Running multi-user Access in the Cloud

[stevekos07]

Hi. I will be needing to migrate an important Access database from a Citrix based intranet environment to a Cloud environment. What is the issue is that I have a VBScript file that performs a verification of version and copies the front end to a unique user's folder on their desktop. As the new environment will not involve a user's desktop as such, but will open using an app icon in a MyApps web application, how can I emulate this process? How have others handled running Access in a multi-user cloud environment? Sorry if I am not making myself clear.

 

[theDBguy]

Hi. I will go out on a limb here and say that Access was never designed/intended to be used in a cloud environment. I think it was only intended as a Desktop application. If so, you may have to consider migrating your app into a cloud based application. Just a thought...

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Your question was perfectly clear. We have found that in general, Access doesn't work very well with clouds. The research you need to perform is whether you will be able to use SMB (Server Message Block) protocol with that cloud vendor. If the answer is no, then you can't use Access.

Generally speaking, most of the time your cloud operations involve transferring whole files into your cloud account. They will use a whole-file protocol such as (but not limited to) some FTP (File Transfer Protocol) variant. But Access needs to interact with PARTS of a whole file, which is normally done using SMB protocol. I'm not going to say Access could NEVER work with a cloud, but I will say that it will probably not work with any cloud system that doesn't allow that SMB "partial file" protocol.

 

[zeroaccess]

Interestingly, FTP was just removed from the latest version of Chrome.

As far as your plans, some of the specifics aren't clear. Will launching the icon from the web location download a local copy that talks to a common back end? If so, then there won't be any problems. This is the same way we use access from a network. But if you plan on having multiple people open the same file hosted online, you will have problems.

 

[gemma-the-husky]

You can use local desktop access with a SQL server back end in the cloud. I don't think you can host an access back end in the cloud.
It won't be quite as quick as local access because it depends on the speed of your broadband.

I did see some services that seemed to offer and access front end and back end in the cloud running on their servers, but I don't know how successful that was/is

 

[Gasman]

You can use local desktop access with a SQL server back end in the cloud. I don't think you can host an access back end in the cloud.
It won't be quite as quick as local access because it depends on the speed of your broadband.

I did see some services that seemed to offer and access front end and back end in the cloud running on their servers, but I don't know how successful that was/is

In my last place of work, we used to use an Access system via any browser.
It was all stored on that company's servers.

I have mentioned it a good few years back (when I was working) and someone was asking the same thing. It did seem to be something like Terminal Server?

HTH

 

[Pat Hartman]

In theory, you can replicate your Citrix environment whether Citrix is hosted on your LAN or in a cloud. I had a client who did this a few months ago and did not test thoroughly, nor did they call me and tell me they were doing it, and they have been having nothing but trouble ever since. Mostly, the problems revolve around permissions and trusted locations. I have not been able to help them. I have given them work arounds for some things. I haven't heard any new problems in over a month so the IT people might have finally gotten it sorted out. There are companies that host Citrix in the cloud which is how I know this is possible, plus the client that did it poorly. I would talk to the Citrix people to get an understanding of what has to happen.

Even if you are not exposing a desktop, each user has a personal directory and that is where the FE gets "downloaded". Your script can still do this when the user opens a shortcut. So don't think of putting the FE on a "desktop". The "desktop" is just a directory. The important thing is just that each user opens a separate copy of the FE. FE's should never be shared.