Pocket Access - is it available

[Peter Jones]

Hi
I'm researching options for new mobile app that has to sync with a laptop based Access app. I've come across references to Pocket Access but I'm unclear about

1) Is it a currently available product
2) Can it be distributed royalty free (like Jet)
3) From what I see it runs under Pocket PC but can it be loaded onto other platforms, eg CE.Net
4) The main transaction file in the app will have up to 6,000 records and the mdb will be around 10Mb. I need to retrieve individual transaction records in no more the 1.5 seconds via their primary key. Will Pocket Access do this
5) I had planned that the app would would written in VB. Net - does this present any issues when using Pocket Access

Thanks for any comments.
Cheers, Peter

 

[Ed Kaim [MSFT]]

You may be better off going with SQL Server CE. Info is at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/ce.

1) It's in V2
2) Yes, free redist
3) Runs on many other CE devices, but not Smartphone
4) SQLCE will be a better database than Access for this stuff
5) The .NET Compact Framework has ADO.NET objects built-in for SQLCE

Hi,
I'm researching options for new mobile app that has to sync with a laptop

based Access app. I've come across references to Pocket Access but I'm
unclear about:

1) Is it a currently available product?
2) Can it be distributed royalty free (like Jet)?
3) From what I see it runs under Pocket PC but can it be loaded onto other platforms, eg CE.Net?
4) The main transaction file in the app will have up to 6,000 records and

the mdb will be around 10Mb. I need to retrieve individual transaction
records in no more the 1.5 seconds via their primary key. Will Pocket Access
do this?

5) I had planned that the app would would written in VB. Net - does this

present any issues when using Pocket Access.

 

[Peter Jones]

Hi Ed
Thanks for the prompt response and I hear your message re SQL CE. I currently work with VB6 and SQL Server so I don't suppose an SQL CE environment will present much of a learning curve for me. A couple more questions if I may..
Pocket Access seemed (and still does) appealing because my 'host system' is an Access app and I need to replicate to/from the mobile device to the Access app. In fact the code is already in place to create a partial replica (on the laptop) and then simply copy the mdb across to the mobile device. The user would then add/change data to the database and then copy it back to the laptop where it would be merged back into the database that provided the partial replica in the first place. No big deal to scrap this code and start again though
1) I need my SQL database to have the same structure as my Access database (about 70 tables). Is there a utility around that can do this
2) Is replication to/from Access 2000 to SQL CE possible? If so do you know where I can find more information about actually doing it

Cheers, Pete

 

[Ed Kaim [MSFT]]

1) The easiest way isprobably to migrate the desktop Access databases to SQL
Server, and then use merge replication to push the server database down to
SQL CE on the device.

2) I don't know if you can replicate directly from Access to SQL CE, but it
should be possible to use SQL Server as a bridge.

Hi Ed,
Thanks for the prompt response and I hear your message re SQL CE. I

currently work with VB6 and SQL Server so I don't suppose an SQL CE
environment will present much of a learning curve for me. A couple more
questions if I may...

Pocket Access seemed (and still does) appealing because my 'host system'

is an Access app and I need to replicate to/from the mobile device to the
Access app. In fact the code is already in place to create a partial replica
(on the laptop) and then simply copy the mdb across to the mobile device.
The user would then add/change data to the database and then copy it back to
the laptop where it would be merged back into the database that provided the
partial replica in the first place. No big deal to scrap this code and start
again though.

1) I need my SQL database to have the same structure as my Access database

(about 70 tables). Is there a utility around that can do this?

2) Is replication to/from Access 2000 to SQL CE possible? If so do you

know where I can find more information about actually doing it?

 

[Peter Jones]

Hi Ed,
Migrating the app to SQL Server looks like a bigger job than this project can support (at the moment anyway). So I want to pursue Pocket Access a bit further. I should have asked this before but I didn't understand your response re where I can get Pocket Access - what is V2?

Cheers, Peter

 

[Ed Kaim [MSFT]]

You should be able to find info on what you're looking to do at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnroad/html/road10222003.asp.

Hi Ed,
Migrating the app to SQL Server looks like a bigger job than this project

can support (at the moment anyway). So I want to pursue Pocket Access a bit
further. I should have asked this before but I didn't understand your
response re where I can get Pocket Access - what is V2?

 

[Peter Jones]

Hi Ed

Thanks for the link - I had already seen that and plan (I think) on using Larry's wrapper but I still don't know where I can get a copy of Pocket Access. Your first e-mail said is was "It's in V2" - but I've no idea what this refers to

Again, thanks for your great support

Cheers, Peter

 

[Ed Kaim [MSFT]]

Here is some info that might help (via Jonathan Wells):

You need to install and register ADOCE on Windows Mobile 2003 devices:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...47-281c-4d6e-a727-67271075fadb&DisplayLang=en

You will need to convert existing databases with the "Database Conversion
Wizard for Pocket PC 2003" on your databases. It is available here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/resources/downloads/pocketpc/powertoys.mspx


More info is available on google groups:
http://groups.oogle.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=ADOCE+2003&btnG=Google+Search

Hi Ed,

Thanks for the link - I had already seen that and plan (I think) on using

Larry's wrapper but I still don't know where I can get a copy of Pocket
Access. Your first e-mail said is was "It's in V2" - but I've no idea what
this refers to.

 

[Peter Jones]

Hi Ed

I've downloaded ADOCE but when I tried to install it failed because Platform Builder 3.0 is not installed (my .Net environment is standard MSDN Enterprice Subscription). So I found the download for PB 3.0 but its 1.4Gb big - my Internet connection runs at around 30K so its not a practical proposition to download

Is PD 3.0 a hard requirement for what I need to do? I've bought the InHand wrapper code and now have a reference called InTheHand.ADOCENET - this the same as ADOCE

Cheers, Peter