Installing Access on Server

[bubblefizz]

Hi to everyone
Im not sure which thread i should be in, but here goes i want to create a members database for members on my forum with HTML!
Ive been told to make the database with ACCESS ive played for 2 days and im now acctually getting somewhere, i would like members to interacte with it ie....add there own details to it.
How do i do this and how do i get it to my server, well i did upload a tester but no one could see it and its says they need to have MS installed or something like that

What do i do here??
Thanks for ANY help

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Access is a workstation solution, not a Server-based solution (unless you can run it on a Citrix server or similar remote-hosting configuration).

Read your Access license carefully. You must have one copy of Access on every workstation that needs to run it. You can share the .MDB file through a file server, but Access itself must be installed on the machine where it will run, and it is NOT designed to run from a server. Its GUI isn't designed for use remotely like that. I don't think that running Terminal Services from the Server will help, either, but I've never tried that. (Technically, since I'm at a US Government site, it would be ILLEGAL for me to try that since it involves a license violation.)

Now, before you get totally bummed out, there is a solution that involves obtaining a developer's kit, but I don't use that myself. My site prefers to have Access on the workstations. As I understand it, with considerable effort, you can develop a run-time-only solution for Access, but you lose some functionality going that direction.

 

[Pat Hartman]

you can develop a run-time-only solution for Access,

This is not quite correct. You can purchase the Access developer's Edition (earlier versions of Access) or Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System for A2003. These products give you the package and deployment wizard and a license to distribute the runtime version of MSAccess. The wizard creates an installation package that contains your unmodified database, the MS Access runtime, and whatever other support files you need. There's a gazillion posts here on the topic of the runtime engine and its limitations.

You can test your existing application to find out how it will behave when run by the runtime engine by creating a shortcut to start your app and use the /runtime switch.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

And when Pat offers this kind of advice, you can take it to the bank.

 

[jeremie_ingram]

Why use access for the interface at all???

I would personally use something like FrontPage or better yet Dream Weaver to create the html interface, and then link it to the database. You can generate as many forms, reports, queries and such that way and have a very snazzy interface for them to use through their preferred browser.

 

[Liz H]

Exactly what I need!

I have developed the database I need for my intranet or internet. We have both that would allow users to input the data. I need advice. I can use Frontpage or whatever. I just haven't seen a step by step to get it on the web or server. Is my thinking wrong that if I have a functional DB that I should be able to get users to input simple data and then publish reports with the snapshot etc. Thanks for any help!

 

[jeremie_ingram]

You are semi right

You can implement the proper connections with the Front Page software (or whichever app you choose), and your data will be stored within the database. You can run ASP type form generation, or simply create a front end access mde/mdb to the database that will allow you to query it and create the reports you desire.