Access database in client computer

[elibb]

hi, im buidling an application using Servlets and JSP, and i need my application to be able to access a MS Access database that is on my client computer, so when the clients logs in the url, it finds an ODBC driver, and gets some data from the access database.
does anybody know how to do it?

thank you very much

Eli

 

[vbkris]

that cant be done. JSP will run only on server side. if its ASP then there is a way. the only way is to use connection strings. is that possible in JSP?(i dont think so)

Known is handfull, Unknown is worldfull

 

[elibb]

i found a way to do it using RMI, but im not tottaly convinced with it.. so any other sugestions are accepted

Eli

 

[palbano]

Eli, while there may indeed be a round peg you can hammer into that square hole, that architecture is just plain wrong. Who came up with it? Can you discuss alternatives with them? Can you leave the project if they insist?

-pete

 

[elibb]

i didnt see it so insane.. ill give you the global picture:

there is a general office, and it has smaller offices, that sells products, the general office is the responsable for keeping the right inventory and all in the smaller ones.
now, each small office, keeps a stand alone application, with its own database (in access), this application was made especially for them and thats what they use when a client comes and buys a product and everything.
ok... all the reports and all the information the main office needs is obtained from reports of this small application and sent by email, or by fax or by any way they want.

Ok, now, what im building is a main Database on the main office to concentrate all the information, so they dont have to send the reports all the time. I want to do a web app, that runs on a server at the main office with a MySQL Database, i want this application to be able to obtain the data from all the access standalone databases and put it in the MySQL database, so it can be accessed by anyone who wants it, and the main office can have a better control over the smaller ones.

the small offices dont have a very goof internet connection (they use a modem) and there is no way they will get a direct connection (like E1 or something like that)

my problem would be fixed very easlyly if i could get a remote access to the ODBC on my clients computer, if i could just specify something like this:

jdbcdbc:200.10.10.1/myODBCName

200.10.10.1 would be the ip of the client that logged in the servlet

i know its not the better way to so the things, but i cannt modofy the app they already have, and i cann tinstall a database server in each small office because i cannt go to each store, they are all over the country.

i hope you understand me.. and any ideas are accepted..

Eli

 

[vbkris]

this is a very dangerous method. by keeping the DB in the client's offcie u r providing them with a chance to change the database without the main office's knowledge. the best way is to maintain all the databases in the server. the connection can be to the server's DB. that way they cant touch the DB...

Known is handfull, Unknown is worldfull

 

[palbano]

So basically you have a one way data synchronization problem. This is a push model not a pull model using a web browser. As I stated before that just does not make sense.

There is absolutely no reason to involve a web browser in this solution for any reason other than the offices downloading your client side synchronization application. Now there are any number of designs for that client side application to make it a service (daemon) on the client or perhaps you require a manual execution by a user. You need requirements to decide those issues.

Anyway once the client side application is running it uses an internet connection to connect to your server side application, this could be a web server application (even Web Service) if you want to use HTTP, then it sends the data to the server where the code on the server applies changes to the server database. You could even opt to send the entire database file, however given your description of the poor connection issue that does not seem like an appropriate design.

None of the above addresses the issue of determining what specific changes have been made to the database ( updates, inserts, deletes ). This is the real difficult part of this project not the previously discussed issues. This is a complex subject if the project is new and you are designing the database. For an existing database the complexity could be increased by a factor of 10 or more.


-pete