Microsoft Access: The Database Software That Won't Die • Hacker News Board

Re: Microsoft Access: The Database Software That Won't Die

#151

Post by mobjack » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 1:10 AM UTC

SigmundA wrote: post #30

I have a special place in my heart for Access, its where I first started making money writing software and learned SQL and VB. Its where I really felt like I was making something that solved real world problems for people, quickly at that. It was actually amazing how far it could scale, you could put a shared MDB file out on a Novell network share and have 30 concurrent users with no server app at all, users just dou…

Access is highly underrated.

I was able to build a CRUD app with 20 concurrent users in a month just using a shared directory to host the backend database.

It would have taken a team of engineers 6 months to do the same properly developing a Java web app with Oracle database.

Access does have such easy WYSIWYG reporting tools that I still miss.

Re: Microsoft Access: The Database Software That Won't Die

#152

Post by wil421 » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 1:13 AM UTC

linza wrote: post #138

wil421 wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ServiceNow is a lot easier for admins/developers to use for workflow automation. In my opinion it’s a little easier than Salesforce but it could become bloated like Salesforce if it want already. Quickbase is another one I worked with but I was migrating workflows off of it. Quickbase was good for non IT people but not much better than Access or Excel.

I was curious about ServiceNow and googled it and was excited as they offer demos. But they require registration and a lot of information about myself, so i stopped. Is it not meant for small businesses perhaps?

Try the developer site, link below. You’ll need to register but it doesn’t look too invasive. It is expensive for small businesses. The main part is an ITSM suite but I’ve built workflows for call centers and account managers.

https://developer.servicenow.com/app.do#!/program/developer

Re: Microsoft Access: The Database Software That Won't Die

#153

Post by somewhereoutth » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 1:17 AM UTC

Reading these comments really brings me back! If I remember correctly, developing a simple project reporting system based on Access, and using forms, was my first foray into professional software development (I had actually trained as a Mech. Eng.) - a career that took me from sleepy Surrey, in the UK, all the way to Silicon Valley! One thing that sticks in my mind is tab ordering of input fields - the difference from an occasional user to those who would use a system heavily every day.

Re: Microsoft Access: The Database Software That Won't Die

#154

Post by bluedino » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 1:18 AM UTC

alkonaut wrote: post #12

Is there a modern and/or open alternative to this? E.g a SQLite + electron or local web client thing where you could build a simple inventory or similar but you should also be able to scale it to client server when the need occurs 10 years down. Note that any number of cloud startups don’t count as an alternative to access. When these things start it’s as an excel sheet with data that no one will go through the enter…

VBA in the current version of office. Keep the databases in MariaDB. Scary but it works.

Re: Microsoft Access: The Database Software That Won't Die

#155

Post by tbyehl » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 1:19 AM UTC

EvanAnderson wrote: post #135

alexis_fr wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Modern-day Access: Filemaker Pro was the contemporary competitor and still lives and has usergroups today; Airtables and similar (all SQL-based form managers) are the modern options.

FileMaker, in my experience, attracts a certain smug developer who simply cannot believe that there are more industrial-strength database systems and that FileMaker can't solve every possible problem in the world. Access devs, at least, don't seem to have that particular quirk.

It's because they were all Mac users -- in the early days it was an Apple (Claris) product.

Re: Microsoft Access: The Database Software That Won't Die

#156

Post by filmgirlcw » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 1:19 AM UTC

When I was 14 or 15, my dad paid me to do work for him over the summer. He was in real estate and wanted to have a file/database entry for each of the floorplans and properties he was selling or building. Because I was so young, I used Access to create a CRUD app of sorts that kept details on all his projects. He used it for years.

It’s embarrassing for me to admit how long it took me to make the connections between what I did in Access (and later FileMaker) and MySQL and other database systems.

When I look back, I’m half-annoyed with myself for not just using a better SQL tool, but I’m equally pleased/impressed with what I built as a kid.

Airtable is probably the closest we have to “modern” Access - but I agree with the other comments that point out the value and potential of these types of tools.

Re: Microsoft Access: The Database Software That Won't Die

#157

Post by bluedino » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 1:21 AM UTC

tsumnia wrote: post #14

I will admit a love/hate for Access. Namely, from years of teaching Microsoft Office as Intro to Computing. Access was always the section that was hard to convince students they'd ever need and worse yet outright made the class logistically harder for Mac users. I will say, however, Access has SOME benefit to Information Systems education, especially in a general IS class. These students are marketing, accounting, et…

The place I work at has an access app with 250 modules. It's a nightmare of "access has run out of memory" and other fun errors.

Re: Microsoft Access: The Database Software That Won't Die

#158

Post by treve » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 1:23 AM UTC

It feels like th true replacement for Access right now is Excel/Google sheets. Not nearly as versatile, but it serves the same audience. I wish we had a good general purpose widely available Access replacement that's just a level above spreadsheets

Re: Microsoft Access: The Database Software That Won't Die

#159

Post by louis8799 » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 1:23 AM UTC

Coming from a banking background, I know that Access is heavily used in the financial industry, including Investment Banks.

Re: Microsoft Access: The Database Software That Won't Die

#160

Post by mynegation » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 1:26 AM UTC

wil421 wrote: post #127

codeulike wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Salesforce, the core database/CRUD bit of it if you ignore all the stuff they've purchased and tacked-on in the last few years, is essentially 'Access in the cloud', in terms of the sorts of things you can do and the ease with which you can do it, and how far you can stretch it before it starts to get cumbersome. And yes, they are making a killing. edit: And if that sounds easy, imagine how you would go about upgradi…

ServiceNow is a lot easier for admins/developers to use for workflow automation. In my opinion it’s a little easier than Salesforce but it could become bloated like Salesforce if it want already. Quickbase is another one I worked with but I was migrating workflows off of it. Quickbase was good for non IT people but not much better than Access or Excel.

A lot depends on what is actually implemented on top of these systems. I absolutely loathe servicenow because of multi page multilevel forms with horrible, ugly, no good UX I have to deal with.