Difference between MySQL and MS Access

Nice thing about MS Access is it can be installed in my web FTP and I can make fast
changes to the database by double-clicking in FTP view.

Does MySQL install via my web's FTP the same way? Or is it on a remote server like MS
SQL?

(I'm not that concerned with user bandwidth, it's a restricted intranet.)

Gary L. Burnore wrote:
> On Tue, 8 Nov 2005 17:02:22 -0500, "Victor" <VicMoore028@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>>Nice thing about MS Access is it can be installed in my web FTP and I can make fast
>>changes to the database by double-clicking in FTP view.
>
>
> You'll have to explain what you mean by "in by web FTP". FTP is a
> protocal. Not a location.
>
>
I'll bet his using the ftp server capabilities in IE and in IIS to upload files and he doesn't have direct access to the web server.
With Access if the odbc driver is setup, then just drop the database file in place and it will work. No installation of executables.
If that's the case, then no it won't work the same. While it can run on the same machine and has a local API along with odbc and
other methods of access, it needs to be installed like any other application.

Just a guess however.


>
>
>>Does MySQL install via my web's FTP the same way? Or is it on a remote server like MS
>>SQL?
>
>
> See above.
>
> If you mean "Can I run on the same server as my webserver and can that
> be windows?", Yes.
>
>
>>(I'm not that concerned with user bandwidth, it's a restricted intranet.)
>
>

Comments inline.

"Michael Vilain" <vilain@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:vilain-099A4A.16253108112005@comcast.dca.giganews.com...
> In article <VvSdndcmyrwTvezenZ2dnUVZ_tadnZ2d@comcast.com>,
> "Victor" <VicMoore028@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Nice thing about MS Access is it can be installed in my web FTP and I can
>> make fast
>> changes to the database by double-clicking in FTP view.
>>
>> Does MySQL install via my web's FTP the same way? Or is it on a remote
>> server
>> like MS
>> SQL?
>>
>> (I'm not that concerned with user bandwidth, it's a restricted intranet.)
>
> Not sure what you're asking as you're not to clear in your request. If
> you mean "Can I update or manage a database remotely?", the answer is
> yes. There's phpMyAdmin, a web-base MySQL administration tool:
>
> http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/
>
> Since you have to pay for MS Access

True... (Well, mostly. There are "evaluation" versions available. :) )

> and it only runs on Windows locally
> on your desktop,

False.
This must be split into 2 categories:
1 - MS Access as a front-end tool can be used over various remote desktop
technologies. It can and does connect easily to almost every type of
database out there.
2 - MS JET database (which is what the poster appears to refer to) can be
set up as a backend database on a web server interface. It isn't that much
harder or different than any other method of database deployment. It
actually runs quite clean when the DB resides on the web server.

> how would you run it as the backend database for a web
> site?

Like anything else, if you set up your server properly, it will work just
fine.

> MySQL, php, and Apache can do this for free.

False... well that depends really on your MySQL deployment and use scenario.
If the service is free and you stand to gain nothing from it's
implementation, and meet some other criteria then it seems to be generally
understood that it is free. Other wise you must purchase a license.

Opensource != Freeware: Read_the_license

> --
> DeeDee, don't press that button! DeeDee! NO! Dee...

Personally, if the implementation is small, and you have a lot of control
over the web server, MS JET will work just fine as a database. If it starts
to amass a lot of data and users, then it is time to move up to a full
server based DB that can handle concurrent calls and faster response rates.

I think MySQL would be a good choice (irregardless of licensing needs).

However, the poster is not clear about how his database is interfaced or
used with his web site. It all depends on the needs of the implementation.

~ Duane Phillips.

"Dennis Willson" <giganews@taz-mania.com> wrote in message
news:mZCdnbvyGN0z0OzenZ2dnUVZ_sGdnZ2d@baytsp.com.. .
>
>
> Gary L. Burnore wrote:
> > On Tue, 8 Nov 2005 17:02:22 -0500, "Victor" <VicMoore028@yahoo.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Nice thing about MS Access is it can be installed in my web FTP and I can make fast
> >>changes to the database by double-clicking in FTP view.
> >
> >
> > You'll have to explain what you mean by "in by web FTP". FTP is a
> > protocal. Not a location.
> >
> >
> I'll bet his using the ftp server capabilities in IE and in IIS to upload files and he
doesn't have direct access to the web server.
> With Access if the odbc driver is setup, then just drop the database file in place and
it will work. No installation of executables.

I have access to a shared server using my FTP Client (FTP Surfer). I can just
drag-and-drop mydb.mdb into a subdir on my shared web, and - voila! - can access it from
my pages after setting up the driver.

The nice thing about it is, for FAST changes and mods, I can just double-click mydb.mdb
and it opens in Access. I can quickly add columns & change data if I wanted.

Now, compared to MS SQL, which is on a seperate server. The only way to view & modify
the database is by SQL commands - I can't directly view the database.


Can I use mySQL the same was as Access is described above?

> "Duane Phillips" wrote...
:
> However, the poster is not clear about how his database is interfaced or
> used with his web site. It all depends on the needs of the implementation.

Sorry.... this is used with a website, on a shared server.

See my new post from a few minutes earlier for clarification.

Victor,

You are confusing JET with Access. They are not the same thing.
You can use Access as a front end tool to nearly any type database.

That includes MS SQL Server.
That includes MySQL, Oracle, DB2, FOX Pro, CSV files, Excel sheets, etc.

It does not matter where DB server is, just so long as you can access it.
The rest is just details.

Your statement is very telling:
"Now, compared to MS SQL, which is on a seperate server. The only way to
view & modify the database is by SQL commands - I can't directly view the
database."

It appears you do not know the joy (and and sometimes the pain) of server
class DB systems. Once your user count and concurrent transactions hit a
certain level, JET is no longer an viable option.

But you still have not described anything about your DB needs.

~ Duane Phillips.

"Victor" <VicMoore028@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:J_6dnaCvZMdmxu_eRVn-tA@comcast.com...
>
> "Dennis Willson" <giganews@taz-mania.com> wrote in message
> news:mZCdnbvyGN0z0OzenZ2dnUVZ_sGdnZ2d@baytsp.com.. .
>>
>>
>> Gary L. Burnore wrote:
>> > On Tue, 8 Nov 2005 17:02:22 -0500, "Victor" <VicMoore028@yahoo.com>
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> >>Nice thing about MS Access is it can be installed in my web FTP and I
>> >>can make fast
>> >>changes to the database by double-clicking in FTP view.
>> >
>> >
>> > You'll have to explain what you mean by "in by web FTP". FTP is a
>> > protocal. Not a location.
>> >
>> >
>> I'll bet his using the ftp server capabilities in IE and in IIS to upload
>> files and he
> doesn't have direct access to the web server.
>> With Access if the odbc driver is setup, then just drop the database file
>> in place and
> it will work. No installation of executables.
>
> I have access to a shared server using my FTP Client (FTP Surfer). I can
> just
> drag-and-drop mydb.mdb into a subdir on my shared web, and - voila! - can
> access it from
> my pages after setting up the driver.
>
> The nice thing about it is, for FAST changes and mods, I can just
> double-click mydb.mdb
> and it opens in Access. I can quickly add columns & change data if I
> wanted.
>
> Now, compared to MS SQL, which is on a seperate server. The only way to
> view & modify
> the database is by SQL commands - I can't directly view the database.
>
>
> Can I use mySQL the same was as Access is described above?
>
>
>

MySQL does not exactly work like Access... It can run on the same server, it doesn't have run on a separate server. There are plenty
of tools (some free, some not) for modifying the database and/or data locally or remotely. If your application doesn't do lots of
updates/deletes and/or inserts, then Access may be just fine. However if you do lots of updates or database changes and the dataset
is going to get any size at all, then Access is going to become problematic. You can't run maintainace tasks on Access while it's
running, while you can run most routine stuff on MySQL live. I do it with a timed job to be sure the database tables and indexes are
all in good shape and running at peak performance.

Actually your not directly accessing the databases, your accessing them through the Access program. MySQL (as with most databases)
have tools that allow you to access the database tables and data via a GUI instead of issuing SQL commands just like Access.

You DO however have to get MySQL installed on the server before you can use it. It requires a program install to get the MySQL
service going, then the ODBC driver installed before you can use it.

Victor wrote:
> "Dennis Willson" <giganews@taz-mania.com> wrote in message
> news:mZCdnbvyGN0z0OzenZ2dnUVZ_sGdnZ2d@baytsp.com.. .
>
>>
>>Gary L. Burnore wrote:
>>
>>>On Tue, 8 Nov 2005 17:02:22 -0500, "Victor" <VicMoore028@yahoo.com>
>>>wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Nice thing about MS Access is it can be installed in my web FTP and I can make fast
>>>>changes to the database by double-clicking in FTP view.
>>>
>>>
>>>You'll have to explain what you mean by "in by web FTP". FTP is a
>>>protocal. Not a location.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>I'll bet his using the ftp server capabilities in IE and in IIS to upload files and he
>
> doesn't have direct access to the web server.
>
>>With Access if the odbc driver is setup, then just drop the database file in place and
>
> it will work. No installation of executables.
>
> I have access to a shared server using my FTP Client (FTP Surfer). I can just
> drag-and-drop mydb.mdb into a subdir on my shared web, and - voila! - can access it from
> my pages after setting up the driver.
>
> The nice thing about it is, for FAST changes and mods, I can just double-click mydb.mdb
> and it opens in Access. I can quickly add columns & change data if I wanted.
>
> Now, compared to MS SQL, which is on a seperate server. The only way to view & modify
> the database is by SQL commands - I can't directly view the database.
>
>
> Can I use mySQL the same was as Access is described above?
>
>
>

The actual structure for MySQL myisam is that a database is a directory, a table is a file and the indexes for a table are a file.
Once MySQL has been properly installed, you can create the appropreate directory and then copy the files in and restart MySQL and
the have the databases recoqnized (I have actually done this) and you can even do this between Linux and Windows (I have actually
done this). For InnoDB all tables go in a single file.

No, Access does not support any of the stored procedures, triggers, transactions, etc... the way the Access Jet works is to lock
users out of the DATABASE when another user is accessing it. On a web application where the webserver user is the one doing the
access, then it doesn't appear to Access as multi-user, so the application has to take some care that concurrent web users don't
cause a database inconsistancy. On MySQL myisam does table level locking and InnoDB does row level locking.

Michael Vilain wrote:
> In article <J_6dnaCvZMdmxu_eRVn-tA@comcast.com>,
> "Victor" <VicMoore028@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>>"Dennis Willson" <giganews@taz-mania.com> wrote in message
>>news:mZCdnbvyGN0z0OzenZ2dnUVZ_sGdnZ2d@baytsp.com ...
>>
>>>
>>>Gary L. Burnore wrote:
>>>
>>>>On Tue, 8 Nov 2005 17:02:22 -0500, "Victor" <VicMoore028@yahoo.com>
>>>>wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Nice thing about MS Access is it can be installed in my web FTP and I can
>>>>>make fast
>>>>>changes to the database by double-clicking in FTP view.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>You'll have to explain what you mean by "in by web FTP". FTP is a
>>>>protocal. Not a location.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>I'll bet his using the ftp server capabilities in IE and in IIS to upload
>>>files and he
>>
>>doesn't have direct access to the web server.
>>
>>>With Access if the odbc driver is setup, then just drop the database file
>>>in place and
>>
>>it will work. No installation of executables.
>>
>>I have access to a shared server using my FTP Client (FTP Surfer). I can just
>>drag-and-drop mydb.mdb into a subdir on my shared web, and - voila! - can
>>access it from
>>my pages after setting up the driver.
>>
>>The nice thing about it is, for FAST changes and mods, I can just
>>double-click mydb.mdb
>>and it opens in Access. I can quickly add columns & change data if I wanted.
>>
>>Now, compared to MS SQL, which is on a seperate server. The only way to view
>>& modify
>>the database is by SQL commands - I can't directly view the database.
>>
>>
>>Can I use mySQL the same was as Access is described above?
>
>
> Ah. Much clearer. Since MySQL isn't a single data file, but a series
> of files and a server process that handles the SQL queries, my guess
> would be no. Leastways, it's a bunch of files on my MacOS X box but
> your shared server may implement the database differently.
>
> If you've used or managed an Oracle database, the concept of the
> tablespace where the data is stored and instance where the code and
> structures that define the database manager are used to describe a DBMS
> environment. A single-file database as you've described isn't the same
> thing at all, even if there are multiple tables within that file.
>
> With MySQL 5.0, more true DBMS features are being implemented,
> transactions and stored procedures--to name a few. Does MS Access JET
> implement these?
>

"Duane Phillips" <askme@askme.askme> wrote in message
news:-rqdnfP01JFM9u_eRVn-rw@giganews.com...
> Victor,
>
> You are confusing JET with Access. They are not the same thing.
> You can use Access as a front end tool to nearly any type database.
>
> That includes MS SQL Server.
> That includes MySQL, Oracle, DB2, FOX Pro, CSV files, Excel sheets, etc.
>
> It does not matter where DB server is, just so long as you can access it.
> The rest is just details.
>
> Your statement is very telling:
> "Now, compared to MS SQL, which is on a seperate server. The only way to
> view & modify the database is by SQL commands - I can't directly view the
> database."
>
> It appears you do not know the joy (and and sometimes the pain) of server
> class DB systems. Once your user count and concurrent transactions hit a
> certain level, JET is no longer an viable option.

I understand this, and I've heard all about how JET can't handle high volume
transactions, but in reality, even with 230,000 monthly visitors I've had absolutely no
problems. If I ever do have problems, I'll just cache the database calls & I'm good to
go.

>
> But you still have not described anything about your DB needs.

I've already described what I need. My main need is TIME. I want to save TIME. With JET,
with an Access database *directly* accessible on my shared server via FTP I can view &
modify the database instantly. That's what I want. That is my main need. The technical
details I can more than handle.

"Dennis Willson" <giganews@taz-mania.com> wrote in message
news:KOSdnaH7JMCAHO_eRVn-jQ@baytsp.com...
> The actual structure for MySQL myisam is that a database is a directory, a table is a
file and the indexes for a table are a file.
> Once MySQL has been properly installed, you can create the appropreate directory and
then copy the files in and restart MySQL and
> the have the databases recoqnized (I have actually done this) and you can even do this
between Linux and Windows (I have actually
> done this). For InnoDB all tables go in a single file.
>
> No, Access does not support any of the stored procedures, triggers, transactions,
etc... the way the Access Jet works is to lock
> users out of the DATABASE when another user is accessing it. On a web application
where the webserver user is the one doing the
> access, then it doesn't appear to Access as multi-user, so the application has to take
some care that concurrent web users don't
> cause a database inconsistancy. On MySQL myisam does table level locking and InnoDB
does row level locking.

Thanks!