After you have migrated your Microsoft Access database to SQL Server, your data retrieval and data processing needs will visibly benefit from SQL Server's client/server architecture. Your SQL Server database will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Parallel processing will be easy, and your database can grow with your data requirements.
The most important reference for any developer is the Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB). Available on the Microsoft TechNet compact disc and free on the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com, the KB is a compendium of articles written on thousands of topics for each of Microsoft's major desktop applications, BackOffice® programs, and operating systems. Each article is a discussion of some feature, technique, problem, or bug and describes how to optimize your application to take advantage of features or work around problems. These articles are written by the Microsoft technical staff who assist customers every day and are concentrated in the areas where customers require the most guidance. New information is frequently posted. This resource is particularly important to use with new product releases and service packs.
Familiarly known as the Jet Book, this comprehensive Microsoft Press® publication by Dan Haught and Jim Ferguson (ISBN 1-55615-877-7) is an authoritative resource about the Microsoft Jet Engine, the database engine that underlies Microsoft Access. The Jet Book has detailed discussions about query optimization, rule enforcement, and database implementation, along with many other features of the Jet Engine. This is required reading for advanced program developers in Microsoft Access 95 and Microsoft Access 97.
Both the Microsoft Access 95 and Microsoft Access 97 Upsizing Tools include Readme and Help files that contain many helpful topics.