Canadian Webhosting Forums

[bowlesj]

Hi,

I am an MS-access programmer with about 17 years of experience programming it. I do not know much about web hosting or publishing an MS-access database to the web. I was wondering what hosting service (if any) could be used for this idea at a fairly low cost per month (no more than $15 to $20 per month).

I would be setting up a club to use this (maybe 200 to 1000 members eventually but in time it might expand to branches in other cities). To give you a picture of what is going on, club members are musicians. Events are held (jam sessions). Members have a master record with their name, instrument, country code and city code and that is almost all (no personal critical info). They update a list of the songs they know with drop down boxes. There is a master songs file which they may need to add songs to before they update their personal song list. There is an event locations file with slots for each event and they all can schedule themselves in to a slot (a slot is a place they stand on the stage).

Club members (maybe 200 a day) would need to be able to export the web host database (table by table ) into a set of text files in csv or tab separated format within one directory on a members machine. Users could execute this export function with a single button click or shortcut key (it must be easy for them). I was hoping I could program this button by myself much like I could put a button out on an MS-Access form and manipulate it etc with VBA code.

Once the tables were on their machine in text files, users would use a stand alone MS-Access executable which I supplied to them to process the tables with multi pass loops which would provide them with various different reports (forms). The info helps them decide if they should bother attending an event (basically the software is searching for other members who have learned the same songs to a level that they can play the song together). One member is the administrator (myself). I would do the same export of files to be used by MS-Access but this time MS-Access needs to do this processing without any web online access (fully stand alone). This is because I need the data at the event and the event may not have online-access (often won't have it). This is the reason the data needs to be exported. The other reason is I know MS-Access very well and I can easily write this code to do these multi-pass loops, totalling, etc.

I would give users of the host database user ids and passwords restricting them to updating only their songs file (not able to get to another members songs file record), the master song file and the events file with the slots. (other tables I would update).

Once a week I would clear the events file using MS-Access and upload it to the host web site database so the members can start scheduling themselves for coming events the next month.

It would be nice if I could write code to restrict the members of the club from updating certain fields under certain conditions in the events file (in other words block them fron removing another member and putting themselves in their slot at that event).

That is about it. It is pretty simple to do in MS-Access. Is this possible with any web hosting software at a reasonable cost.

Thanks,
John

[Kings]

Hi John,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Our Shared Windows Web Hosting plans support (http://canadianwebhosting.com/hosting/c ... osting.asp) do support MS-Access for database options. The pricing should fit your budget and ranges from $8.95/month to $25.95/month.

As you mentioned, you would have to come up with some code to have everything displayed the way you want it to. Hosting wise however, it shouldn't be a problem for us.

Let us know if you have any further questions.

Thanks,
Kings
Canadian Web Hosting