Tuesday, June 3, 2008 1:02 PM
Hey, don’t get mad at me. Don’t go off on how dare I put this blog post out there, because if you’re an Access developer you should know its YOUR people saying this. Let me back up a bit.
I’m here at the blog lounge, and its right outside the Tech Ed Online stage where there’s a conversation on ‘Upgrading From Access to SQL Server’. The things I’m hearing are a bit disturbing. Here’s what I’m hearing in a nutshell:
“Not all applications require SQL Server and a .NET front end, and Access is perfectly fine (I can agree with this for SMALL applications) and SQL Server is ‘INFINITLY’ more complex than Access and really isn’t as good as you may think.”
“Infinitely more complex”. That’s a quote from the moderator, who works for Microsoft. Look, the reality is that Access development has a place in the marketplace. But to try and put SQL Server into a different rank, saying that its “infinitely” more complex…I don’t agree with that, unless Access application developers are truly incompetent. Why do I say that?
Because I’ve worked with some very passionate Access developers who CAN actually work with other technologies such as:
ASP.NET
Winforms
*gasp* SQL Server *gasp*
and many, many others...and not just work with them, but really grok them and be able to use them productively.
To make comments to the effect that T-SQL is somehow a totally foreign language that will take a steep learning curve is nonsense.
Unfortunately, there are some in attendance that aren’t helping to squash this stereotype. From the audience:
“We like Access because the developers can be part if the process along the way.”
I wanted to scream at this guy “Hey buddy, guess what? You can do that with a Winform app as well…or a web app…in fact, its not really technology platform specific or a tool feature, its part of a PROCESS!”.
I have no problem having spirited discussion based on facts, but bashing a product for the sake of prolonging another's survival is not conducive to the larger developer community. I also found it interesting that the conversation was Access vs. SQL Server, and there was NO mention of SQL Server Compact Edition, which is a much closer competitor to Access than a full version of SQL Server is.
Ok...rant done...I gotta get ready for my shift.
D