Software selection help Visual & Database

[FlyingBuckner]

All right be kind, this is my first question on a forum. I need help on selecting the right software to purchase.

I have a database set up using Access, 6 users. It is split into Tables and Applications, no more then 65MB of data in the tables right now.

I have 2 college courses in Visual Basic 6 and have written VBA code in Access and AutoCad. I work for a steel fabricator and the database is written to track material usage, purchase orders, time, and the like. We are using a simple peer to peer workgroup setup; I do not want to go to a server system.

I want a database structure for storage of data only and I want write Visual Basic applications to access this data for entry, processing, and reporting. Using Access 2002 I do not have the control over user inputs that I want. Plus once the application is written, I do not want other user to make changes to it.

I am looking at Visual Studio 2005 Standard edition, using Visual Basic.

What Database Structure would be the best to use, not running on a server system? I would like ho have up to 12 users running different applications on the same data.

Do I even need to purchase a database or will Basic have everything I need?

SQL server 2005 Standard edition allows up to 4 computers at one time; by connecting, retrieving data or writing data then disconnecting, this should be no problem for 12 users.

Pleas help me get started on the right track.

[iburyak]

SQL Server 2005 is a very powerful tool which can handle thousands of users at a time and process millions of records in seconds.
Not sure about operating system requirements thou. I thought it should be Server.
It is a good piece of technology to put your hands on but needs a lot to learn to work with it, so keep it in mind.
Access is user friendly, easy to use not as powerful as SQL but can handle multiple users and has VBA which is built in front end application development tool.
I am not sure if Visual Studio 2005 Standard edition has database connection functionality which is most important. You have to check this out. I know that it doesn’t have Crystal Reports.
See comparison link on what SQL Standard edition versus Enterprise.
http://www.microsoft.c om/sql/prodinfo/features/compare-features.mspx
If you are looking for good enough cheap, easy to use technology Access is a way to go.
Several users are not an issue for any database otherwise why it would be created in a first place.
You don’t have to listen to me at all… :)