Everyone has limits, and a Microsoft Access database is no exception. For instance, a Microsoft Access database comes with a size limit of 2 GM and cannot support more than 255 concurrent users. Hence, in order to take an Access database to the next level, you have to migrate to SQL Server. SQL Server supports a huge amount of data, more concurrent users, and has effective capability than the JET/ACE database engine.
This post will give you a smooth start to your SQL Server journey and assist you in preserving Access Front-end solutions you created, and encourage you to use Access for future database solutions.
If you want to migrate, simply follow the below steps:
Also Read: Guide On How to Get Data from Log File in SQL Server
Run SSMA
Microsoft offers Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) in order to make migration easier. SSMA can be used to migrate tables and choose queries with no parameters.
- To migrate a database using SSMA, download and install the software by clicking twice downloaded MSI file.
- After downloading and installing SSMA, open it on your desktop from the computer with the Access database file.
- If you want to migraet SQL Server 2016 or later, add aarowversion by choosing Review Tools > Project Settings > General.
- To set data types, choose Review Tools > Project Settings > Type Mapping.
Convert Objects
SSMA can be converted to SQL Server objects, but it does not copy the objects. SSMA provides several objects to migrate, including
- Tables and columns
- Choose Queries without parameters
- Primary ad Foreign Keys
- Indexes and Default values
- Figure out constraints
Link tables
It is suggested to install the latest version of the SQL Server OLE DB and ODBC drivers than using the native SQL Server drivers that ship with Windows. New drivers run faster and support new features in Azure SQL that is missing in previous versions. Install the drivers on all computers where the converted database is used.
After this, you can link to the tables in SQL Server that now hosts your data. Linking from Access provides you with a simpler way to view your data instead of using the more complex SQL Server management tools. You can also query and edit linked data on the basis of permissions set up by your SQL Server database administrator.
Test and Revise
You might encounter some issues during migration. For instance, Only Select Queries are converted. Other queries are not like Select Queries that take parameters. Some of them may not convert, and SSMA reports query errors during the process. You can edit objects that do not convert using T-SQL syntax. Such errors may require converting Access-specific functions and data types to SQL Server ones.
Optimize performance
The best way to optimize performance with the new SQL Server is to decide when to use local or remote queries. When it comes to migrating your data to SQL Server, you can move from a file server to a client-server database model of computing. Here are some general guidelines:
- Run small and read-only queries on the client for fastest access.
- Run long and read/write on the server to get the benefit of the greater processing power.
- Reduce network traffic with filters and aggregation to transfer only the data you need.
Consider all these points to migrate Microsoft Access to SQL Server. The one and the only source is available to assist you by providing migration services to help you develop, modernize, and migrate custom Microsoft Access database applications from inception and into maturity.
