I have an access 2003 database that holds all of my business data. This access database gets updated every few hours during the day.
We're currently writing a website that will need to use the data from the access database. This website (for the time being) will have only read only capabilities. Meaning there will only need to be one way transfer of data (Access -> SQL).
I'm imaging there's a way to perform this data migration from access to SQL server programatically. Does anyone have any links to something I can read about?
If this practice sounds odd, and you'd like to suggest another way to do this (or a situation where data can go both ways (Access -> SQL, SQL -> Access), that's perfectly fine.
The company is going to continue using Access 2003 for their business functionality. There's no way around that. But I'd like to build the (readonly) website on top of SQL Server.
The strategy you outlined can be very challenging. You could use INSERT queries to copy new Access rows to SQL Server, as described in another answer.
However, if you have changes to existing Access rows, and you also want those changes propagated to SQL Server, it won't be so simple. And it will be more complicated still if you want deleted Access rows deleted from SQL Server, too.
It seems more reasonable to me to use a different approach. Migrate the data to SQL Server once. Then replace the tables in your Access database with ODBC links to the SQL Server tables. Thereafter, changes to the data from within your Access application will not require a separate synchronization step ... they will already be in SQL Server. And you won't need to write any code to synchronize them.
If your concern is that the connections between the web server and SQL Server be read-only, just set them up that way. You can still independently allow read-write permissions for your Access application.
To do the initial data migration and set the SQL Server automatically, I would use the SQL Server Migration Assistant. The only thing you should definitely change that I can think of would be to turn off the Identity property on any columns that have it - to be explained below (MS Access calls Identity autonumber). Once you have your tables loaded, you can set up a dsnless connection to the database (and tables) you just created.
I haven't used the method just linked, but I believe it allows you to use SQL Server authentication to connect to the db. The benefit of using this method is you can easily change which SQL Server instance and/or database your are connecting to for development and testing.
There might be a better, automated way, but you can create several insert queries doing left joins from the primary key of the Access table to the SQL Server table, and putting a WHERE clause that specifies the SQL Server PrimaryKey must be null. This is why you need to turn off the Identity property in the SQL Server tables, so that you can insert the new data.
Finally, put the name of each query in one function, then run the function periodically.
I have used Microsoft's free SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) to migrate Access to SQL Server. The tool is very simple to use. The only problem I have encountered with the tool was overloaded data types when migrating. What I mean by this is a small string will get converted to a NVARCHAR(MAX) in some instances. Otherwise, the tool is very handy and can be reused after setting up a 'profile'.
Related
I am attempting to keep a table in Sql server updated from an access table. Any time a change is made in the access table I would like that change reflected in the sql server table. The two tables can be identical. I have created an ODBC connection from access to sql server and can export the table to sql server; I just don’t know what must be done to keep that table updated. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Should this be implemented from within Access or within sql server?
Can you just add the SQL Server table to the Access database as a linked table? (Useful article on how to add linked tables)? That way users (let's hope there's not many!) of the Access database are in effect editing the SQL Server table directly.
If this isn't desirable then how about creating another table in the SQL Server database, and adding this to the Access database as a linked table. Then, add a trigger so that when an insert/update/delete is made to this table the same operation is done on your main table.
I think setting up a Linked Server in SQL Server could be easier to implement than an automatic export of data from Access.
According to the MSDN page,
Many types OLE DB data sources can be configured as linked servers, including Microsoft Access and Excel.
Server-on-SQL-2005-Server/
Access has no "event" that occurs when a row is updated/inserted/deleted that I know of. as JeffO points out data macros that could do what you want.
You could also periodically synch them. There are several techniques to periodically do the synch task (SQL Server Agent, Windows Service, Windows Scheduler, a timer in an application etc.), but still have to deal with all the problems that exist with synchronization if both tables can be modified, the worst being data conflict resolution. There is no easy solution for that.
Perhaps if you explained the problem you have that you are solving with synching data in SQL server and Access someone might be able to point you in the direction of a solution that doesn't have these problems.
I am developing an application in C# VS 2010 past 4 months. I used MS Access 2007 to store my nearly 20 tables successfully.
Today I realized that my data base cannot be handled consistently by MS Access 2007. Hence I decided to go for SQL Server 2008 R2 Express with Upsizing wizard and it worked really great!
However, when I tried to run various options of my already well developed application, It kept throwing error each time when a query is fired to SQL Server.
I understood that Many of the stuffs of SQL supported by MS Access are not supported by MS SQL Server
For example: query with date, for representing date format when we use '#', SQL Server 2008 won' t recognize it.
Also, for Bool value, MS Access stores it as True and False where as SQL Server uses 0.
These all queries worked perfect with Access 07
I am sure that there must be some method so that SQL Server can understand MS access queries.
Or will I have to edit my whole application?? It will be as good as digging a mine for earning gold..
I have changed all data access objects such as reader, adapter, command, connection to SQL data objects using System.Data.SqlClient.
So, It is not the problem.
Please help me asap.
Thank you.
You cannot force SQL Server to run the MS Access queries. These queries will need to be rewritten to use T-SQL instead of the query language that MS Access uses.
I feel your pain, I just had to rewrite a large MS Access application (over 1k queries) that needed to be recreated to be used in SQL Server.
There will be some queries that might be able to be ported over directly but as you noticed queries with date, and even some of the aggregate functions (First(), etc) are not used in SQL Server and those queries will need to be changed.
Here is a link with some info on converting Access to SQL
Converting Access Queries to SQL Server
You are right that, most of the time, you cannot just take the SQL of a query from Access and run it within SQL Server. It may work for very simple queries, but usually you need to tweak them.
There are a few steps I would take:
Extract your queries (which I presume are in your code), and re-create them in your Access database. Make sure they work there as normal Access queries.
(you can for instance simply add some code to your app to print all queries to files so you don't have to mess with parameters, then just copy/paste them in your Access DB).
The point is simply to have working queries within Access.
Use SSMA from Microsoft for helping you to move your queries to SQL Server. It does a good job of translating them into T-SQL.
You may still have to convert some troublesome queries by hand, but it shouldn't be that many and usually the conversion is not difficult.
Once converted to T-SQL, just re-inject these working queries into your code, or keep the complex queries in SQL Server as views (which it usually be faster as SQL Server will have already created its execution plan, rather than your application sending raw SQL that the server needs to analyse).
As you pointed out, there could be some issues if your fields use some features that don't cross-over to SQL Server properly.
Look at your tables in Access and do some cleanup before attempting to convert:
For booleans fields:
Make sure you set their default values to 0 or 1 (they should not be empty).
Required fields must be non-null:
Make sure that any fields that you have set as 'Required' does not contain any NULL values in its data.
Unique indexes cannot ignore Null:
Check that your indexes are not set to be both 'Unique' and 'Ignore null'.
All tables must have clean primary keys:
Make sure all your tables have a unique primary key that doesn't have Null values in their data.
I have two databases, one on a remote server the other local. (SQL Server 2008)
The database on my local server has the entire structure setup but no data. I would like to copy the data from the remote server to my server and I am wondering the best method in which to do this.
The main issue I am experiencing is the user that I have to the remote database has limited permissions. I cannot read the stored procedures, user defined functions so when I use Import/Export wizard I do not get the schema etc. So a regular dump/restore is not working for me as it restores the tables without the Primary Keys/Foreign Keys and the stored procedures.
I'd like to do this,
INSERT INTO localtable SELECT * FROM remotedb.table
I was having issues because of the IDENTITY fields and I had to explicitly name all of the columns. Also I am not sure if SQL Server Management Studio allows you to use two different databases, remote and local, so I was looking for any advice.
I have also tried applications like SQL FTP and Backup and it fails because it runs out of memory (I have 16GB of memory on the machine and the DB is like 4GB). I also can use the SQL Server import/export wizard but then I don't get the schema information. I also tried SQL Compare from Red Gate and it runs into issues with the permissions. Unfortunately I do not have the time to request and gain access to a new user so I was hoping someone had a creative idea.
You can definitely use SQL Server Backups for this. It will not run out of memory. If it does please tell us the message (because likely you are misinterpreting it). This is the fastest possible and the most complete solution.
You can tell the export wizard to also script the schema. It is hidden under "advanced" somewhere (terrible UI). But the script will be extremely big and I know of no way to execute it.
You can drop all schema objects except PKs in the target database. Then you can use remote queries to copy all the data over. You will not get any problems with foreign keys and identity columns if you drop the beforehand. After you are done you can recreate all those objects. It is probably best if you use a transaction for all of this because that way you get consistent source data from a point-in-time.
I have some Access tables with many number of fields. I have migrated each access table to 6 or 7 sql server tables. I am using sql server 2008. Now I want to use Access as the front end so that I can enter the data in access but it will be stored in sql server. I know that I have to make a ODBC connection. But I am not sure of how to create a access form to use it as a front-end. I am sorry if it's a basic question...
You will probably want to start with an empty Access database (since the table structures and any existing forms and reports will not match what you created in SQL server).
First step is to establish an ODBC connection to your SQL Server database. Then you will "link" the tables in SQL Server to your Access database.
Now, you have an Access database with all the tables that you linked from SQL Server. Those tables still "live" in SQL Server and when you edit them in Access the data will be stored in SQL Server.
You can then build Access forms and reports using these tables just as if the tables were native to Access.
The most versatile way is to use ODBC links to your SQL Server tables and views. That approach allows you the flexibility to link to other ODBC data sources, tables in other Jet/ACE database files, create Jet/ACE tables locally in your database, link to Excel spreadsheets, and so forth. You can incorporate a broad range of data sources.
If you choose ADP, you will be limited to OLE DB connection to a single SQL Server instance. And you will be essentially locked in to SQL Server. You would not be able to switch the application to a different client-server database without a major re-development effort.
Regarding deployment overhead with ODBC, although you may find it convenient to use a DSN during development, you should convert your ODBC links to DSN-less connections before deployment. That way your user's won't each require the DSN. See Doug Steele's page: Using DSN-Less Connections
Well you can create an ODBC connection. You can also create an ADODB connection as well. If your objective is to update or modify a SQL database, both connections will do the trick.
Now, I guess you have to get familiar with the corresponding objects. These should be tables, queries, commands, etc .., that will allow you, for example, to build recordsets out of SQL queries ... Once you are clear with that, you can, for example, assign a recordset to a form through the Set myForm.recordset = myRecordset.open ... method.
I have managed to get SQL Server 2005 Express up and running on my computer Ok in order to do some testing before trying this in the "Real World".
I have a fairly large MS Access 2007 Database application I need to migrate to SQL Server
retaining the "Front End" as the user interface. (The app' is already a "split" database
with a Front and Back end....)
I have done some initial testing on using SSMA to migrate my Access database To SQL
Server Express.
Clearly I don't understand some things and I thought I'd see if anyone has
any ideas.
Conceptually I thought that what needed to happen was that the Back End of the
database that resides on the server needed to be migrated to SQL server
and then the Front End re linked to the (now linked to SQL) tables in the Back End.
When I do this using SSMA I end up with renamed tables in the Back End
Access file that look something like "SSMA$myTableNameHere$local". I also
get the original table names underneath showing as ODBC linked tables.
So far so good.
BUT.... When I go to re-establish the linked tables from the FRONT END (The
user interface) all I can see is the "SSMA$myTableNameHere$local" names NOT
the original table names.(Now linked via ODBC)
I can link to the "SSMA,,,," tables but it would mean changing the names of
every table in every query and on every form and in all code on the Front
End! Not something I really want to do.
SO....
I thought I'd try to migrate the FRONT END and see what happens.
What I ended up with is a situation where, basically it works (there are
some serious errors and issues that I haven't even looked at yet... like
missing data etc.!!!!) and I still get the "SSMA$myTableNameHere$local"
tables and the ODBC linked tables with the original names.
I'm trying to understand...... Does this mean that we would do the
migration on the Front End and then just copy the same file to each user's
computer?
Another subject I'm a little confused about is that I can't link via ODBC
to SQL Server Express on the local machine (ie my computer) so I can't test
migrating the Back End and then linking to the tables via the Front End as I
have in the past in more of a client/server situation.
Assuming that SSMA replaces the tables in your back end with links to the SQL Server, all you need to do is delete the original table links in your front end and import the newly-created table links from the back end. You can then discard the back end, since it's not used for anything at all any longer.
I did transfer all my tables one by one to SQL Server 2005 fro Access DB back-end using ODBC.Instruction:
Open Access DB(back-end)
Right-click on table, you need to transfer
Scroll down drop-down box and select ODBC Databases
Select Data Source dialog box opened, Click "New" button
Create new data source dialog box opened
Scroll to the bottom and select SQL Server, Click Next
Give name to your Data Source, Click Next, Click Finish
Create New Data Source Dialog opens
Give some discription OR leave empty, Type Name of your SQL Server (you named it, when install SQL Server on your machine)
Click Next, Click Next
Check "change default database to check box
Select DB where you want your data transfer to
Click Next, Click Finish
NOTE: You need to create new DB (empty) on SQL Server, before doing all this
Now: Right-click any table, select Export, select from drop-down list ODBC, from Data Sources window select your Data Source, You created, Click OK
Use SQL Server with SQL Management Studio Express.
All dates must have a input mask; all text and Memo must have Allow Zero Length =Yes
After all disconnect all links from Access back-end, and establish links from SQL.RENAME all newly linked tables to old names. Use Fron-end user interfase, until do some new.
Forgive my lack of knowledge of Acronym Soup, but I assume SSMA is the SQL Server 2005 "import data wizard" or the wizard in Access to send the data to SQL Server. It appears that you sent the data to SQL Server from Access - something you don't want to do. You want to use the DTS in SQL Server (now called SSIS or something?) to import the data into SQL Server. Then you'll have your tables in SQL Server. Then, simply create your DSN entry for the SQL Server and re-link your tables. All should be well.
Overall, the general rule is to import Access tables using SQL Server instead of using Access to send the data to SQL Server.
I'd bite the bullet and rename the tables on the SQLServer side back to the friendly names that you had in the original database. You'll probably have less problems. Especially if you have any embedded code the MS Access side.
As far as how you will deploy the MS Access side now, it should be pretty much create the ODBC link on the user's workstation, and copy the MS Access file to their desktop (although you might want to make an MDE (or the 2007 equivalent) to prevent them from accidentally breaking it).
Frankly, now that you have migrated, you need to look at the design of your tables. It is my experience that the wizards for Access migration do a poor job of selecting the correct datatype. For instance if you had a memo field, you might easily get away with a varchar field instead but the last wizard I used (an earlier version) always converted them to text fields. Now would also be the time consider some fixes such as making date fileds datetime instead of character based if you have had that mistake in the past.
I would never consider using a wizard again to do data migration myself having experienced how very badly they can do it.
You will alos find that just converting the data to SQL Server is often not eough to really get any performance benefit. YOu will need to test all the queries and consider if you can convert them to stored procs instead if they are slow. Eliminating the translation from Jet SQL to T-sql can being performance improvements. Plus there are many features of t-sql that can imporve performance that do not have Access equivalents. Access is not big on performance tuning, but to get the benefit of performance tuning with a SQL Server backend, you need to have SQL Server specific queries written. INdexing needs to be considered if the Access tables were not indexed properly.
Using SSMA is different when you use odbc. If you have an application using fully access (back end and front end). You can manipulate objects easily bounding forms, using DAO, etc.. without problem, then when u need to migrate database to sql server u can use directly odbc (by linking yourself tables to sql server), ssma, ... the main problem how to preserve bounded forms, queries, code in the client-side.
If U use directly odbc you must relink by yourself all objects and change code but if u use ssma, you have to do nothing, you will continue to work as u did before. The problem with SSMA is how to deploy the front end to the clients if you developed client side in other place using another sql server?