SQL Server 2005 Express and Access 2007

[razorking]

I am thoroughly confused at this point and am hoping for some generalized help to get started. I have an age old problem in trying to share a database across a WAN to our various branches. I understand that Access does not work well at all in a non LAN environment - all good there. But, I do have some nice database applications that I would like to share to more than one physical location. We do have T1+MPLS connectivity.

I do not have SQL and do not forsee that I can get there any time soon. I have done a lot of reading on the Internet about SQL Express 2005 and it sounds like I might be able to upsize my 2007 database to SQL Express. I played around with it a little bit but, after the conversion most of the queries did not work.

A few basic questions:
Is SQL Express a good answer to provide me with an environment where my 2007 Access db can be used in a client/server setup?

Will this allow me to share the db across the WAN - successfully?

Should I expect all of my current queries forms and reports to work after the conversion.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[razorking]

Pat,
Thank you very much for your reply. I am not sure why the queries no longer worked. I went through the upsizing or conversion process rather hastily, as it was really just my initial test. Then afterwards it just did not behave as I had hoped it might. I need to delve into it more to understand what is happening.

The funny thing is: I am a big advocate of Terminal Services. Am quite familiar with it. We use it now and it's great. But, our current environment is three branch locations and each branch has their own Terminal Server. My ultimate goal would be to have all of the branches do RDP to one single Terminal Server - which would be located at the main location - but, I am not convinced that the experience would be adequate to replace the local LAN conditions that each physical location now has. So...I hesitate to ask the employees at the remote locations to do RDP back to the main location just to use the Access applications that I have designed. That may be OK - I am just hoping for a better option where they can just click a shortcut on their desktop and open the Access database - and the db can be shared to all locations.

Too bad we can't have LAN speeds across the WAN - affordably.

Or, if the Terminal Server connection could be made transparent and seamless, that would be very cool. But, as far as I know, you do have to start the connection, sign on, then would have to open the application.

Well, I think about it some more, maybe a window in window is not the worst thing in the world.