Access Application for many users

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jim. H.
  • Start date Start date
J

Jim. H.

Hello,
I have developed a form application in Access 2000 that
accepts user input and update a table. I need to let many
user run this access application but I am new in Access
and I am wondering how should I implement it? If I let all
users run the same mdb file will they get any error
messages while they are updating the common table?
Thanks,
Jim.
 
Hello Jim,
If I let all
users run the same mdb file will they get any error
messages while they are updating the common table?
Click to expand...

Corruption of the database is possible if it deployed as a "single-file",
monolithic database, not to mention poor performance in other areas.

Generally, the steps to take to share a database among multiple users are as
follows:

1. If you have not already done so, split the application into a Front-End
and a Back-End. The Front-End (FE) will contain all Queries, Forms,
Reports, Modules, Macros and local-use tables. The Back-End (BE) will
contain all tables to be shared among users.

2. The BE will reside in a folder on your server, where full permissions
for each user will be granted (Read, Write, Create, Delete, Execute).

3. In the FE, Link the FE to the tables in the BE using the Linked Table
Manager. To avoid problems with changing drive mappings, link to the BE
tables using the full UNC, starting with My Network Places and drilling down
through servers and folders until the actual database name of the BE is
found.

4. An individual copy of each FE will reside on each user's computer. For
ease of distributing updates to FEs, see:
http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/autofe.htm which describes an AutoUpdater
for front-ends, developed by Access MVP Tony Toews.

5. Additionally, a copy of the most current FE in use by users should be
kept on the server, as a "good" backup. You will do your maintenance/update
programming on your own copy of the FE on your own computer. When updates
are ready to be distributed, you'll copy your modified FE to replace the one
on the server.

Those are pretty much the high points. Post back if you need more.

hth,
 
So I can use Access 2000 as BE. I already developed forms
in Access and user should launch mdb file to reach them,
is there any way I can let user reach to forms only?

Another question; let's say I developed my Forms in VB
Application as an executable (I think it is possible) and
put it to a shared folder, and let all users run the same
executable (it will reach BE in Access2000). Is this
possible? Why do I have to have many copies?

Thanks,
Jim.
 
So I can use Access 2000 as BE. I already developed forms
in Access and user should launch mdb file to reach them,
is there any way I can let user reach to forms only?
Click to expand...

Yes. You can have Access 2000 as the BE, containing only your tables, and
as an FE, containing your Queries, Forms, Reports and Modules. The way to
restrict the user to the forms only is to use a split database
configuration, as described in my earlier post, in which the users open the
FE database which contains links to the tables in the BE. The FE controls
how and when the users can add, edit and delete records in the tables.
Another question; let's say I developed my Forms in VB
Application as an executable (I think it is possible) and
put it to a shared folder, and let all users run the same
executable (it will reach BE in Access2000). Is this
possible? Why do I have to have many copies?
Click to expand...

Yes, this is possible, BUT not recommended. To quote the Microsoft
Knowledge Base at:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304932
"How to Manually Split a Microsoft Access Database"

"If you simply store the database on a network share, when your users open a
form, query, macro, module, or report, these objects have to be sent across
the network to each individual who uses the database. If you split the
database, each user has their own copy of the forms, queries, macros,
modules, and reports. Therefore, the only data that must be sent across the
network is the data in the tables."
 
Thanks Cheryl,

You are being so helpful for me. We are not actually using
remote PC, in our environment we have 3 terminal servers
and many users (more than 100) who connect to these
terminal servers via a terminal emulation and run their
applications in the terminal servers. If I need to have a
FE for each user, then I need to create a 300 copy of it
and separate the through terminal servers (we do not know
which users will be logging on which server, it is cluster
structure)

My question is this, if I make sure users are not
modifying each other's records on the table (I can keep
user id in the table), do you think launching only one
single mdb file (Be and FE together) and/or launching one
BE and one FE for all users be a problem?

Thanks,
Jim.
 
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