RE: Large databases and MS Access

Mark,

MS Access has been very, very good to me. In other words, I've made much more than a pocketful of change working with it. True an Access 'DBA' doesn't have to worry about tablespaces, extents, etc., like an Oracle DBA but there are a many things in common such as relationships, table design, and indexing. Also your Access 'DBA' is usually the developer of the SQL, modules, forms and reports. In some small businesses, the Access 'DBA' is also the SA. In many cases, an Access professional knows a whole lot more about databases than someone who is only a DBA.

I've built Access databases, including equipment and training, used to run small companies for much less than the cost of one Oracle license alone. I've also quickly built Access databases for large companies where the database shop would say things like "Disapproved. Please resubmit in 90 days for final disapproval."

It's a matter of the right tool for the job. A sledgehammer is an inferior tool compared to a hammer for driving in a nail.

BTW: Compress has nothing to do with tuning. Think of Access as having autoextending datafiles set. Compressing is similar to ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE RESIZE to slim things down. If anything, frequent compressing shows a need to do some tuning as inefficient SQL can cause was Access people call 'bloat'.

Jerry Whittle
ASIFICS DBA
NCI Information Systems Inc.
jerome.whittle_at_scott.af.mil
618-622-4145

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Richard [SMTP:mrichard_at_transurban.com.au]
>
> I have a friend her calls herself an Access DBA. I just smile politely and
> say nothing. Apparantly you can back them up using Windows Explorer (or
> the DOS copy command) and there is a "Compress" option in Access for
> tuning... she runs that one each week. I just wish Oracle could simplify
> their tuning to a single menu option! :-)
>
> On the plus side I feel safe in the knowledge that if a company ever looked
> at "Access DBA" on a resume and didn't laugh then I'm probably not
> interested in working there anyway.

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Author: Whittle Jerome Contr NCI
  INET: Jerome.Whittle_at_scott.af.mil

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