Online Hosting
By Richard Rost
2 days ago
Set Up MS Access to SQL Server Online with WinHost
Today we will discuss online hosting for your Microsoft Access database by setting up an account with Winhost, my recommended provider. I will show you how to choose a hosting plan, register or transfer a domain name, navigate the Winhost control panel, and create your first online SQL Server database. We will also talk about setting up name servers, managing passwords, obtaining an SSL certificate, and getting the connection string needed to connect your Access database to SQL Server. By the end, your domain, website, and online database will be configured and ready for use.
Prerequisites
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Keywords
TechHelp Access, putting Access database online, SQL Server online, Winhost, connect Access to SQL Server, SQL Server hosting, domain setup, SSL certificate, connection string, Access web hosting, migrate database to SQL Server, database security, web app database
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Intro Today we will discuss online hosting for your Microsoft Access database by setting up an account with Winhost, my recommended provider. I will show you how to choose a hosting plan, register or transfer a domain name, navigate the Winhost control panel, and create your first online SQL Server database. We will also talk about setting up name servers, managing passwords, obtaining an SSL certificate, and getting the connection string needed to connect your Access database to SQL Server. By the end, your domain, website, and online database will be configured and ready for use.Transcript Putting your Microsoft Access data online is quick, easy, and surprisingly inexpensive.
Welcome to another TechHelp video brought to you by Access Learning Zone. I am your instructor Richard Rost.
In the last video, we talked about why you might want to move your Access Database to an online SQL Server, whether it is for remote employees, multiple office locations, or just so you can access your database while you are traveling.
If you missed that video, I will put a link in the description below.
Today, we are going to set up online SQL Server using my preferred hosting provider, Winhost.
There are lots of hosting companies out there, and you can use whoever you like, but Winhost is the one I recommend because they are reliable, easy to work with, and have excellent customer support. They are also really inexpensive.
In fact, as of recording this in July 2026, you can get SQL Server hosting with web hosting for less than five bucks a month, so cost is no longer a barrier to entry.
By the end of today's video, you will have your SQL Server hosting account set up and be ready to connect your Microsoft Access Database to it.
This video is lesson two from my complete SQL Server online seminar. In the full seminar, I show you everything from setting up your server to migrating your Access data to connecting the front end, optimizing performance, securing the database, and even building a simple web app so people can access your data from a browser.
If you would like to follow the entire process from start to finish, there is a link in the description below.
All right, let's get started.
In lesson two, we are going to set up an account at Winhost.com. We will talk about setting up a new domain name, or transferring an existing one if you have one already. We will see how to use the Winhost Site Control Panel. We will create our first online SQL Server database, and I will show you how to get the connection string.
We are going to start out today by setting up web service through a company called Winhost. They are my recommended ISP. I used to be with GoDaddy for years, and then I ended up getting unhappy with them, so I switched. I moved over to Winhost.
They made it so easy to set up the website, move everything over, set up a database. Their customer service is fantastic. I would not recommend them if I did not use them personally and love them.
Here is a link you can use. Full disclosure, I did sign up as an affiliate, so I will get a couple of dollars if you sign up through me. Thank you.
If you are looking to set up a whole website, all you need is just web service for a couple bucks a month to set up your online database. Whether you use the website or not, it is completely up to you.
If you have another website that you are happy with, stick with them. You can use Winhost to host your database.
I will put a link to this in the description down below that you can click on to go right there.
When you go to Winhost's homepage, you will see this.
They may change prices in the future, they may change their packages. This is what they have as of right now.
It is currently May of 2021, but that is on them. So they change this stuff, but as far as what they have right now, I personally have this, actually, I have the ultimate plan.
These guys give you unlimited disk space and bandwidth. This basic package, three gigabytes of disk space, is plenty if you are going to be just hosting a simple database for you or your company unless you have tons and tons and tons of records.
50 giga bandwidth, again, is plenty, but it is eight bucks a month for unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth.
About two gigabytes for your SQL database. That should be plenty of space. My whole website right now, I think, uses 75 megabytes of space, so that is plenty.
So I am going to set up a basic one for the purposes of class because I just have my own account, which I am not going to use for class. I am going to set up a brand new one just for teaching this class and maybe when I do some more ASP classes.
So I am not going to need a lot of disk space or bandwidth. So I am going to go with this one. I will click on Get Started.
If you do not have a domain yet, a domain name like yourname.com or whatever, you can sign up for one here. I have got a whole bunch of them that I am not even using, like my old PCresale.net that I used to have.
If you took any of my older Access classes or my ASP classes, I have my domain names registered at a different company called Hover. They used to be called bulkregister.com way, way back, and I signed up for like a 10 year membership. They are fine. I like them too. They are good.
You can have your domain name anywhere you want to and just point it to whoever is hosting your website.
If you want a new domain name, type it in here. They will walk you through setting up the domain name. It is pretty simple to do.
If you are going to be building Access databases and online stuff, you should be able to figure out how to set up a domain name. It is not hard to trust me.
But I am going to use an existing domain name that I have. Not that one. That is already set up. I am going to set up PCresale.net on the server.
Next.
Next they want your billing address, company info, all that stuff. Type all this stuff in. I am not going to let you see all of mine, but it is all pretty much straightforward stuff. I am going to fill all this out.
Again, nothing out of the ordinary here.
Some optional features down here in the bottom. Site backup, automated off site backups. They back up your website files and your databases daily.
I do not really recommend this. I have it on my site. I am going to turn it off because, again, this is just a sample teaching database site. So I am not going to pay the extra three bucks, but for three bucks, trust me, it is worth it. If you ever lose a file or something gets corrupted.
Same thing with the SiteLock basic. I have the ultimate package, so I get it for free. Again, two bucks a month for SiteLock, it is worth it. I am turning it off because, again, this is just a teaching database.
Now the default is the rate you get for 12 months. I am only going to sign up for three months at a time because I am not sure if I am going to keep it that long.
I might do a couple classes and then cancel it. So that is my fit. The fee goes up a little bit for the month. That is okay.
Now, web server. Make sure you get the latest one here. 2016 with IIS 10.
Everything I am showing you should work with the older one, but that is mostly for compatibility with people who have things that they want to make sure run under IIS 8.
Go with IIS 10. That is the new version.
I do not have any promo codes for you. I am going to look and see if I can get a promo code for you guys. I know. I get a tiny bit of a cut as a commission, but I will have to look into this. I will put it in the notes down below in the description if I can find a promo code for you guys. So check the notes down below. I will send an email to my rep over there.
So I am setting this up. 18.75. They are going to bill me for three months. That is fine. Submit my order.
Sign up is done.
Go check your email. Check your spam folder. If you do not get anything, follow them on Twitter. Do not follow them on Facebook because I hate Facebook. I will talk bad about Facebook every chance I get. So no.
If you want to join the affiliate program, if you have other people that you are going to be referring to them, then sign up. It does not cost you anything, and if someone else signs up, you get a couple bucks.
Let me go wait for that email to come in. I think I just saw it come in now in my inbox.
Here is the email they send you. A couple notes on it. First thing right here: Control Panel. That is the link. Copy this link. Copy your username. I deleted mine and copied this. It is the password that you provided when you placed the order. That is the password you just typed in a second ago in the signup form.
You are going to want to take like a notepad, computer notepad. You can write it down if you want to if you are old school.
You are going to have a bunch of different addresses and passwords and usernames to keep track of. You have got an FTP username and password. You are going to have a database username and password. So get ready and put it in your notepad.
I am not going to show you mine because I do not want you to see all my passwords. But just copy this stuff down.
If, like me, you are using an existing domain name, if you have your domain name already registered somewhere else, then you have to set up your name servers to be this.
A name server is basically a server on the internet that takes a name and converts it to an IP address. So if you type in pcresale.net, there is a big name server database out there that knows to send pcresale.net to whatever the IP address of my physical server box is. So that is what that is.
If you got a domain name from Winhost just now, then do not worry about that stuff. I am going to show you how to do this in just a second. But I have to go right now and set up my new name servers as soon as I get my IP address. I do not have my IP address yet. I will show you where that is in a second.
Continuing down this email, here is their support portal. I get my pencil back here. Yes, this is Microsoft Paint.
Their support is fantastic. They do not have a phone number, but they have email support and they get back to you really quick. It is one thing that actually impressed me.
I personally hate talking on the phone. Those of you who are longtime customers of mine know this. I cannot stand it. I was in sales for so many years. I hate talking on the phone. Plus, I spend all day talking when I am recording videos. So I do not want to talk anymore on the phone.
I do not really care for live online chat. If I have a problem, I want to fire off an email, have someone fix it, and then reply back to me and they are really good. I had one little hiccup when I was setting up my website because I got some custom weird stuff. They got back to me in like four minutes with an email. So I cannot say anything but good things about their support people.
There are some tutorials here. You probably will not need them because I am going to walk you through everything. But if you have questions about some crazy stuff that I do not cover, you can check there.
Here is their network status. In case your site goes down, you can check that. I have not had the site go down yet. I have been with them a couple of months now. I think I have had like one minute outage, which is nothing. With GoDaddy, it would go down for 15, 20 minutes every night at like 3 a.m. and my server would allow me to wake me up and I got mad. That is one of the reasons I left them.
Again, here is their affiliate program if you want to sign up for that.
You will get a second email from them with your FTP login information. You will need this to send any files up to your website. Again, you will have a username and password. Write that down. Copy and paste that into your notepad.
This is important, too. If you, like me, have a domain name that is somewhere else, it takes a little while for the server updates to propagate. So right now, for example, pcreseale.net is pointing to my 599CD website. It just forwards it over. So I have to log on and change that. It is going to take a while for the rest of the internet to get that change. It could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to even like 48 hours depending on where you are on the internet and the traffic and the propagation. I do not know the logistics of it. But it takes a while to weed its way through the web.
You can use a secondary FTP log on, which is basically an address on their server directly to your server. I will show you that in a few minutes too. Again, if you sign up with a domain name through them, you do not have to worry about that.
Now we are going to log into our control panel. Go to that first email and click on the link for your control panel. Mine is cp.winhost.com. Again, it might be different for you. Put in your account username and password, not the FTP username and password. This is your account username and password. Mine is a number. Type that in, hit log on.
This is the main page. You will get some announcements and some notes and some other stuff on here. I am going to go over here and click on sites.
You can see my pcreacell.net domain is here. I have not forwarded this domain name yet. So I am going to go do that right now real quick.
Here I am over on Hover. You might not have to do this. This is just for me. I set the name servers to what Winhost gave me, ns1.winhost.com and ns2. You might not need the ns3. That is in case the first one fails and it cannot find it. It goes and looks at the second one. That fails, it goes and looks at the third one. I almost always just stick with one and two.
Save those. I waited about five minutes and then I just checked it. I typed in pcreacell.net in my address bar and boom. This comes up. This is perfect. The site is being hosted at Winhost. So it is working already.
I remember back in the day, like back in the early 2000s. Let me think. Late 90s? Maybe late 90s. It used to take a couple of days for that to propagate. It is pretty good now. That information gets cached. Your browser will cache all the DNS lookups. So every time you look for a web page, it does not have to go and query the name server at Winhost to find out what IP address to go to. So your browser will cache it for a certain amount of time. Then your internet provider's server will cache it. Then the guy above them will cache it. So if you have not looked up that domain name in a while, then all of those steps look at it fresh.
I made sure this morning I did not look up pcreacell.net at all with my browser. So nobody up the chain had that cached. So I just changed it and went through it. There it is.
I have to do this step. Do not get confused. If you have got a Winhost domain name, then you are all set. But you should now see this if you try to go to your web page that you either transferred over or got from Winhost.
Back to the Winhost control panel. Let's just take a quick peek at some of the things that are in here.
Here are your domains. I do not have any domains registered through Winhost. I have one hosted at Winhost, but registered elsewhere. This is fine. It is all set now.
SSL cert. You want to get one of these.
Click over here on order new SSL certificate. Even if you are not doing any e-commerce on your website, if it is just your database you are hosting, you still want this.
It is 49 dollars a year for the cheapest one. That is fine for nine times out of 10. The reason why is because now you can use HTTPS for secured web traffic. All of your web traffic should be using HTTPS. That encrypts it. Your browser encrypts any requests. The other end decrypts it. Otherwise your information goes in real text over the internet. Any hacker between you and your server can read your traffic without any effort at all.
If you care about the integrity of your data, get yourself even just the basic one. It will be up and running in 24 hours. You can still develop and work on it without the HTTPS, but when you are ready to go live, you should have that.
We can just use HTTP for now, but that is not secured. While you are setting up your data, once you go live, make sure you have got your SSL intact. Just do this and the steps are pretty straightforward. If you have any problems whatsoever, contact Winhost Support. They will help you and walk you through setting up your secure certificate with your CSR and all that. It is not that hard to do.
Let's go back to the sites tab here. Let's go to click on the domain name right there, pcreacell.net.
Here is all the info on your site. Here is your secondary web URL, if your primary is not working. If pcreacell.net had not forwarded it over already, I could go here, pcreacell.w34.whatever, and that would still FTP. So if you are waiting for yours to propagate, you can go there.
Here is your FTP address, ftp.pcreacell.net. You could just FTP into pcreacell.net or whatever your domain name is, and that usually works too. You do not usually need to specify the FTP.
Here is your physical site address. Here is your SMTP server if you want to send mail through that. I will be doing a separate seminar on just setting up websites and email and all that stuff. That is not the focus of today's seminar. But if enough of you are interested in it, let me know and I will show you how to set it up.
The next thing to do is to set up our database. Come over here and find MS SQL Manager. Not MySQL. That is a different one. We are going to use SQL. This is SQL Seminar. Or SQL Server from Microsoft. MS SQL, click on that.
I got the really cheap basic package, so I can have one database with a max of 500 max, which is more than enough for training. You will see whatever you have got there. Usually I think my other one is unlimited and like five gigabytes, which is plenty of space. That is tons of space.
Now the word that only says one database, you really only need one database. Because a database can have pretty much an unlimited number of tables in it. You can have customers and orders and whatever else in the same database.
Let's add a database.
Database version. This is just a list of different versions of SQL Server. 2019 is fine unless you have got a specific reason to go to an older one.
Type in a database name. This is the name for your database. You will need this when you connect to it. I will call mine pcreseail1. It is db_underscore that number underscore pcreseail1. Because this has to be unique on the machine.
Quota on. It is how many megabytes you want to reserve for it. I can only have one database anyway, so I might as well give it all 500 max.
Now, note down here. It says the default SQL database pass will be set as a site password. We are going to change that. That is important because if you are going to be giving your database out, I am going to talk about security a little bit more, but if you are going to be giving your database out to other people, your Access front end, it is pretty hacker proof. It is like 99.9 percent hacker proof, but it is not 100 percent. If someone figures out your database password, you do not want them to also have that to get into your website and change things in the Control Panel too.
We will talk more about security as we get there. You want to have a unique password. Have a different password for your website versus your database itself.
Hit create.
Did I tell you that I love these guys for their support? I literally fired off an email earlier when I was talking about promo codes at the beginning of this video, which is probably like what, half an hour ago. I sent them an email. I said, hey, I told them who I am, I am making a tutorial blah, blah, blah, do you guys have any promo codes that I can share with my customers? I got back an answer literally within 10, 15 minutes. Current promo code can be found here at this page. I will copy this and put this link in the links down below.
Let me click on it and see where it goes. Here is the promo code, WH2021. I am sure they will change this in the future. Look, I could have saved a few bucks. Two bucks a month for basic. That is just cheap. It went from seven-something to five.
I should have asked first. I could have saved me a couple dollars for this sample. This promotion ends June 31, 2021. So I will update that link and I will put it in the link section. Check it and if they somehow change the link, let me know. I will contact them or you can contact them and say, hey, give me a promo code.
You cannot beat that. 12 bucks a month for that. Their service is really good too. Yes, I know I am being a salesman, but I really love these guys. I have been with like four different internet providers since I started my website, including GoDaddy, One and One, HostGator. I have been with a bunch of them, and these guys are by far the best as far as my site running well, staying up, and their support being helpful and getting back to me timely.
GoDaddy is the worst at that.
Enough sales.
The database is set up. It usually takes about a minute for this to get provisioned. It will use three megabytes up front for the setup and stuff. Do not worry about that.
Click on manage right here.
This is all the important information that you are going to need about your database. Here is the database server, the database name. The database user account, you will need that to log in. The password that we are going to change. Here is your connection string. This is important, too. This is the string you will use to connect from Access or from your website to the database.
The first thing I am going to do is change my password. Give it a new password and retype it. I like to type this into my notepad first, and then copy and paste it. I type mine in, and I hit update, update password, success.
Now, copy those things to your notepad: your database name, your database user, and the password that you just put in there.
Let's go back to manage.
I also want you to copy this connection string right here. Copy this whole thing, including the quotes. Copy that. You are going to put it on your notepad. Paste it in your notepad. Right here, where these stars are, these asterisks, replace that with whatever your password is that you put in. You want to create this whole connection string.
It has got data source equals, initial catalog is the name of the database, the username, your password. You do not really need the integrated security equals false, but leave it on there anyway.
Replace that with your password right now, and then save this in your notepad.
That is it. Our database is set up. We have to still actually set up tables and stuff in the database, but the database exists. It is online. We should now be able to connect to it, upload a table. We are going to set up SQL Management Server in the next lesson and see how we can get in there and do stuff like that.
So far, our domain setup, our website is set up, and our database is set up online. That is all the configuration that we have to do at this point.
I am going to the next lesson.
If you enjoyed this video, hit that thumbs up button right now and give me a like.
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If you are new to Microsoft Access, check out my Access Beginner Level 1 course. It is over four hours long, and it covers all the basics like tables, queries, forms, and reports. It is a great place to start, and it is also completely free.
Members of my channel get extended cut videos, sample databases, access to my code vault, and full training classes every month. Click the join button for details.
Thanks for watching. I am Richard Rost with accesslearningzone.com.
Live long and prosper my friends. I will see you next time.Quiz Q1. What is the main reason the instructor recommends moving a Microsoft Access database to an online SQL Server?
A. To allow remote access for users at multiple locations or while traveling
B. To improve the interface of Access forms
C. To save money on web hosting fees
D. To upgrade to a different operating system
Q2. What web hosting provider does the instructor personally recommend for setting up online SQL Server hosting?
A. GoDaddy
B. Winhost
C. HostGator
D. One and One
Q3. According to the instructor, what is a benefit of using Winhost?
A. They provide free hardware upgrades
B. They offer reliable service and excellent customer support
C. They require long-term contracts
D. They only support Linux hosting
Q4. When setting up a domain name for your hosting, what does the instructor say about using a domain bought elsewhere?
A. You cannot use it with Winhost
B. You must transfer ownership to Winhost
C. You can point your existing domain to Winhost using name servers
D. You must delete the old domain
Q5. Why does the instructor recommend getting an SSL certificate (HTTPS), even if not doing e-commerce?
A. It increases disk space for your database
B. It secures your site traffic by encrypting the data
C. It allows unlimited email accounts
D. It makes your site show up higher in search engine results
Q6. If you are waiting for the new domain name settings to propagate, what temporary option does Winhost provide?
A. Use a secondary web URL to access the site
B. Use a VPN connection
C. Access the site only from the web server's local network
D. Wait until the changes are worldwide
Q7. When setting up a database in Winhost, what should you do with the database password for security?
A. Use the same password as your site control panel
B. Use a unique password different from your site password
C. Leave it blank for easier access
D. Write it on a sticky note
Q8. What is the importance of the connection string provided in Winhost for your SQL Server database?
A. It is required to access your database from Access or other applications
B. It allows you to change your database name
C. It is needed only for FTP access
D. It stores your website's HTML files
Q9. If you registered your domain with Winhost, do you need to worry about setting up name servers manually?
A. Yes, you must still set them up manually
B. No, it is handled automatically
C. Only if you use more than one database
D. Only if you have an SSL certificate
Q10. What does the instructor suggest about using the site backup and SiteLock options for a teaching/demo website?
A. Always enable them
B. Turn them off to save money for demo sites
C. They are required for database access
D. They are free with every plan
Q11. What best describes the instructor's opinion of Winhost support?
A. They are slow and unresponsive
B. They only provide live phone support
C. They are quick to respond via email and very helpful
D. They require you to fix your own issues
Q12. What is needed in your notepad or password file when setting up your database?
A. Only your website's URL
B. Your database name, username, password, and connection string
C. The server's physical address only
D. Just your billing information
Q13. After creating your database online, what is the next technical step suggested in the video?
A. Create tables and objects in the SQL database
B. Purchase more bandwidth
C. Change the site design template
D. Reinstall Microsoft Access
Q14. What does the instructor recommend if you encounter any setup issues or have questions at Winhost?
A. Call their phone support hotline
B. Use their email support/helpdesk system
C. Post questions on Facebook
D. Wait for documentation in the mail
Q15. For connecting Access to SQL Server online, what is the minimal web hosting plan disk space usually adequate for, according to the instructor?
A. Large e-commerce sites with thousands of files
B. Simple databases for a company or individual without millions of records
C. High-traffic video streaming services
D. Standalone desktop applications only
Answers: 1-A; 2-B; 3-B; 4-C; 5-B; 6-A; 7-B; 8-A; 9-B; 10-B; 11-C; 12-B; 13-A; 14-B; 15-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 Today's video from Access Learning Zone covers how to put your Microsoft Access data online quickly, easily, and at a surprisingly low cost.
In the previous lesson, I discussed reasons why you might want to move your Access database to an online SQL Server. Whether you need remote access for employees, support for multiple offices, or remote access while traveling, online SQL Server hosting is a great option. If you missed that lesson, you can find a link in the description below.
In this lesson, I will walk you through setting up an online SQL Server account using my recommended provider, Winhost. There are plenty of hosting companies out there, but I personally prefer Winhost because they have always been reliable, easy to work with, and have excellent customer service. Plus, their prices are about as affordable as you can get. As of July 2026, you can bundle SQL Server hosting and web hosting for less than five dollars a month, making the cost almost a non-issue.
By the end of this lesson, you will have your own SQL Server hosting account set up and will be ready to connect your Microsoft Access database to it.
This is lesson two from my complete SQL Server online seminar. The full seminar covers everything you need, including server setup, migrating your Access data, connecting the front-end, performance optimization, database security, and even building simple web apps to let people access your data through a browser. If you want to see the entire process, check the link in the description.
Let's get started with setting up your Winhost account. We will look at registering a new domain name or transferring an existing one, how to use the Winhost Site Control Panel, creating your first online SQL Server database, and finding your connection string.
I recommend Winhost from personal experience. I used GoDaddy for years but eventually became dissatisfied and made the switch. The transition was smooth, setting up the website and the database was straightforward, and their customer support has been outstanding. I would not recommend them if I were not a satisfied customer myself.
I want to be upfront that I am an affiliate, so if you use my link, I get a small commission. Thank you if you choose to use it.
You can use Winhost just for hosting your database if you want, even if you already have web hosting elsewhere and plan to stick with it for your main website. The process is very flexible.
When you visit Winhost's site, you will see their hosting packages. Prices and packages may change over time, but what matters is that they offer a basic plan with three gigabytes of disk space, which is plenty for most Access databases unless you have a massive amount of data. Their unlimited plan offers unlimited disk space and bandwidth if you need it. As for the database itself, most setups will use far less than two gigabytes, so you should have plenty of room even with the basic plan.
For this lesson, I will set up a new basic account strictly for teaching purposes. Even the entry-level plan is sufficient for most training databases, so it will be ideal for what we need here.
During signup, you will have the option to register a new domain name or use an existing one. If you already own a domain, as I do, you can point it to Winhost. I've got several domains registered with Hover, another registrar, and honestly, any domain registrar is fine as long as you can manage DNS settings and point your domain to your host.
Setting up a new domain is straightforward. Just follow the steps provided by the host or your registrar.
Once you choose your domain option, you will need to enter your billing and company information. Nothing out of the ordinary here. There are also a couple of optional features, like site backups or SiteLock for added protection. I usually recommend these, especially for real, production websites, but since I'm setting up a sample database for class, I am leaving these off for now.
Winhost lets you choose different web server platforms. Pick the latest one available, typically Windows Server 2016 with IIS 10, unless you have older software that requires IIS 8.
Sometimes there will be promo codes available for a discount. I'll try to provide one in the notes below if I can get one from Winhost.
Once you submit your order, keep an eye on your email inbox (and spam folder) for confirmation and welcome messages from Winhost. The initial message will contain links to your Control Panel, your account username, and info to log in. It's a good idea to store all these details in a notepad or password manager, because you will accumulate several different credentials: account logins, FTP, database usernames, and passwords.
If you are using an existing domain name, you will need to update your domain's name servers to point to those specified by Winhost. Name servers translate domain names to IP addresses. If you just bought your domain through Winhost, you do not need to worry about this step. Changing name servers is simple, but propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes up to 48 hours, depending on how the internet caches fresh domain information.
You will also get a second email with FTP login info for uploading files to your website, which you should also store safely.
Now, when you are ready to access your hosting control panel, simply log in using your account username and password. Once inside, you will see information about your hosted domains, plus tools to manage your site.
If you are transferring your domain, remember to update the name servers at your registrar to the new settings from Winhost. After a short wait, the new website should come online using your domain.
In your control panel, you will find options to purchase an SSL certificate. Even if you are not handling e-commerce, I recommend getting an SSL certificate so your website and data connections are encrypted with HTTPS. It is a small yearly fee and definitely worth it for security. You can work on developing your database over regular HTTP at first, but be sure to secure your site with HTTPS before going live. If you need help setting that up, Winhost's support team is very responsive and will assist with setting up your secure certificate and related configurations.
Under the control panel's "Sites" section, you can access key details about your website and hosting, such as your secondary web URL, FTP address, physical site address, and mail server details. This will also be where you manage your databases.
To set up your database, find and open the MS SQL Manager (not MySQL, since we are working with SQL Server here). With the basic Winhost package, you are typically allowed one SQL Server database, which is almost always enough, since a single database can contain many tables. Go ahead and create a new database, choosing the latest SQL Server version unless you have a reason to choose an older one. Give the database a unique name.
You can set the storage quota for your database. Since the basic plan allows for a certain amount of space, allocate the full amount if you like.
Make sure to set a strong and unique password for your database user instead of reusing your website password. Security is important, even if Access databases are relatively secure when distributed as just the front end.
Once the database is created, you can manage it to find all the important details: database server name, database name, user account, and your connection string for Access or web applications. Change your password if needed, confirm the information, and record everything in your notepad.
The connection string is essential to connect your Access front-end or website to the online database. Copy it, replace the placeholder for your password with the actual password, and save the final connection string along with your database details.
At this point, your domain, web hosting, and SQL Server database are all configured. The next steps will involve setting up tables, moving data, and connecting Microsoft Access, which I cover in detail in the following lesson.
If you found this video helpful, please give it a like and subscribe to my channel to get notifications about new videos. For those who are new to Microsoft Access, check out my Access Beginner Level 1 course, which is more than four hours long and covers all the basics like tables, queries, forms, and reports, and is also available for free.
Channel members get access to extended cut videos, sample files, my code vault, and full training classes each month, so consider joining if you want more in-depth learning.
You can find a complete video tutorial with step-by-step instructions on everything discussed here on my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends.Topic List Setting up an online SQL Server for Access databases
Choosing a hosting provider for SQL Server
Overview of Winhost hosting plans and features
Registering or transferring a domain name
Navigating the Winhost Site Control Panel
Creating a new SQL Server database on Winhost
Understanding name servers and DNS propagation
Managing FTP login information for your account
Obtaining and using a connection string
Changing the SQL Server database password
Saving and organizing account and database credentials
SSL certificates for secure web traffic
Basic security considerations for database access
Connecting Microsoft Access to an online SQL Server
Accessing and managing your site in the Winhost control panelArticle Putting your Microsoft Access data online is a straightforward process that is both affordable and efficient. If you need to provide your database to remote employees, manage data across multiple office locations, or simply want to access your information while traveling, moving your Access back-end to an online SQL Server is the way to go.
To begin, you need a hosting provider that supports SQL Server databases. While there are many options available, I personally recommend Winhost because they are reliable, user-friendly, and have excellent customer service. Their services are also very reasonably priced, often costing just a few dollars a month, making the transition accessible for most businesses and individuals.
The first step is to sign up for a hosting account. Visit the Winhost website and look at their current offerings. The affordability and what you get for the price make it ideal for most Access projects, unless your database is extremely large or has unusually high demand. The basic packages provide more than enough disk space and bandwidth for the average Access database and website. If you have a high volume of data or expect heavy traffic, consider one of the larger packages.
During signup, you will be prompted to set up a domain name. If you already have an existing domain registered elsewhere, you can use that and simply point it to your new host later. If you prefer, you can register a new domain name directly during the signup process. Enter your company information, billing address, and follow the prompts to customize any optional features such as automated backups or additional security services. While features like daily backups and security add-ons do cost a bit extra, they can be worthwhile for peace of mind, especially for live business data. For demonstration or learning purposes, you can skip them.
Once you complete your order, check your email for your account details. You will receive information for logging into your hosting control panel, as well as separate usernames and passwords for the website, FTP, and eventually for your database. It is a good idea to organize all of your credentials and key addresses in a secure notepad or password manager.
If you are using your own domain registered somewhere else, you will need to update your domain's name servers to point at your new hosting provider. This step tells the internet where to direct traffic for your domain. After updating the name servers, it might take anywhere from a few minutes to a day or two for the changes to fully propagate across the internet. In the meantime, your host often provides a direct address you can use to access your website or upload files right away, even before the new settings are visible everywhere.
Inside the hosting control panel, take a look at the features available. You will see domains you have registered, files options, and specific settings for setting up databases. If security is important to you or if your users will be entering sensitive information, consider purchasing an SSL certificate through your host so that connections to your site and database are encrypted. This is a small yearly fee but well worth it for ensuring your web traffic is secure.
To create your online database, navigate to the SQL Server management section within your control panel. Here, you can add a new SQL Server database by entering a name for the database. Set the quota or size limit if necessary (within the package limit). Your host will automatically create the database and provide you with its name, a login username, and a temporary password. Right away, you should change the database password to something unique and secure. Make sure you use a different password for your site control panel and for the database for security reasons.
Copy down your database name, username, and new password. You will also see a connection string provided by the host. This connection string is what your front-end Access file (or any other tool that connects to the database) will use to link to the online SQL Server. The connection string typically includes the server address, the name of your database, your username, and your password. Replace any placeholders or asterisks in the string with your actual password. Save this full connection string in your notes.
At this point, your domain is active, your website is set up, and your SQL Server database exists online. You are now ready to connect Microsoft Access to your new online database. The next steps involve migrating your Access tables to SQL Server and linking your Access front-end to the SQL Server back-end using the connection information you saved. You can manage your SQL Server database using tools like SQL Server Management Studio or similar software, where you can create, import, and manage tables and data.
Putting your Access database in the cloud opens up many possibilities for remote work, collaboration, and scalability without breaking the bank. Make sure you keep all your credentials secure, and take advantage of support resources from your host whenever you need help. Once you are set up, your data will be online and available wherever you need it. |
