Access
As Gabriel indicates using the SSMA is the best solution for upsizing the tables, indexes and relationships in Access. Then I'd suggest working on the Access front end, containing the queries, forms, reports, macros and VBA code so it works with the SQL Server data storage. This won't take very long by comparision to rewriting the app.
Then you may find you don't need to rewrite the application in another environment. This assumes that the tables are properly normalized and clean. Even then it may be simpler to do some cleanup in that respect in Access.
The Microsoft SSMA link in the comment from 2010 only worked when I chose NOT to register. Also, here is an updated link to the MS SSMA executable.
There are Upsizing Wizard for Access to do the migration to MSSQL 2008.
Goto [Database Tools] menu and click on [SQL Server] icon, then proceed the migration with the wizard.
I have MS Access 2007 Databases and VBA modules associated with it.
I Now want to upgrade my project so as to use Sql Server 2005 and Vb.net using visual studio.net.
Can any one suggest Complete details on the transfer without much hassle or data loss.?
Thanks In Advance
Per RBarry's answer...the data migration to SQL Server is easy using the SQL Server Migration wizard. Then you will have a working microsoft access application (probably but maybe it will require polishing and tweaking).
To convert the front end (ui) to vb.net there might be a converter but even if there is one you would likely have to do a lot of it manually anyway. So you treat the access version like a prototype and you start building your app in vb.net by hand.
Seth
Start with the Ms-Access SSMA site: http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2005/en/us/migration-access.aspx
I am not aware of a migration guide specifically for Access -> SqlSever, however, there is a very extensive Oracle -> SqlServer Migration Guide that you could easily cherry-pick for a project plan.
I use SQL Server to import data from Access databases. Be aware that it won't import your keys or relationships- you'll need to recreate those.
Your VBA code is specific to Access. You'll need to rewrite it in VB.NET.
The Access queries are probably going to cause you the most trouble. Simple ones can be converted with the Upsizing Wizard, but the more complex ones will have to be rewritten in SQL.
Also note SQL Server objects follow different naming conventions. An Access table is typically prefixed with tbl, SQL tables typically aren't named with a prefix.