# I want to have Web Access to a pre-existing MS Access File **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 13, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-have-web-access-to-a-pre-existing-ms-access-file/481144 "2009-01-13T20:37:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-have-web-access-to-a-pre-existing-ms-access-file/481144/1 "2009-01-13T20:37:05Z")
Is there any simple service I could buy so that I could just slap a 10 MB MS Access file I’ve written up on the web and read/write to the thing from a Web UI? It’ll be single-user, so locking isn’t an issue. The forms on the DB aren’t terribly complex, but if I had to just edit the tables directly through the web UI, that would work too. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-have-web-access-to-a-pre-existing-ms-access-file/481144/2 "2009-01-13T20:56:38Z")
An Access DB on the web is comparing fish and bicycles. You are better off with a web site running MYSQL. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-have-web-access-to-a-pre-existing-ms-access-file/481144/3 "2009-01-13T21:04:05Z")
The most flexible way would be to create a simple [ASP.NET](http://ASP.NET) app with a few data-bound GridView or FormView objects. If you download [Visual Web Developer Express](http://www.microsoft.com/express/vwd/) (which is free), you can create such a website without even resorting to [VB.NET](http://VB.NET) or C# coding (it can all be done through [ASP.NET](http://ASP.NET) controls). The major downside, of course, is that you need to be able to run an [ASP.NET](http://ASP.NET) website. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-have-web-access-to-a-pre-existing-ms-access-file/481144/4 "2009-01-13T21:07:11Z")
While this probably exists, I don’t have much experience with access (on the web or otherwise) If you can convert your database to MySQL or Postgres or just plain CSV/SQL (shouldn’t be difficult), you can choose from a myriad of relatively cheap\* hosting services that have databases and web-based access using phpmyadmin or similar programs as part of the contract - or will allow you to install the web gui yourself. - one of my current hosting contracts is about 200 euros a year for 5 sites with 20 mysql databases including phpmyadmin, PHP, mod\_perl and all the basics. You can probably get cheaper if you need less and/or search a little. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-have-web-access-to-a-pre-existing-ms-access-file/481144/5 "2009-01-13T21:50:05Z")
Duckster: I know that, but I’m trying to get this done without expending the labor to get it moved to MYSQL. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-have-web-access-to-a-pre-existing-ms-access-file/481144/6 "2009-01-13T21:53:23Z")
Our old website accessed a MS access file. Bascially you have a dsn which connects to the file, and in your asp code you make a connection via the dsn and write to/read from the file. If you set up the dsn right then your website code (php or asp) will access it in almost exactly the same way it would access a ‘proper’ ms sql database. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-have-web-access-to-a-pre-existing-ms-access-file/481144/7 "2009-01-13T21:58:01Z")
Any web hosting that allows DSN connections should work with Access. We’ve had a number of sites connected to Access dbs, using asp, [asp.net](http://asp.net), and other web server software. Locking is the biggest problem, but you won’t have that. Now, I don’t say it will work _well_, but it should work. Assuming it’s a fairly simple db, you should be OK. On reread of the OP - I’ve never tried to connect to forms via the web, just tables; can’t help you with that. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-have-web-access-to-a-pre-existing-ms-access-file/481144/8 "2009-01-13T22:20:23Z")
Actually, just tables will work. We’re looking at a theoretical maximum of 100 transactions per day, so… not exactly running General Electric’s accounting backend on an MVS-ish rig… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-have-web-access-to-a-pre-existing-ms-access-file/481144/9 "2009-01-13T22:21:22Z")
If you want a really simple, out-of-the-box solution, I’ve heard good reports about something called WhizBase. [http://www.whizbase.com](http://www.whizbase.com) Haven’t tried it myself, but on paper, it looks like it’s quite functional and easy. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-have-web-access-to-a-pre-existing-ms-access-file/481144/10 "2009-01-13T22:25:16Z")
Ooooh. Interesting. Now searching for a hosting provider that offers this. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-have-web-access-to-a-pre-existing-ms-access-file/481144/11 "2009-01-13T23:35:34Z")
You could sign up for an Amazon S3 storage account (which is really cheap for small amounts of stuff: $0.15/GB/mo – I only store 20ish megabytes there and my monthly bill has always been 1 cent), then use a product like [JungleDisk](http://www.jungledisk.com/) to mount an S3 “bucket” as a folder on your windows machine. ETA: Oops, I didn’t notice you wanted to use it via a web UI. Never mind. This only works if you still want to run MS Access locally, but store the db on the web somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-have-web-access-to-a-pre-existing-ms-access-file/481144/12 "2009-01-14T00:55:41Z")
Actually, that option isn’t half bad, and I might use it. Not my first choice, but… it might actually be the best idea. I’d considered signing up with something like “I Drive” and just using that. I have a working Mozy account, but honestly they uh… yeah, I HAVE to use the client, not http, to get at my files, which is annoying.