The default Microsoft Access database requires no additional installation or configuration. It is suitable for use in evaluating adTempus or for small implementations that do not have a large number of jobs, and where performance and reliability are not critical.
Due to the limitations of Microsoft Access, Arcana Development strongly recommends that you do not use the Microsoft Access database in environments where performance or reliability are important.
For improved performance and reliability, adTempus supports SQL Server and SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE) databases. MSDE is a scaled-down version of SQL Server 2000. It uses the same code base as SQL Server, the same file formats, and supports all of the same tools. MSDE is provided as part of adTempus at no additional cost, but must be downloaded and installed separately.
If you do not have SQL Server, you can use MSDE at no additional cost.
If you already have a SQL Server license, you may want to use an existing SQL Server instance instead. For maximum reliability, SQL Server should be on the same computer as adTempus, but a remote database can also be used.
Arcana Development recommends that you use MSDE as your database, even if you already have a SQL Server license. Using MSDE ensures that adTempus is isolated from other applications, and that the database is always available to adTempus. MSDE can be installed on the same computer as your existing SQL Server instance without conflict, because MSDE uses a "named instance" of SQL Server that runs completely separate from your main SQL Server instance.
If you know that you prefer to use a SQL Server or MSDE database, you may select this option during installation. You may also choose to use the Microsoft Access database, and convert to a SQL Server or MSDE database later. In either case, the adTempus database migration tool will transfer all of your data to the new database when you convert.
There is no automated conversion from a SQL Server database to a Microsoft Access database (i.e., you can "upsize" to SQL Server, but you cannot "downsize" to Microsoft Access).
For more information, please see one of the following topics: