Advantages/Disadvantages of using Access Applications_问答_开发者

I was wondering what the advantages/disadvantages of using Microsoft Access would be compared to just creating a custom C# application. Is the开发者_StackOverflow中文版 execution time the same? Has its time already passed?

C# is a generic development environment designed for producing all applications that can be conceived of.

Access is a development tool specifically designed for one purpose, i.e., creating front ends to databases.

All the components within Access are prebuilt to make interaction with data as easy as possible.

While it is certainly the case that there are libraries and controls available for C# that are designed for the purpose of interacting with databases, there's less integration of the overall development environment for the particular purpose of creating database applications.

Access's database-related components are also more mature than anything that could be developed for C#, since Access has been around twice as long. That also has its disadvantage, as some of the assumptions about how things should work in Access don't work as well in a modern environment (Access was created before the web existed anywhere outside of academia).

I think it's probably OK to choose C# as a development platform for a database application if:

the developers available are already C# whizzes familiar with building database interfaces, AND
you have the need to distribute your app to very large numbers of users.

Access is somewhat difficult to deploy, and in large organizations, when you amortize the savings in RAD over large numbers of desktops, that is quickly dwarfed by the expenses associated with Access deployment issues compared to a self-contained executable with no runtime dependencies.

But we're talking about somewhere well above 100 desktops where the line is crossed (and possibly closer to 500 or 1000), in my opinion.

Access has many plus points if you are dealing with data. One key point to make is to split in your head “Access” (RAD development studio where you make forms reports code etc) and “Jet” the database engine that in bundled with Access.

Access makes a great front end of other database types such as SQL server and you can very quickly make excellent data driven applications very quickly.

You also have an excellent built in reporting suite and easy access to other MS Office applications (sending mail through outlook for example)

Access has picked up somewhat of a bad reputation in IT circles as IT departments have been burnt before by having to support some badly put together application where the original “developer” has long since left. The point is that any language can be used to make a bad application but because more people have access to err access it increases the chances of someone who is not a developer making mistakes!

In my not so humble opinion, the big advantages of MS Access are the low learning curve and the the so much is already done for you. Simple apps can be built by an untrained clerical worker.

That's also one of the biggest disadvantages. MS Access applications are often first started by complete novices and they can get them selves into a lot of trouble. Quite often they get to the point that they are dependant on the app that has been built to do their job, but it needs to be expanded, or has become unmanageable because of some early "decisions" they made they they first started building it (e.g., using some human readable key to reference another table, with no integrity constraints, etc.; and now they have a lot more data than they started with).

Typically by the time that I see it, there's a lot of work to do to undo the previous "developer's" work. And sometimes it'll cost more in time to fix it, than to start over.

Left in the hands of a pro - it's fine for building quick simple apps. Even more complex ones are OK if a pro is doing it. If I had my way, we'd just hand out the runtime version and keep the full version to the IT Pros.

The advantages are the pre-built functionality along with the ability to write custom code when needed. Of course, all of this can be done in C#, it's just not as easy.

The biggest disadvantage to using Access is having at least one answer to every question on SO suggesting using something else. Or better yet, having someone knock Access eventhough they know nothing about it or haven't used it since 2.0.