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We're working on a new vb.net project which will need a database with many different tables and possibly thousands / hundreds of thousands of records in each table. Is there a better option than using .mdb files? The obvious benefit of using mdb is we can use Access to view / edit easily as well.

We only have vb.net express so I don't think we can use SQL server (don't really want to anyways) but is there a better option than MDB for flat file databases?

Joe
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If you are using VB.Net Express, then using SQL Server Express is the best option. It is much better than Access. To view the database you can either use the SQL Server Management Console (SSMS) Express or you can work with the database from VB.Net. I prefer SSMS myself. Hope this helps.

Wade73
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  • +1 SQL Server Express is free, and it is file-based like Access, so it's a great answer to this question. It is fine for professional use: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/180537/sql-express-for-production – MarkJ Jul 16 '10 at 13:12
  • +1, see also http://stackoverflow.com/questions/807602/use-access-or-mysql-as-a-backend-database/807724#807724 – John M Gant Jul 16 '10 at 17:29
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Another option: SqlServerCe Do´nt needs to run any service.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQL_Server_Compact

x77
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VB.Net Express and SQL Server Express would be a better way to go than using Access. It's not difficult, just takes a bit of time working with SQL Server. Here's an article, with code, that shows how to get started: http://michikami.blogspot.com/2011/03/visual-basic-2010-express-sql-server.html

Mark
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