Less daunting front end for SQL Server

We currently have a few users who have been using Access very succesfully to throw around large amounts of data.

We've now got to the point where the data is just too large to be held in Access, as well as wanting to hold it in a single place where multiple users can access it.

We have therefore moved the data over to SQL Server.

I want to provide a general tool that they can use to view the data on the server and do some simple things like run queries and filters and export the data for offline manipulation.

I don't want the support headaches that might come with rolling out SQL Management Studio, and neither do I want to have to create an Access database with links for each current database or ones that are created in the future.

Can anyone recommend a simple tool that will connect to a server, list all the databases and allow a user to drill into a table and look at the data.

Many thanks.

I use this program: Database .NET It doesn't require any installation, just run the .exe and you get most of the functionality of SQL Management Studio.

I have to ask, why hundreds of databases and only three users? I am curious if these databases are all similar to each other and if so might you not be better off consolidating the data into a smaller number of databases (with some modification to implement segregating the data from each of the original datasets). Then you could easily use Access as the front end. If I were in your position I would certainly want to leverage the users comfort level with Access rather than having to retrain the three users in some new tool.

Gary

Why not stay with MS Access as front end? Just re-create all your tables as linked tables and you have all the same functionality like you used to have.

Edit: just saw you explicitly mentioned that in your question. I beg to differ though. If the user can browse a sql server and their databases with any tool, they can do it with MS Access especially with the linked table wizard. I don't think you will find something "simpler" than that.

How about an Access Data Project? We've had a couple of these running for years just as a front-end a couple of users can use for custom queries. The learning curve should be minimal, although the logins should have as limited rights as possible.

Try Query Express. It's a Query Analyzer clone that's packaged as a single 100KB .exe download.