database 基于云的 MS Access 后端的选项

Options for cloud based MS Access backend

提问by Nathan

Our company has used Access for its database needs. It wants to stick with the current database frontend, but migrate the tables to some cloud based solution. We do not want to host SharePoint or pay a monthly fee for Office 365. I have used MySql as a backend, but we had to install drivers. We will also be gathering data from Google Forms on a regular basis. Can anyone suggest possible options for this combination? Data from Google Forms, Access frontend, and cloud based backend.

我们公司使用 Access 来满足其数据库需求。它想坚持使用当前的数据库前端，但将表迁移到一些基于云的解决方案。我们不想托管 SharePoint 或为 Office 365 支付月费。我使用 MySql 作为后端，但我们必须安装驱动程序。我们还将定期从 Google 表单收集数据。任何人都可以为这种组合提出可能的选择吗？来自 Google 表单、Access 前端和基于云的后端的数据。

Thanks!

谢谢！

回答by Albert D. Kallal

When you say you don't want any monthly fees, are you thus expecting to find some database server system for free and without cost that allows external connections? I simply don't think you going to find such a service for free.

当您说您不想要任何月费时，您是否因此希望找到一些免费且免费的允许外部连接的数据库服务器系统？我只是不认为你会免费找到这样的服务。

Since office 365 starts at $6 per month, then I not sure why you think this is too high of a cost here? So you could certainly consider to up-size your Access back end tables up to office 365 and continue to use your Access front end. And more amazing is with Access 2010 this means you get a "off line" and disconnected mode. This means that your application will continue to run EVEN WITH NO internet connection. The instant you find a wifi then the data sync process starts again. And this sync is not file based, but record based and is really replication built into the product and this setup requires ZERO extra code on your part.

由于 Office 365 的起价为每月 6 美元，那么我不知道您为什么认为这里的成本太高？因此，您当然可以考虑将您的 Access 后端表扩大到 office 365，并继续使用您的 Access 前端。更令人惊奇的是 Access 2010 这意味着您将获得“离线”和断开连接模式。这意味着您的应用程序将继续运行，即使没有互联网连接。当您找到 wifi 时，数据同步过程将再次开始。这种同步不是基于文件的，而是基于记录的，并且实际上是产品内置的复制，这种设置需要您的零额外代码。

And since your back end is not an access file, then you can now scale out to millions of users – the only real limit is the size of the 365 server farm (a super huge computer farm).

由于您的后端不是访问文件，因此您现在可以扩展到数百万用户——唯一真正的限制是 365 服务器群（一个超级巨大的计算机群）的大小。

Keep in mind that in addition to simply linking your Access application to these office 365 tables, you can also publish Access web forms to office 365. So in the following video at the halfway point I switch to running the Access application 100% inn a browser:

请记住，除了简单地将您的 Access 应用程序链接到这些 office 365 表之外，您还可以将 Access Web 表单发布到 office 365。因此，在以下视频中途我切换到在浏览器中 100% 运行 Access 应用程序：

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU4mH0jPntI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU4mH0jPntI

Note the above resulting browser application does not require any ActiveX or Silverlight. And as noted, again this is again based on that massive server farm.

请注意，上面生成的浏览器应用程序不需要任何 ActiveX 或 Silverlight。如前所述，这又是基于那个庞大的服务器群。

Another cloud approach is to consider SQL Azure. Access 2010 also has baked into the product the ability to use the cloud based edition of SQL server running on the Azure OS.

另一种云方法是考虑 SQL Azure。Access 2010 还在产品中融入了使用 Azure OS 上运行的基于云的 SQL 服务器版本的能力。

So, you could consider using SQL Azure, but that going to be about $10 per month.

因此，您可以考虑使用 SQL Azure，但每月大约需要 10 美元。

I think the office 365 deal at $6 per month is the best bet (and you get lync communication which gives you remote desktop support for your customers or perhaps for supporting this application!). I actually think that Lync makes the $6 worth it alone. Toss in most SharePoint features and document sharing (including free web based Word, and Excel), this is hard to beat.

我认为每月 6 美元的 Office 365 交易是最好的选择（并且您可以获得 lync 通信，它为您的客户或支持此应用程序提供远程桌面支持！）。我实际上认为，Lync 仅凭 6 美元就值得。加入大多数 SharePoint 功能和文档共享（包括免费的基于 Web 的 Word 和 Excel），这是很难被击败的。

So it not clear here why you are avoiding office 365, but will have to adopt some kind of server setup here and I not aware of ANY system that going to allow free external connection from your desktop client software such as Access.

因此，这里不清楚您为什么要避免使用 Office 365，但必须在此处采用某种服务器设置，而且我不知道有任何系统允许从您的桌面客户端软件（例如 Access）进行免费外部连接。

I think the best solution is 365 for use with Access.

我认为最好的解决方案是与 Access 一起使用的 365。

Another low cost solution I used in the past is to consider some VERY low cost web hosting sites that also allow external connections to their database. In fact I did this for a good number of years (I did not even use the web site hosting!). I simply purchased the monthly web site and used the ability to "connect" external to the database server that was part of the web hosting package. This I did for a good number of years, and at VERY low cost. I thus was deploying Access front ends to multiple places and using this cheap-o web hosting account.

我过去使用的另一个低成本解决方案是考虑一些非常低成本的网络托管站点，这些站点也允许外部连接到他们的数据库。事实上，我这样做了很多年（我什至没有使用网站托管！）。我只是购买了每月网站，并使用了“连接”到作为网络托管包一部分的数据库服务器外部的能力。我这样做了很多年，而且成本非常低。因此，我将 Access 前端部署到多个地方并使用这个便宜的网络托管帐户。

However, I am much now dropping this low cost web setup with the arrival of office 365 being even less cost than that cheap-o $9 web package I was using for this.

但是，随着 Office 365 的到来，我现在放弃了这种低成本的网络设置，其成本甚至低于我为此使用的 9 美元的廉价网络包。

So, at the end of the day, I don't think there is any free hosting that allows external database connections, but the most low cost approach is office 365 at this point in time.

因此，归根结底，我认为没有任何允许外部数据库连接的免费托管，但目前成本最低的方法是 Office 365。

回答by Matt Donnan

Cloud based does not mean you have to think about your database backend any differently, you could it you wished stick with MS access, however as Access does not natively support remote connections then you would need to setup a VPN to your cloud server in order to connect to the .mdb, .aacdb file.

基于云并不意味着您必须以不同的方式考虑您的数据库后端，您可能希望坚持使用 MS 访问，但是由于 Access 本身不支持远程连接，因此您需要为云服务器设置 VPN 以便连接到 .mdb、.aacdb 文件。

Dedicated database servers are always a nice option (MySql, Sql Server Express, Postgre SQL to mention the free ones) but you will always need to ensure you have the necessary drivers installed (shouldn't be the end of the world)

专用数据库服务器始终是一个不错的选择（MySql、Sql Server Express、Postgre SQL 以及免费的），但您始终需要确保安装了必要的驱动程序（不应该是世界末日）

As for Google forms, I don't really have much experience with those but I imagine Google would have made every effort to ensure they can be implemented relatively easily with existing database products.

至于谷歌表单，我并没有太多的经验，但我想谷歌会尽一切努力确保它们可以通过现有的数据库产品相对容易地实现。