How do I convince someone they need to upsize from ms access to sql server or similar

Question

I am having a real problem at work with a highly ingrained developer obsessed with ms access. Users moan about random crashes, locking errors, freeze's, the application slowing down (especially in 2007) but seem to be very resistant to moving it. Most of the time they blame the computer and can't be convinced it's the fact its a mdb sat on a network drive and nothing to do with the hardware sat in front of them which is brand new.

There is a front end vb program hanging off it but I don't think it would take more than a couple of weeks to adjust, infact I would probably re-write it as it has year on year messy code from a previous developer.

What are my best arguments to convince them we need to move it?

Does anyone else have similar problems with developers stuck in their ways?

Answer 1

how about the random, crashes, locking errors, freeze's, slow downs (sic).

A quick search on the web finds some useful materials:

• Best Practices When Using Microsoft Office Access 2003 in a Multi-user Environment - if the changes here can't be implemented, or would effectively take a rewrite, then that is good ammunition for doing it right.
• SQL Server vs MS Access - pay special attention to feature limits. Eg You can only have 32,000 objects in an access DB. Caveat: though it says 255 concurrent users, and that is probably a technical limitation, the practical limitation is really MUCH lower.

It's hard to convince people that are not willing to learn and are not open to new ideas. You can go on about speed issues, concurrency issues, security problems.. but ultimately, some people will just never listen. Go over their heads. Rewrite it in tools from this decade and show them up. Refuse to be involved with the project and further. I don't know what the political situation is, but technically, MS access is wrong for what you are doing, from what you've described.