I have recently been asked to research information for the following.

Question

I have recently been asked to research information for the following.
Add a backend SQL server to the current Access 2010 set up we have in place as the front end, for 11 users.
Upgrade to Access 2013 which I understand includes the SQL at no additional charge.
I am looking for pro vs cons between the two options. 

Answer 1

Hello,
Your number 1 option was called “Upsizing an Access Database to SQL Server”
 and keeps the front-end on the Access side. The issue here is that the upsizing process was not always an easy one: you may find some issues with the way SQL handles dates and the way VBA generates those dates; VBA handles strings with double quotes
while T-SQL uses single quotes; VBA functions like Date() and Now() should be replaces by T-SQL functions like CONVERT/CAST and GETDATE; InStr and Mid functions should be replaced by Substring function on T-SQL; the IIF function should be replaced by the CASE
statement (T-SQL); need to convert Access table constrains to SQL Server constraints; etc.
Now with Access 2013 (Option 2), you don’t have to think about the above upsizing process anymore, since that old access project/linked server functionalities are
replaced by natively use SQL Server databases. That means no more 2 GB limit for Access databases.
Now Access 2013 makes available the possibility to use SQL Server Reporting Services for reporting and opens the gateway to SQL Azure.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Alberto Morillo
SQLCoffee.com