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 The Platform
Megalo Uses Microsoft Access: Currently, Megalo recommends Microsoft Access as the database of choice for small business and uses it as the platform on which to build the set of tools that work best for you. Access is the most popular database in the world. It is relatively inexpensive. In the right hands, it can provide a very capable, very friendly, multi-user system that does just about anything that you desire.
The Advantages: Microsoft, the company, is unlikely to disappear any time soon and has made a commitment to the future of Access. Access is an easy program to get started with – some business owners program their own databases in the beginning. Megalo trains some owners, or staff, to program, giving complete control over to the business. Access is relatively inexpensive. Access runs on just about any Windows platform. Access is easily upgradeable, so it is effectively used to prototype a database, for future expansion to SQL Server, for example. Access integrates well with other Microsoft products, such as Outlook, Excel and Word. Access is the standard that other companies program for – Quickbooks, for example, has good integration with Access. Access can be used as a single-user program and then easily changed over to multi-user (assuming good programming standards have been used from the beginning). Access can be used over a wide area network, as long as you have a good server utilizing Terminal Services. Access has more trained consultants than any other database product.
The Disadvantages: There are some cases, though, when Access is not recommended. If you are using a Macintosh/Apple environment, Access does not work. If you have an unstable network, Access will drive you crazy with data corruption and data loss. If you need to capture time-critical data – for example, data from sensitive laboratory equipment – Access does not have the precision needed. If you want to run more than 10-15 active users at one time, you will begin see a significant slowing, eventually grinding to a halt. (This may happen sooner or later than 10-15 users, depending on the cleverness of your programming and the configuration of your hardware.) If you have huge datasets that cannot be well indexed, compartmentalized or archived, you will again see a significant degradation in speed and occasionally a problem with stability. You can overcome these speed issues for a while by cranking up your RAM and your server configuration. You can avoid the speed issues, for a while, by correct network installations and clever programming. Eventually, though, you might exceed the capabilities of Access and will need to graduate to SQL Server or another large database. When/if this happens, you can congratulate yourself for growing, and for starting with Access.
If Access is the right database for you, Megalo can help: 720-480-3682.
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