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Migrating Access back end to the cloud
Hi. I am an amateur. Using Access 365, I have created a small Access database for a local charity and I would like it be usable by 3 or 4 people at once and so I think I need to get the back end (t...
- Do you want to run this relational database application as a web - browser based application, or as a desktop application?
I don't know which "guys in India" you mean, or what they recommend, but you really don't need a lot of other software packages if you are going to continue to use this as a desktop application. However, if you want to replace the Access interface with one that will operate in a web browser, you WILL have to invest in and learn to use the appropriate tools for that.
So, start by explaining who will actually use it, where they are physically located (in a single facility or dispersed among several) and how you anticipate using this relational database application. From there, we can examine some options.
As stated above, DropBox is NOT a viable alternative for any Access application except for the case of a single user who is never going to share that application.
And, if you introduce the issue of mobile devices, then the entire discussion shifts ground, as well.
When the requirement shifts to include usage on a mobile device, the question of appropriate choices also changes.
I can't imagine, though, trying to manipulate any serious Access application on a smart phone. At least none that I've ever seen or used. A tablet, maybe. Rather, we're talking about significant interface changes to accommodate the mobile device form factor, along with the need for the service to make it work.
So, yes, if you add the requirement that the solution must run "anywhere" to include mobile devices, a VPS does make sense.
And, if you introduce the issue of mobile devices, then the entire discussion shifts ground, as well.
When the requirement shifts to include usage on a mobile device, the question of appropriate choices also changes.
I can't imagine, though, trying to manipulate any serious Access application on a smart phone. At least none that I've ever seen or used. A tablet, maybe. Rather, we're talking about significant interface changes to accommodate the mobile device form factor, along with the need for the service to make it work.
So, yes, if you add the requirement that the solution must run "anywhere" to include mobile devices, a VPS does make sense.
In virtually all the small and micro businesses we serve (a few thousand), external availability is a very big issue.
A VPS usually replaces the local server and the penny pinchers rely on a (local) terminal server.
So making an Access application available on a smartphone or tablet (instead of just Windows devices) is just a side effect of the VPS/terminal server.
And of course, customizations are necessary to deploy an existing Access desktop application to small monitors. But the necessary modification work only causes a fraction of the costs that the new development of a PHP frontend would cause.
A VPS usually replaces the local server and the penny pinchers rely on a (local) terminal server.
So making an Access application available on a smartphone or tablet (instead of just Windows devices) is just a side effect of the VPS/terminal server.
And of course, customizations are necessary to deploy an existing Access desktop application to small monitors. But the necessary modification work only causes a fraction of the costs that the new development of a PHP frontend would cause.
- I think we agree in general. I'm only suggesting that we not zero in on the "one best solution" for all situations and defend it against all others.