Hi whats the differences and similarities between Microsoft Access, Oracle and SQL to be used for a database?

Question

I heard that microsoft access isnt good for big databases is this true and whys tbhis the case ? As we have a group and we're designing a database we need to keep 1000 records and what would the the best software be? for this becuase we know how to Any linek provided for website that deal with this will be appreciated!

Answer 1

Use either Access or MySQL. 1000 records is very small, you do not need to pay the $thousands for MS SQL or Oracle. Access can definitely handle 1000 records.

One nice thing about Access is that it enables you to create forms. So people can input data using a visual form, and the data goes into the database. Also, Access offers a GUI for creating your database tables. MySQL does not offer these capabilities, but its main plus is that it is free. I would question what the other guy said about how powerful it is, though. It is definitely a lot weaker than Oracle or MS SQL, BUT for your needs it should be fine.

Either Access or MySQL will work fine for Web programming too if you want to connect your db to an online Web site.

Answer 2

What you've heard about Access is true. There are a few reasons it won't support a large environment. First of all, the maximum size database it can handle is 2 GB. However, if your database is going to be below that size, it may work for you. Access also doesn't support having multiple users updating the same record at the same time... it just doesn't know how to handle that.

Oracle and SQL are both enterprise level database programs which are incredibly powerful (and expensive!) and do not have such limiting size restrictions. I don't know much about Oracle, so I can't do a full comparison.

I'd like to provide one other option to you, though. There is a program called MySQL, www.mysql.com, which is FREE to download, install and use. It is open source code. It is also a powerful database system with many similarities to Microsoft SQL. MySQL is capable of handling all but the most advanced of features.