IDS Forum

Re: Using MS-Access with Informix

Posted By: Art Kagel
Date: Wednesday, 3 March 2010, at 2:54 p.m.

In Response To: Using MS-Access with Informix (ROBERT INGLES)

Yes, you can use Access - or any ODBC client - as a front-end to an Informix
database.

The differences between MS SQL-Server and IBM's Informix Dynamic Server
(IDS) from a technological perspective are many, but you need to know from a
user/client perspective. The answer there is "not much".

IDS understands most of SQL-92 and most SQL written for SQL Server will run
without change. There are some paradigms that are SQL Server specific or
were inherited by SQL Server from its parent database server Sybase. Many
of these are not supported. An example would be selecting detail rows and
aggregate rows in the same query. Under the rules of SQL, to which IDS
adheres, this is not permitted and so not supported in IDS.

If you are writing serious OLTP applications, there are semantics of the way
IDS handles record locking that you need to be aware of in order to avoid
concurrency issues. These are easily handled by writing correctly
structured applications that, for example, use optimistic locking protocols
and/or take advantage or IDS's isolation level known as COMMITTED READ ...
LAST COMMITTED.

Art

Art S. Kagel
Advanced DataTools (www.advancedatatools.com)
IIUG Board of Directors (art@iiug.org)

See you at the 2010 IIUG Informix Conference
April 25-28, 2010
Overland Park (Kansas City), KS
www.iiug.org/conf

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that my own opinions are my own opinions and
do not reflect on my employer, Advanced DataTools, the IIUG, nor any other
organization with which I am associated either explicitly, implicitly, or by
inference. Neither do those opinions reflect those of other individuals
affiliated with any entity with which I am affiliated nor those of the
entities themselves.

On Wed, Mar 3, 2010 at 1:20 PM, ROBERT INGLES <robert_ingles@telusplanet.net
> wrote:

> Hello all;
>
> I am totally new to Informix - it is being used by a potential employer. My
> question is, is there any reason that I can not utilize MS-Access in
> creating
> gui's and simple/complex data analysis queries with Informix. I am
> extremely
> comfortable working with Access and sadly ignorant of SQL query
> programming.
>
> Also, can someone explain to me in simple language what the
> difference/advantages are between Informix and SQL Server.
>
> Sorry if these questions are dumb to y'all however my responsibilities with
> this new position would be to know how to create quueries, design reports
> and
> do sales data analysis ie. user vs. developer.
>
> Thanks
> Robert
>
>
>
> *******************************************************************************
> Forum Note: Use "Reply" to post a response in the discussion forum.
>
>

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Messages In This Thread

• Using MS-Access with Informix
  ROBERT INGLES -- Wednesday, 3 March 2010, at 1:20 p.m.
  • Re: Using MS-Access with Informix
    ROBERT INGLES -- Wednesday, 3 March 2010, at 1:25 p.m.
    • Re: Using MS-Access with Informix
      debadatta mishra -- Wednesday, 3 March 2010, at 1:39 p.m.
    • Re: Using MS-Access with Informix
      RALPH GENTRY -- Wednesday, 3 March 2010, at 1:40 p.m.
    • RE: Using MS-Access with Informix
      Joerg Volz -- Wednesday, 3 March 2010, at 2:43 p.m.
    • Re: Using MS-Access with Informix
      Art Kagel -- Wednesday, 3 March 2010, at 2:56 p.m.
  • Re: Using MS-Access with Informix
    Fernando Nunes -- Wednesday, 3 March 2010, at 1:38 p.m.
    • Re: Using MS-Access with Informix
      Chris Salch -- Wednesday, 3 March 2010, at 2:49 p.m.
  • Re: Using MS-Access with Informix
    Art Kagel -- Wednesday, 3 March 2010, at 2:54 p.m.
  • Re: Using MS-Access with Informix
    ROBERT INGLES -- Wednesday, 3 March 2010, at 3:26 p.m.

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