[WEB4LIB] Re: Access2002 vs. SQL .. which way do we go?

[Leo Robert Klein]

on 12/5/02 12:13 AM, Vicki Falkland at rch.library at wch.org.au wrote:

> size of database: around 1500 journal titles, with fields/notes to show
> print holdings (at two campuses), different storage areas, possible online
> access methods (links) plus notes on these such as "remote access", "back
> issues only" etc.

Access is probably enough to handle such a listing.  Our list is broken down
by vendor so the poor thing has to go through about 10,000 records to pull
out a match.  Still, it performs admirably.

So Access can do the job.  What I think might sway you is not this
particular job per se but what you might want to do afterwards.  If you find
your needs growing more numerous and more complex then it might be time to
move up to any of the SQL varieties.  The trade-off of course, is a slightly
greater need for expertise either from you or your institution.

There are always a number of push-button solutions out there -- they're
marketed like so many miracle cures.  They're okay, I guess, at least to
begin with but I generally find them increasingly less satisfactory/reliable
the more ambitious my own plans become.  It's something to keep in mind.

LEO

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Leo Robert Klein                                   Library Web Coordinator
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