If you are very lucky, a backup with users in the database will be OK.
But the database not only contains the tables that you see, but many
internal pointers, counters, etc. Some of those may be in use by the users,
and in what one might politely call "an indeterminate state" if the database
is copied at the wrong time... that is, some of the information for an
update may have been written, and other may not.
If there is an operation in progress, the database may appear to Access to
be "corrupted" and require "compact and repair". At worst, however, it will
be in such a state that "compact and repair" will not correct the problem.
There are some additional steps, but the best method is to simply avoid the
problem.
Copy or backup the backend when no one is using it.
Most server databases are more "tolerant" of backups with active users. That
is why, when 24/7 operation, reliability, and recoverability are key issues,
most experienced database designers/implementers will advise you seriously
consider a server database for your data repository -- MS SQL Server is a
very capable one, that is the easiest to use I have seen among "high-end"
databases, but there are many others that are usable with Access. Some are,
in no particular order: Borland's InterBase, Oracle, Informix (now owned by
IBM), IBM's DB2, Sybase's Adaptive Server Anywhere and SQL Anywhere Studio,
the free/low cost MySQL, and the free, open-source PostgreSQL. (If I left
out someone's favorite, don't get mad, just post a followup.)
Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP
