Hmmmmmmmmm,
I do not think the number of users, securtity, or database size would disqualify MS A. as a reasonable choice. Some options do need to be considered, as all of the above can affect the aplication.
A large considerstion, and -at least for me- the single most important would be the selection of the database engine to invoke. Jet (the 'native' MS. A. engine) can easily become a bottleneck in the application, so if there is ANY potential for large recordsets or lots of users, this should be avoided. On the other hand, Ms. A. (ver 2K+) always includes the option of using the 'MSDE' engine - which is just an SQL server w/o some of the administrative tools, so development (and use) should not be limited in this manner. The use of an actual (full?) SQL Server at any point along this path is a simple stem, and requires NO changes to the application, although the availability of T-SQL and other tools may generate some interest in tuning the database a bit more.
With respect to Security, the Ms. A. Built in security is pretty good. It is possible to purchase tools which will 'crack' the .MDW username and password - but this does not limit the use of other security schemes, most of which are also subject to their own potential hacks, so again, for me this is not a limitation, just another choice.
Once the db engine and secutity selections have been made, the number of users and size of the database are more or less dictated by these choices - not the 'application development environment' - except in the sense that all application development is primarily set by the skill and patience of the development team.
MichaelRed
m.red@att.net
Searching for employment in all the wrong places