Sharing information between advocates is very important because it allows our offices to act less like separate, small partnerships, and more like one large law firm. This is the idea behind the seamless intake. A wide area network (WAN) that shares case information is one way to accomplish this. 

Clients Prime SQL is designed to have a central database managed by Microsoft SQL. Having SQL reduces the amount of bandwidth the user needs to use the software. This allows the office to use relatively slow WAN connections.

The Standard version of Clients Prime uses an Access database file on both the Workstation and on the Server. A problem with a desktop databases such as Access, FoxPro, Paradox, etc. is that when a request is made for specific data, the server does not send just that data. The whole table is sent. The Workstation then uses its processor to sort through all of the clients and find the correct one. This works fine if you have a large pipe (bandwidth) such as a network wire. However, when you route the request through a modem or connection there is too much information to send.

A way around the problem is to reduce the amount of information transferred by using a client/server database management system, rather than the normal LAN file server. In Microsoft SQL when you ask for a particular client, the software on the Server finds that client and returns only their information to the workstation. 

Imagine you were buying a car and wanted to find out whether a car dealer had any blue cars. With a file server situation, you’d call the dealer up, he’d say wait. He and his employees would then drive all the cars in the lot to your house where you could count the blue cars. With a database server, he’d look out the window, count the blue cars and tell you the number.

Even though it is a different database "engine" from Access, Access can work as a "front end" for the SQL "back-end". This means that the user of the SQL sees the same Clients Prime interface and isn’t even aware that the processing is occurring mostly on the server rather than on the local work station.

Some advantages of the SQL system are:
-It reduces how much information flows over a WAN or LAN by returning only what is requested.
- It is more stable since the work is done on the Server, and any corrupted requests from a Workstation are ignored.
- Speeding up the Server speeds up all the computers using case management, since most the work is being done there. SQL is highly scalable. What this means is that you can increase the memory, processors and hard drives on the server and the program will realize a speed increase. Since the work is done on the Server, improving it’s performance improves every computer’s performance using it. It is cheaper to improve one computer than 25.
- Hundreds or even thousands of users can log in and use the database. 
- It can be backed up while people are using it. 

The SQL is useful primarily in two circumstances. One is if you have an office with many users (forty or more users). SQL gives you a faster and more stable database than Microsoft Access. Although Access remains on the Workstation, it merely relays the request to the SQL software, which actually does the work. The second situation is when you are running a WAN and want to share a central database. Because SQL only returns the requested information, a search can respond though the narrow WAN lines in seconds rather than hours.

The first thing needed is a license to use Microsoft Access. You need at least one full copy per office. In addition, you need a license to use Microsoft SQL. This is usually a per user charge. A special program, providing low cost pricing for nonprofits, can drastically reduce this cost and is listed in our Knowledge Base or Tips and Talk section.  You can also find a free or extremely version of Microsoft SQL at www.Giftsinkind.com or www.Techsoup.com.

Next, you need a separate SQL server computer. Although not absolutely necessary, it does not make sense to burden the existing server with other responsibilities. Remember, the faster this computer, the faster the database work will be. Having someone who can manage this SQL Server is also important. 

The other requirement is a stable wide area network. Backup software, as usual, is indispensable.   

There is a bandwidth requirement of about 40K per user in a pure SQL version. That means if you had five users in an office you would need about 200K of bandwidth. A way to reduce this bandwidth requirement even further is to use the SQL version in conjunction with Terminal Server or Citrix.

The SQL version is not necessary if you only have a single office and less than forty employees. We find that the Standard version of the program does a good job of handling this smaller sized office without the expense and complexity of SQL.

 One disadvantage of SQL is that if the WAN or server goes down, all offices are without database access.