Access or VB Express?

[voidcranium]

Hello, I need some advice.

I am currently trying to rework and enhance a database where I work.
It was set up for printing work orders only.
I have enhanced it to keep a database of Customers and will soon get a tracking form up and working.

My question is; should I put all this effort into access or should I just go ahead
and do it in VB EXpress?

Thanks for the insight.

 

[boblarson]

VB Express can be programmed to do the work, but if you are storing data, then you'll need some storage facility, which could include an Access mdb file. The benefits to using Access is that it really is a self-contained development tool (data storage, create user interfaces, report writer) although it has it's limitations and drawbacks.

With a VB program, you can install it on a machine and be relatively assured, if you package it properly, to run. With Access, if you use ActiveX controls, you might run into problems from machine to machine, and sometimes even if you aren't using ActiveX controls.

It really depends on what you are doing, as to what is the best tool, but Access is very powerful as a front-end as it is fairly easy to develop in and does a lot of the background work for you (which you would have to code for in a VB app).

So, I hope that helps.

 

[OllyK]

Access still uses VBA which is based on the VB 6.0 and earlier language. The move to .NET was the biggest change in the VB language to date. It is now a far more robust and functional OO development environment. While you can achieve similar results in VBA or VB6, the volume of available classes that ship with .NET as well as being produced by third parties really does make it very easy to develop powerful applications.

I haven't developed a UI using Access in over 6 years, I always stick a VB front end over an Access database using OLE DB which means I can swap to SQL or Oracle if I want with the same front end.