VBA vs VB.net for Access application

[unc_edge]

Hi,

I have given the task of upgrading and enhancing a Access 2002
application with quite of bit of VBA.

I am wrestling with with the best approach. It is a departmental
application (4-5 concurrent users) with about 4000 records.
Currently the users have Access 2002 or Access 2003 onsite, but
will likely go to Access 2007 within the next year or two.

My question is what is the best approach?

VB.Net accessing Access 2002 tables with ADO?
or
Stay with VBA in Access 2003?
or
Upgrade to Access 2007 and use VBA?

I have Visual Studio 2005. It is very nice but Visual Studio Tools
does not have direct support for Access. It appears Microsoft
wants people to use SQL Server?

One thing I need to add. I will need to deploy this application to 9 sites
across
the state and the customers have no onsite tech support.


Thanks for any advice.

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

I have Visual Studio 2005. It is very nice but Visual Studio Tools

does not have direct support for Access. It appears Microsoft
wants people to use SQL Server?

You mean accessing data in a mdb file? I reasonably certain it does.

If you use vb6, or vb.net..then you don't need, nor need to install
ms-access....

the JET database engine shipped with windows is the same engine used by vb6,
ms-access, or vb.net to read and write data in a mdb file...

So, as far I as I know, there should be little, if any difficulty in using
data in a mdb file. However, don't confuse ms-access which is a development
tool like vb6, or vb.net with that of using a data engine like sql server,
or jet.

for example, you can well use ms-access with sql server....

As to using visual studio, only you can decide that. It can take a good 1 or
more years to really get up to speed in ms-access, and the same goes for
visual studio. So, if you invested the time, then you have that answer.

Also, when you speak of multiple locations, are you taking about all hitting
the same database, or each location a different system?

Regardless, unless you up to development speed in visual studio, then you
have to ask how much time can you afford to invest to get up to productive
level of productivity?

And, if you planning to add web integration to this system, then the visual
studio makes a lot of sense.

If the application is fine as it is now, then why re-write?

 

[Klatuu]

I concur with Albert's remarks. I would like to introduce some topics for
thought.
If you move to Visual Studio, it will be a complete rewrite from scratch.
If no more than 4 to 5 users are involved, then I doubt the move is worth
the effort. Depending on the complexity of the application, you could be
looking at months to years to do this.

If the users at the other locations have no technical support, that would be
an argument to continue in Access. It is a lot easier to maintain an Access
application than it is an SQL database and Dot Net environment.

There are very few differences between 2002 and 2003. I would make the
modifications in the current 2002/2003 environment and move to 2007 when the
users upgrade their version of Office.