Can I Create an Access DataBase Without Access?

Can I Create an Access DataBase Without Access?

• system.windows.forms.form

  Hi ReneeC.... Referring to your Knowledge Base Application... May I ask Why you chose an Access Database over an an SQL Server Express Database Thanks
  

• Lukasz Czekaj

  I never said that. I talked about my personal use and interests.

  
  
  

• GeneWald

  If you have VB6, you may be able to use the VISDATA.EXE program.

  
  

• HoserDave

   

  Yes.

  I know you could do it with DAO. I'm not sure about ADO. Since ADO.NET is a little less faciliated in persisting, the USE of ADOX has been recommended to me for things like table creation and storage and I find that it works very well with VB.NET.

  I've installed systems based upon access databases on on target systems that did not have access. I simply made sure that MDAC 2.8 was installed. This is a normal component of XP's SP2.

  
  
  

• pvulcan

  
  You have to remember that Microsoft Access is still the most viable product for developing portable self-contained database applications by end users. It also integrates well with other Microsoft Office products.

  I still see quite a few developers dismiss it as a database solution despite the fact that it has a number of advantages over SQL Server Express.

  
  
  

• Amr Ouf

  Thanks pclement...... Excellent Post(I booked Marked it).... I did the HOW TO.. Click and actually created an access database that sort of worked in the VBE IDE.... I needed to do the other three links to make it work like SGL Server Express Gen.... Too much for me now.... I'm still learning to Gen from the IDE.... I was just fooling around.... I will use SGL Server Express for anything Semi Serious... Thanks Again
  

• Dinglebob

   

  A minor update comment.

  I've been working with Access lately and have witten a class full of ADOX code.

  But I didn't have anything to actually create a database so I got the database creation example you cited.

  It's just a little out of date as it refers to Microsoft ADO for DDL and Security V2.7 when with  V2.8 and VS2005 the code won't compile.

  The correct code looks like this:

   

  Sub CreateDatabase(ByVal ConnectionString As String)

  Dim cat As New ADOX.Catalog

  cat.Create(ConnectionString)

  cat = Nothing

  End Sub

   

   

   

   

  
  
  

• JohnCC

  
  The IDE does not support the ability to create an Access database.
  
  HOW TO: Create a Microsoft Access Database Using ADOX and Visual Basic .NET

  After you have created the database you can use Jet SQL DDL/DML to create Jet objects:

  Fundamental Microsoft Jet SQL for Access 2000
  Intermediate Microsoft Jet SQL for Access 2000
  Advanced Microsoft Jet SQL for Access 2000

   

  
  
  

• KNPaing

   

  Thanks... But why Wouldn't one just buy access instead of doing all this coding

  Billy,

  I'm not the least bit interested in what I can do with Access, but I'm very interested in using and an Access database with VB 2005. That's the difference.

  I have Access but the only thing I use it for it to test my coding or setup and inital database.

  I'm writing a "knowledgeBase" which stores documents in a hierarchy just like a file system accept they are all iniside the database and all the documents will be available on tabs in a single program.

  I have no use for Acccess but I have lots of uses for Access databases.

  Once I get this thing finished the Access button won't be used for a couple of years.

  
  
  

• Rod O.

  I don't want to do that...... Probably if I wanted to that I couldn't do that anyway.... That said.... I Want to Use the VBE IDE to Generate an Access Degenerate SQL Application for learning puposes.... I can generate a SQL degenerate SQL Server Express database Application with the IDE that allows me to define my own schema.... Can't do That with Access.... The IDE forces the Access generation to be on an existing Access Data Base.... It works fine with Northwind but I'm Stuck with Northwinds Schema.....

  Also I own Access 2.0 which is the one after Access 1.0 and before Access 97..... The VBE IDE rejects Access 2.0 databases... Any one know of a Free Access 2.0 data to the current Access data format Cheers

  
  

• JoeCousins

  Exactly.... Isn't that what I Have been saying.... For Legacy only NOT for New Development.... Cheers

  
  

• Tim Wilson

  Hi There..... I just clicked on the project of my Access App and scrolled down to Publish clicked prerequisits and Guess what SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is CHECKED..... Which Means Major loss of Functionality with No gain in Resource Conservation...... Cheers
  

• tjwhiteh

    Hi ReneeC.... Referring to your Knowledge Base Application... May I ask Why you chose an Access Database  over an an SQL Server Express Database Thanks

   

  Hi Billy,

   

  I should warn you upfront that this may be a long rambling post. I also want to say that the perspectives here are mine and reflect my personal approach to databases and in no way are a comment on the quality of any of Microsofts SQL product. Also keep in mind that I don’t consider myself an expert on databases by any means.

   

  First of all this application is single user.

   

  As an experienced systems programmer I don’t like databases and I don’t like them with some intensity. There’s a herstory with earlier databases. I noticed that you never can tell when you are doing the optimal thing with a dbms. Largely, you just have to “trust” it and I don’t.

   

  Recently, I’ve been reflecting on all of this. I’m a friend of Blairs and he’s a database fiend. I shiver at the idea of handing a black box a string yet and trusting that it’s going to do what I want.

   

  Case in point, with this project I lost a week trying to figure out why ADO.Net kept blowing up when I persisted the database. When you work with OleDB, the ADO.Net Classes and Access databases you use a lot of SQL commands. I kept getting the most obscure message back from the command builder of all things. Like, why I am getting an “Insert parsing error” from the command builder. I sought help from that one only to find out that Databases have reserved words which if use these word as a column name will cause bad things happen. I write technical and use technical language to describe data. So it’s no small wonder that the word “descriptor” is a reserved word and I named a column “Descriptor” and that’s how I lost a week. It would be different if the error message described the condition like, “Illegal User request for reserved column name”. Oh! How silly of me I would have thought and I would have fixed it three minutes – But no the error message came from an exception in the Command Builder “Parsing error on insert” – I mean really.

   

  THEN, there’s the rest of the question. I put my system together about six months ago. I’ve always used very hi speed disks that are expensive and have small capacities by today’s standards (38 gigs). Six months ago, 1 gig of memory seemed like a lot. It doesn’t now and SQL servers are heavy consumers of system resources. I just removed mine after finishing a project.

   

  I would prefer to write my own rather than hand a string off to a black box and I’ve been doing that this week.

   

  But in all fairness, each time I undertake a project like this, I certainly get glimpses at why being to just ship those strings off to database have their advantages but when all is said and done…. I would personally avoid it when there is any possible way around them.

   

   

  
  
  

• Xavier Martin

  Thanks... But why Wouldn't one just buy access instead of doing all this coding I just wanted to compare the strengths and weakness's of a VB Server Express database VS an Access database in the VBE IDE.... VB Server Express Database wins hand down..... Anyone doubts this download Northwind and play with Both.... I'm betin you will never use Access again unless forced... Cheers
  
• Can I Create an Access DataBase Without Access?