You may want to check out MySQL or PostgreSQL.  I wouldn't use Foxpro or
Access as the back end of a multi user application.  Jet is terrible for
this.

Hi General Fear,

For single use applications being mainly desktop applications, Access works
quite well with C# using the OLEDB classes. If your firm has C# then it's
quite likely it has the MSDE 2000 which would be much better for limited
user server database application, using the SQL classes. You can download
this for free, if not you can buy it for $AUD 84.00, now that it's 'older'
technology but, it's still real good.

If you're using Access and there will be more than one simultaneous users,
make sure your database is well constructed and your data access layer(s)
and your business layer(s) as well. MS Access can be (sometimes) a bit
tempermental on a server with multiple simultaneous users (particularly too
many). There's been times when I've seen it work very well indeed. Generally
when the Access DB starts getting real *big* on the server side, that when
it usually decides to drop tools and go on strike.

Keep in mind that MS Access is the world's most popular ***Desktop***
database application\program. Not server side.

HTH you in some way Mr. G. Fear.

- SpotNet

Hi Rich,

SQL Server 2005 Express is designed to meet needs like yours.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/sql/

You may want to consider FireBird:

 http://firebird.sourceforge.net/

It's an open source version of Borland's Interbase database server,
and comes with a .Net data provider.

I second MySQL. The latest release is starting to round out it's features
to compete with the likes of SQL Server and Oracle.

Access is NOT for a multi-user environment.

J