ODBC Connection to SQL Server database often dropped

B

bicyclensw

Guppy
Hello,

My company uses Microsoft Access as a front end to a SQL Server database. Access runs on people's local work stations, while the SQL Server database sits on a JodoHost database server. I set up ODBC links in Access to the tables in the SQL Server database.

This works well, except that very often the connection to the database (on the JodoHost database server) is dropped. I see error messages such as:

ODBC-- connection to 'SQL Servermssql8.jodoshared.com' failed.

ODBC--call failed.
[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver]Communication link failure (#0)

ODBC--call failed.
[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][DBNETLIB]ConnectionRead (recv()).(#10054)[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][DBNETLIB]General network error.

This is driving my users crazy. JodoHost support doesn't have an explanation for this, so I'm getting desperate.

Does anybody know what is causing this?
What can be done about it?

Thanks in advance for your help,

Matt Perdeck
Bicycle NSW
 
The number of people who use Microsoft Access on their workstation to access the SQL Server database is normally 1. Sometimes 2 or 3.

Everybody who uses it is at the same location. All users have a workstation on the same office network (based on a single Windows Server 2003 file server).

Matt
 
I am just offering a bit of advice here, unless this DB is 2+GB why don't you host this in your local network so you dont even have internet latency?

You could use MSDE (sql 2000 based), MSSQL Express(sql 2005 baseD). (Both free)

This would result in much faster operations for you, and ODBC timeouts/drops would be able to self resolve faster in a LAN enviroment.
 
The reason I'm not hosting the database locally is that it will be accessed by an e-commerce web site as well.

The database contains address details of our customers. Our customers will be able to update their own details via the web site.

The people accesssing the database via the Microsoft Access front end are mainly customer support people, taking calls from customers who want to change their details over the phone.

Matt
 
Would it not be best to have an asp/asp.net app for this then?

(I understand that can take time, etc)
 
Technically yes. However, practically I'm tied to Access, for two reasons.

1)
I need a very friendly front end that people can use to create ad-hoc queries and reports to get information out of the database.

My company organises large cycling events. The people organising the events need to be able to quickly do ad-hoc reports and queries (sometimes while they're working through the night). They are not very computer literate. They can use Microsoft Access with all its wizards, etc., but will never learn ASP or ASP.NET.

2)
Also, our database used to be in Access (part of it still is). We have a large investment in existing reports and forms that our customer support people are used to.

Matt
 
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