Quick Queries #58
By Richard Rost
6 months ago
Access: Max Number of Simultaneous Users Supported
In this Microsoft Access tutorial I will show you how many simultaneous users Access can realistically support, discuss best practices for handling multiple users, explain when to upgrade to SQL Server, and answer viewer questions about primary keys, field types for storing numbers, and integrating a webcam with Access.
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TechHelp Access, maximum simultaneous users Access, split database, concurrent users, Access front end SQL Server back end, SQL Server Express, connect Access to SQL Server, Access network performance, Access database splitting, Access primary key AutoNumber, sequential numbering, Access field size best practice, long integer vs double, Access fitness database, integrate webcam, Access webcam plugin
Intro In this video, we'll talk about the maximum number of simultaneous users Microsoft Access can realistically handle, the differences between the official limits and practical use, and how network speed and proper database design can affect performance. We'll also discuss the importance of splitting your Access database for multiple users, options for moving data to SQL Server as your needs grow, why AutoNumber fields can skip numbers, how to create your own sequential numbering, and best practices for choosing the right data types for numeric fields. There are also answers to questions about integrating a webcam with Access and tips for working with calculation fields.Transcript It's Friday, folks. You know what that means. It's time for another Quick Queries video brought to you by AccessLearningZone.com. I'm your instructor, Richard Rost.
Today we're going to answer that age-old question: what's the maximum number of simultaneous users Microsoft Access can handle? I get asked this all the time. Plus, your answers to your YouTube comments and lots more.
I get asked one variation of this or another every now and then. This one's from Darcy by email. Darcy says, I've been slowly building this Access database over the past couple of years, and more and more people around the office are starting to use it. We're up to about 10 or 15 people now, and my boss just asked me, how many people can use this thing at once before it explodes? Is there an actual hard limit or are we just pushing our luck here?
Technically, Microsoft says that an Access database using just an Access shared back end on a network drive can support up to 255 concurrent connections. That is the hard-coded limit built into the database engine. But that's the purely theoretical number. In the real world, things don't really work that way. You're going to start to bog down well before that.
Logistically, I'd say a good limit is about 10 to 20 active simultaneous users. What does active mean? Constantly reading and writing data, looking up stuff, running queries, entering information, 10 to 20 people using it. Of course, this depends on your network speed. I'm assuming your network's up to par. You've got proper cabling, proper hub, proper switches. There's no problems with your network speed. This is just the database we're talking about here.
This also assumes that your database is properly designed. You've got all your queries optimized, everything's indexed properly, all that stuff. In my consulting career, I have personally set up systems that were used by 50 or so workstations, but not all of those were active users throughout the day. Not everybody was constantly hammering at the database. The warehouse guy might occasionally look at products, check inventory. Sales people might enter an order here and there and so on. It wasn't like 50 people were constantly on the database. They might all be logged in throughout the day, but the actual number of concurrent users was probably 10, 15, maybe 20 people.
Of course, make sure that your database is split properly. If not, go watch this video. Every user should have their own copy of the front end that links to a shared back end. Most of the time, when I have people email me saying they're having problems with concurrent users, it's because they've got everybody sharing the same database file. They just take the Access database file in one file with the front end and the back end together, not split. They put it up on the server and then everybody is working off of that one file. It'll work for a little while, but you can very easily corrupt the database that way, and it's going to run really slow.
Every user needs to have their own copy of the front end that's connected to the back end. Of course, if you do outgrow this limit, the next step is to keep your Access front end and then just move the data tables to SQL Server. You don't have to get rid of all the work you've already done. Keep that Access database, that's great, but then you're just going to put the tables and all the data in SQL Server. There's SQL Server Express, which is the free edition, and that allows databases up to 10 gigabytes in size, so much, much larger than Access does. In the free version of SQL Server, it doesn't really have a specific user limit, but it can handle a lot more than Access does. If you even outgrow that, there are paid versions of SQL Server, standard and enterprise editions that you can scale up to thousands of concurrent users.
The benefit of working with Access and putting your eggs in the Access basket is that you really will never outgrow it. You can always use that Access front end and just connect it to a proper database engine. I've got a seminar available online that teaches you how to connect to an online version of SQL Server. This is handy if you have people in different remote locations. You can put your data in SQL Server on the web, and then people with your Access front end can connect to it from different locations. I've got a regular SQL Server local on-premises-based course coming out soon. Check my website for more information on that.
The shorter answer is Access officially 255 users; in practice, 10 to 20 users who are actively using the database. Any more than that, SQL Server. Never outgrow Access. No matter how big you are, you can always connect to a database server. Great question.
All right, let's head over to the YouTubes. First up, a comment on my Fitness Database, Part 37. By the way, thanks to all of you who posted comments saying that the people who aren't watching this are missing out because you are the Fitness Database. It's an awesome series. I'm having a lot of fun with it, lots of cool tips and tricks.
Mubarak posted, FDT question mark, seriously though. I knew someone was going to say something, and I didn't realize it as I was writing the code. I was thinking it's a variable for food date time. Food date time. That's all I was thinking. No other ulterior motives. If you don't get it, Google it, but that was not my intention. I usually make short variable names like that all the time. That was nothing that I was trying to be silly.
All right. Next up, Hummed says, I really enjoy your Access tutorials. I'm trying to integrate a webcam into an Access application, and I'm struggling to figure it out. Could you please share your advice or suggest the most effective method for using a webcam with Access?
I tried a few years ago. In fact, I put a template online. Here it is. Four years ago, I got it to work. There's me, there's the webcam template inside of Access. You can take still shots with it and stuff. It's not great. I had some issues getting it to work. Feel free to download it and try and see if it works for you. It does involve, if memory serves, using a third-party plugin because Access doesn't do this natively by itself. Check it out. See if you like it. If you want me to do more and do a tutorial on how I put it together, then let me know. You'll find the link in the link section down below the video. Or just go to my website and search for 'webcam' one word. And yes, I'll bet somewhere someone in the last four years has probably come up with something better. I haven't researched it since then because it's not really something that I need to do. Not a lot of people have asked me about it. But if anybody out there has a better solution, post a comment down below, let me know. Check it out.
All right, here comes another popular question. I get this one all the time. Yes, I repeat myself sometimes. I know I've talked about this in previous videos, but it's worth repeating. You describe in your lessons that you use an index field, probably meaning an AutoNumber, as the primary key. And I wanted to increment because if I add a record and change my mind and press escape, this number will not increment but jump one number.
Okay, so I get what you're saying. You're adding records. You've got record one, record two, record three. You're editing record three and you decide, I don't want it. You hit escape, that cancels that one. Now the next one you add is record four. So you're missing a three. That's fine. Those auto numbers are not for you. You should not care what those auto numbers are. In fact, I got a whole video about it. Here's the video. Go watch it. Those auto numbers are not for your use. They're for the database so that it can track unique records and make relationships between them. You shouldn't care what those numbers are. In fact, in most of my finished production databases, I don't even show the auto numbers. I include them in my learning and teaching databases because I want developers to see them and to get used to what they are, but they're not to be used as counters.
If you want a sequential numbering system for either customers or invoices or anything, make your own. Create your own calculated field and calculate those sequential numbers on your own. Then the auto numbers don't matter. We're not going to use those sequential numbers for forming relationships. Go watch both of those videos and it will explain in detail. Go watch my Access Beginner 1 class too because I hammer this point in that as well.
My free Access Beginner 1 course, four hours long, teaches you all the basics, including that auto numbers are for internal purposes only. When you're filling out a form, like at the doctor and it says, don't write below this line. Internal use only. It's for the doctor and the nurses and their staff. That's what auto numbers are. They're for internal use only. They're not for you. You should not care what they are. I feel like every couple of months I have to hammer this point across.
Here's a good question about the fitness database. I'm only going to talk about fitness questions in the Quick Queries videos if they pertain to all databases in general. This is a pretty general question.
Brooks says, I noticed the fields for protein, fat, carbohydrates, etc., are defaulted to long integer as the field size. Yep. Since we're not going to use these fields in calculations, wait, why would we not use these fields in calculations? We definitely will. I want to know how much protein I've had over the course of a day. I want to know how many carbohydrates, maybe, or fat grams I've had. So we will definitely be using these fields in calculations. Oops, someone's beaming in. I would not save those as short text. They're basic numbers, and I will be using those in calculations.
If it's decided further into our development to use these fields in calculations, which we will, shouldn't we define them as a number, integer, or number single? What is considered the best practice?
What I teach people, especially my beginner students, is there's really only two kinds of numbers in Access you should worry about: there's long integer and there's double. Forget everything else exists. If you look at a number down here, the field size is right. You've got byte, integer, long integer. Those are all the counting numbers. Long integer handles everything up to like 32 billion, which is fine for all the counting numbers you're going to deal with in regular life. Integer and byte are smaller, and you could use those if you want to. If you know your number is never going to be larger than 100, sure, use a byte. It goes up to 255. Integer up to like 32,000. Sure, if you can, but those are for very, very large databases. They're really from a time when hard drive space was expensive, so we had to make sure that we got the most we could out of every single byte in the computer. But today, for most databases, just worry about long integer. Just use that. Everything else will fit into it. If space becomes a problem, when you get a little more advanced, then you can go in and tweak your tables and shrink stuff down you don't need. For beginners, as far as you're concerned, long integer is the only counting type number you need.Now, if you need floating points, if you need stuff after the decimal point, use double. Single will save you some space. Decimal has some other advanced precision type stuff you can set, but double is the only one to worry about.
So from a beginner standpoint, and even for most intermediate use, either long integer or double. In fact, I've had this on my list to make a specific video just about this topic. I talk about it briefly in my beginner course, but just worry about those long integers, the default. And if you need floating point, if you need to store decimals, use double.
Now going back to your question, I picked long integer because protein, fat, carbohydrates, even calories, I only care about precision to the whole number. I care if it's 19 grams of protein. I don't care if it's 19.2. I don't need that much precision in my fitness database. If I was doing something like a Mars rover and I had to track fuel levels or something like that, sure, I might want a double to get more precision. But as far as this goes, I don't care if it's 8.6 or 8.7 grams of fat. Eight grams, or in that case, nine grams is plenty.
So there's best practice, and there's what I think is the best practice, especially for beginners and intermediate level developers: long integer or double. In this case, I think long integer is the best thing to do.
And yes, we will be using it for calculations. We already are. I see you're only on fitness level two. By the time we get up to level 30 or so, we're building a log to track what we eat all day long. So you want to add up all the protein you've had and all the calories you've had for the day. So we definitely do calculations.
Excellent question. Thank you very much, Brooke.
And with that, that's going to do it for another Quick Queries. I hope you learned something.
Live long and prosper, my friends. Enjoy your weekend. I'll see you next time.
TOPICS:
Maximum number of simultaneous Microsoft Access users
Real-world practical user limits for Access
Impact of network speed on Access performance
Importance of database design for concurrent users
Necessity and benefits of splitting an Access database
Difference between theoretical and practical Access user limits
Using Access with SQL Server for more users
Advantages of moving tables to SQL Server Express
Handling remote users with Access front end and SQL Server
AutoNumber fields as primary keys in Access
Why AutoNumbers can have gaps and why that is acceptable
Creating your own sequential numbering in Access
Data type selection for numeric fields in Access
Choosing between long integer and double for number fields
Best practices for nutrition values field types in databases
Performing calculations with numeric fields in Access
COMMERCIAL:
In today's video, we're talking about the maximum number of simultaneous users that Microsoft Access can realistically support, breaking down what Microsoft says versus what works in the real world, and when you need to consider moving to SQL Server. We'll also discuss best practices for splitting your Access database, why you should not use AutoNumber fields as sequential counters, and how to choose the right number field type for calculations. You will also hear answers about integrating a webcam with Access and get tips for both beginners and more experienced users. You'll find the complete video on my YouTube channel and on my website at the link shown. Live long and prosper my friends.Quiz Q1. What is the official maximum number of simultaneous users Microsoft Access can support using a shared back end on a network drive?
A. 255
B. 100
C. 50
D. 20
Q2. In practical, real-world situations, what is a recommended maximum number of active simultaneous users for an Access database?
A. 255
B. 10 to 20
C. 5 to 8
D. 50 to 100
Q3. What is a common misconception when sharing an Access database among multiple users?
A. Using a split database will corrupt data
B. Multiple users can safely work from a single file without issues
C. All users should have their own copy of the front end
D. Database splitting improves performance
Q4. What is the recommended approach when more users are required than Access can comfortably support?
A. Upgrade all workstations' RAM
B. Move the data tables to SQL Server and keep the Access front end
C. Switch to Excel for data storage
D. Use multiple unsplit Access files
Q5. What is an advantage of using SQL Server Express as a back end for Access?
A. It limits database size to 2GB
B. It has no specific user limit and handles more users than Access
C. It only allows connections from one remote location
D. It removes the need for an Access front end
Q6. If using the split database model, what should each user have?
A. Their own copy of the back end database
B. A shared copy of the unsplit database file
C. Their own copy of the front end linked to the shared back end
D. Access running on the server for everyone
Q7. What is the purpose of auto number fields in Access databases?
A. For users to read and keep sequential record IDs
B. To track unique records and manage relationships internally
C. For use as invoice numbers visible to customers
D. To count the number of forms created
Q8. If you want a custom sequential numbering system for things like invoices, what should you do?
A. Use the auto number as-is despite gaps
B. Manually assign random numbers
C. Create a separate calculated field for sequential numbers
D. Use the current date as the number
Q9. When defining fields for amounts like protein or carbohydrates in a fitness database, what field type is recommended for most situations?
A. Short text
B. Single
C. Long integer
D. Memo
Q10. In Access, when should you use the long integer field type for numbers?
A. When you need decimals or fractional numbers
B. When you want to store up to 32 billion as whole numbers
C. Only for storing very small numbers
D. When you need exact decimal precision
Q11. What is the recommended field type for storing numbers with decimal values in Access?
A. Long integer
B. Double
C. Short text
D. Memo
Q12. Why is it no longer as important to worry about minimizing field size by using Byte or Integer types in Access tables?
A. Access no longer supports those types
B. Long integer uses less space than byte
C. Modern storage is cheap, so long integer is almost always sufficient for most needs
D. Only double can be used for fields in modern Access
Q13. What is one practical limitation of using an Access database unsplit and shared by all users from one file?
A. Increased risk of database corruption
B. Each user can only read data, not edit it
C. The database becomes read-only for all but one user
D. It automatically upgrades to SQL Server
Q14. What does splitting a database in Access mean?
A. Dividing one table into several smaller tables
B. Separating the front end (interface, queries, forms) from the back end (data tables)
C. Creating backup copies of the database
D. Compressing the database to save space
Q15. What is the main reason AutoNumber gaps may appear if a user cancels record entry?
A. AutoNumbers are recycled when not used
B. AutoNumbers are only incremented on save
C. AutoNumbers are generated as soon as a record is started, even if it is not saved
D. Access always fills in missing numbers later
Q16. If you outgrow SQL Server Express, what is the next step?
A. Switch back to Access only
B. Use paid versions of SQL Server for more scale
C. Move the database to Excel
D. Use only the Access front end without a back end
Answers: 1-A; 2-B; 3-B; 4-B; 5-B; 6-C; 7-B; 8-C; 9-C; 10-B; 11-B; 12-C; 13-A; 14-B; 15-C; 16-B
DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks.Summary In today's Quick Queries video from Access Learning Zone, I'm going to answer a question I get asked frequently: What is the maximum number of concurrent users that Microsoft Access can effectively handle? Additionally, I'll cover feedback from YouTube comments and tackle some other common topics.
Let me start with the big question. One viewer asked about the practical limit for users accessing their shared Access database. They've been growing their user base in the office, now up to 10 or 15 people, and they're wondering if there's a ceiling to how many users can be on the system at once.
The official word from Microsoft is that an Access database on a shared network drive can support up to 255 concurrent connections. This is a built-in restriction of the database engine. However, that number is more theoretical than practical. In real use, the ability to support users drops significantly before you hit that official maximum.
Based on my experience, the effective limit is around 10 to 20 active users at a time. By "active," I mean people who are frequently reading and writing data, running queries, and entering information. Of course, this assumes you have a reasonably fast network and that your database is designed and optimized properly, with all queries and indexes set up as they should be.
In my own consulting work, I've set up systems for as many as 50 workstations, but rarely are all of them hammering the database at the same time. Most users might be logged in, but not everyone is actively using the system every minute. So, in reality, active user numbers tend to hover around 10 to 20.
One important key to performance is making sure your database is split into a front end and a back end. Each user should run their own local copy of the front end, linked to the shared data in the back end on the server. Most issues with multiple users come from people just sharing a single file with both the front and back end combined. That setup will lead to slowdowns and, eventually, database corruption. Always ensure the database is split, and every user has their own front end.
If you find yourself exceeding that practical user limit, the next step up is to keep the Access front end, but migrate your tables and data to SQL Server. You do not need to throw out everything you've already built. SQL Server Express is free and supports databases up to 10 gigabytes, with the ability to manage many more users than Access alone. As you grow, paid versions of SQL Server can scale up even further, supporting thousands of concurrent users.
The advantage of committing to Access for your applications is that you will never outgrow it. You can always connect your Access front end to a more robust database system as your needs increase. I also have a seminar on connecting Access to an online SQL Server, which is helpful if you have users in remote locations. Keep an eye on my website for updates about a local on-premises SQL Server course, too.
So, in summary, while the official limit is 255 simultaneous connections, the practical active user limit is closer to 10 to 20. For more than that, move your data to SQL Server. Access can always scale with you if you use it the right way.
Moving on, I want to address some great YouTube feedback. On my Fitness Database tutorial, one viewer noticed that the variable name "FDT" was used in code and questioned the intention. The answer is simple: it stands for "food date time," and that's all I meant by it. It's just a short name for a variable, and there were no hidden meanings.
Another viewer asked about integrating a webcam with Access. Several years ago, I put together a template that makes this possible, although Access does not support this natively. My sample involves using a third-party plugin. The solution works but is not perfect. You can find this template on my website, and if you want a more detailed tutorial or have found a better method, let me know. I'm always open to community suggestions.
Let's tackle a question about AutoNumber fields. Some users get concerned when they see that the AutoNumber primary key skips a value if a record is started but then canceled. This is normal and nothing to worry about. AutoNumbers are for the database's internal use only to guarantee unique records and to support relationships. I usually do not even display AutoNumber fields in finished databases—I only show them for learning purposes. If you need a visible, sequential numbering system for customers or invoices, create your own calculated field and do not rely on AutoNumbers for this purpose. For more detail, check out my comprehensive videos on this topic, especially the Access Beginner 1 course.
Next, there was a question about the choice of data type for fields like protein, fat, and carbohydrates in the Fitness Database. The questioner wondered why I use long integer for these fields and whether that is best practice, especially if calculations are involved. The answer is yes, we absolutely use these fields in calculations, such as tracking your daily nutritional totals. For most purposes, long integer is the right choice when you only need to store whole numbers, which is the case for basic nutrient tracking. For numbers with decimal precision, use double. Although Access offers types like byte, integer, and single, I recommend most users stick to long integer for whole numbers and double for anything involving decimals. For advanced users and very large databases, you can optimize with smaller data types, but for most beginner and intermediate Access developers, these two choices are all you need.
So, remember, when building Access tables, long integer is the go-to data type for whole numbers, while double should be used for numbers requiring decimals. These fields will often be involved in calculations, especially as your database grows.
That wraps up another edition of Quick Queries. If you want to see a complete, step-by-step video tutorial for any of the topics mentioned here, visit my website at the link below.
Live long and prosper, my friends.Topic List Maximum number of simultaneous Microsoft Access users
Real-world practical user limits for Access
Impact of network speed on Access performance
Importance of database design for concurrent users
Necessity and benefits of splitting an Access database
Difference between theoretical and practical Access user limits
Using Access with SQL Server for more users
Advantages of moving tables to SQL Server Express
Handling remote users with Access front end and SQL Server
AutoNumber fields as primary keys in Access
Why AutoNumbers can have gaps and why that is acceptable
Creating your own sequential numbering in Access
Data type selection for numeric fields in Access
Choosing between long integer and double for number fields
Best practices for nutrition values field types in databases
Performing calculations with numeric fields in AccessArticle Today I want to tackle some common questions about Microsoft Access, specifically around the practical limit for simultaneous users, some database design best practices, and a couple of frequently asked technical details. If you manage or develop databases in Access, you have probably wondered about these topics yourself.
One of the questions I frequently receive is: how many users can Access really support at once? Microsoft's official documentation says the limit is 255 concurrent connections to a shared Access database on a network drive. This means, in theory, up to 255 people could connect at the same time. However, this is a technical ceiling, not a practical guideline. In the real world, a shared Access database will start to run into performance problems much earlier than that, even if your network is reliable and your database is efficiently designed. In my experience, 10 to 20 active users is a realistic maximum in most typical network environments. When I say "active," I am referring to people who are reading and writing data often, running queries, entering information, and generally putting the database engine to work. You might have 50 or more people with access to the system, but if most are only logging in occasionally while 10 to 20 are doing the heavy lifting, that is about the practical limit before the database response time drops or you start seeing increased risk of database corruption.
It is very important to note that this user limit depends on a few important conditions. Your network infrastructure must be well maintained with proper cables and switches. Your database must also be properly designed with efficient queries, appropriate indexes, and, perhaps most importantly, a split architecture. In a split Access setup, each user has their own local copy of the front-end application, which connects to a shared back-end file containing the data tables on the server. Sharing a single Access file with both the front end and back end together among all users is a recipe for trouble. Not only does it slow things down, but it puts your database at risk of corruption. Every user should get their own front end, with data linked from the common back end.
If you find your organization growing past the "comfortable" simultaneous user count for Access, the next logical step is not to throw away all your work and move away from Access entirely. Instead, migrate only the data tables to a more powerful database platform such as SQL Server, while keeping Access as your front-end interface. You can use SQL Server Express, which is free and lets you create databases up to 10 GB, far more than the 2 GB limit in Access. SQL Server Express does not enforce a strict user limit and can easily handle more active users than Access. For even larger needs, there are paid versions of SQL Server that support thousands of users and even greater capacities. The main advantage of this approach is that you retain your familiar Access forms, reports, and logic, while gaining the scalability and robustness of SQL Server's back-end engine.
To sum up: Microsoft Access has an official user limit of 255, but in practice, the sweet spot for active users is around 10 to 20. Above that, or if you need more reliability and scalability, consider using SQL Server for your data storage while keeping Access for the user interface. This evolution means you never truly outgrow Access, since you can gradually shift to a more robust back end as your organization's needs grow.
Switching gears, let's address a common misconception about AutoNumber fields in Access. AutoNumbers are often used as primary keys and are intended solely for internal database use: to identify each record uniquely and maintain relationships between tables. They are not meant for human-facing record numbers or anything where missing numbers would be a problem. For example, if you start entering a record and then cancel, Access will skip a number. That's normal and should not concern you. If you want a separate sequential numbering system (for things like customer or invoice numbers), create a custom field and maintain that sequence yourself, perhaps using VBA or a DLookup to find the last number and increment it. But for relationships and internal keys, ignore what the AutoNumber value is—do not use that number in your business processes. AutoNumbers are for the database, not for you or your users.
Let's also discuss another foundational table design principle: how to choose the right field size when storing numeric data in Access. When it comes to numbers, beginners should focus mostly on two field types: Long Integer and Double. Long Integer is sufficient for storing whole numbers anywhere in the range most real-world business applications require—it can handle values up to about 2 billion (positive or negative). Use Long Integer for things like counts, quantities, and anything else where you do not need decimals. If you do need to store decimal values—such as currency, weights, or percentages—use Double. Single is a smaller floating-point type but rarely comes into play unless you are working with enormous datasets and need to save every byte, which is not typical today. There is also the Decimal type, which is useful for advanced scenarios requiring higher precision, but for most purposes, Long Integer and Double will cover what you need.
For instance, in a fitness database tracking daily nutrition, I save protein, carbohydrate, and fat quantities as Long Integer because I only care about whole numbers. I am not interested in whether I had 19.4 grams of protein—19 or 20 is close enough for personal or everyday business records. If you are working in a field that does require precision to several decimal places, such as scientific measurement, that is when you should reach for a Double field. As a rule of thumb, use Long Integer for whole numbers, Double for numbers where fractions matter. For most applications, these two types will be all you need to know.
While on the subject of technical tips, I have also been asked about integrating webcams into Access applications. This is one area where Access does not natively support the functionality. Third-party plugins or external software are typically required to capture images in Access. You might try searching for sample solutions online or existing templates, but be aware that results can vary depending on your version of Access and Windows. If this is a critical feature for your application, be prepared for some trial and error, and consider whether an external application might do a better job for webcam tasks.
In summary, Microsoft Access is a flexible and friendly database system for small to medium-sized teams. Its practical simultaneous user limit is lower than the technical maximum, but with good database design and network infrastructure, it can handle most business needs for small teams. If you grow beyond its limits, you can scale up by moving your tables to SQL Server without abandoning Access for your interface and business logic. Stay disciplined with your field types and internal keys, and you'll have a reliable, extendable database solution for years to come. |
