In previous versions of Microsoft Access, the only way to create a client/server solution was to create an .mdb file with linked tables that used an ODBC driver to link to a database server such as SQL Server. This kind of client/server solution also required Access to load the Microsoft Jet database engine to open the database and the linked tables, which created additional memory overhead.
Although Access 2000 continues to support client/server solutions that use linked tables, it also supports a new file format and data access architecture that makes it possible for you to create a client application that connects to a SQL Server 6.5 (with Service Pack 5) or SQL Server 7.0 database through OLE DB without loading the Jet database engine. To do this, you create an Access project file, which is saved by using an .adp extension.
An Access project can store forms, reports, data access pages, macros, and Visual Basic for Applications modules locally in your client solution file and use the OLE DB connection to display and work with the tables, views, relationships, and stored procedures that are stored on SQL Server. You create the forms, reports, macros, and Visual Basic for Applications modules in an Access project by using most of the same tools and wizards you use to create these objects in Access databases. This makes it possible for you to quickly develop client/server solutions that work directly against a SQL Server database on the server.
Note Even though an Access project file uses an OLE DB connection to connect to a database, it cannot use just any OLE DB provider to make this connection. It can only use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server and can only connect to SQL Server 6.5 (with Service Pack 5) and SQL Server 7.0 databases. This is because the database creation and design tools in Access 2000 can only support SQL Server 6.5 or 7.0 databases.
Access also makes it possible for you to create new SQL Server databases and provides a variety of visual tools to create and modify the design of tables, views, stored procedures, triggers, and database diagrams on your database server. The tables, views, and stored procedures you create, as well as SQL SELECT statements, are all valid data sources for Access forms, reports, and data access pages.
In addition to providing you with the ability to create and design client/server solutions from scratch, Access 2000 also includes the Upsizing wizard. This wizard makes it possible for you to convert an existing Access (Jet) database to a client/server solution by creating a new SQL Server database linked to an Access client application.
With the addition of Access Workflow Designer, you can add workflow, offline replication, security, and the ability to create team templates for your database solutions.