Access 2000 problem with upgrading userinterface

[parkchan]

Hi all,

I'm developing a database application in MS Access 2000 for my client.
The program is deployed to the client's machine and the client has been
using the application quite a while. But sometimes, my client wants me
to change user interface (Forms..) of the application. As you all know,
MS Access keeps the data and the user interface in one .MDB file. I
have a copy of the application on my machine and the client's using the
other on his machine. Basically, I'm trying to change the user
interface in my own copy and deliver it to the client, and "Somehow"
copy all data from the client's copy to the newly delivered copy. The
reason why I have to do this is because my client has to use the
application all the time. He can't wait for me to finish upgrading with
his copy of the application. Can this be achieved? If it can't be done,
is there an alternative way to do what I want to do?

The other question is that "Can multiple people use one .MDB file at
the same time over the network?" I guess it can. To do this, do I have
to place the .MDB file on a server and let people run the file via
Windows Explorer from their machines?

My questions may seem obvious to you but I'm a newbie in MS Access
2000.
Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Chan

 

[Rick Brandt]

Hi all,

I'm developing a database application in MS Access 2000 for my client.
The program is deployed to the client's machine and the client has
been using the application quite a while. But sometimes, my client
wants me to change user interface (Forms..) of the application. As
you all know, MS Access keeps the data and the user interface in one
.MDB file. I have a copy of the application on my machine and the
client's using the other on his machine. Basically, I'm trying to
change the user interface in my own copy and deliver it to the
client, and "Somehow" copy all data from the client's copy to the
newly delivered copy. The reason why I have to do this is because my
client has to use the application all the time. He can't wait for me
to finish upgrading with his copy of the application. Can this be
achieved? If it can't be done, is there an alternative way to do what
I want to do?

Virtually all serious Access apps are "split". One file with just tables and
one file with everything else. The tables file is referred to as the "Back end"
and the other (the one you actually open) is called the "Front end". The Front
end file contains links to the tables in the back end so it works just like a
monolithic file such as yours. However the split model provides many
advantages...

You can have multiple Front end files all linked to the same Back end. This
allows the developer to work on one copy while the app is still being used.
When a new version of the Front end is distributed it is done by simply swapping
a revised copy for the old one.

Each user gets their own copy of the front end installed on a local disk and
only the Back end file is shared on the LAN. This improves performance and
greatly reduces the chance of file corruption. Update distribution can easily
be automated so that each user does not have to be "visited" to perform updates.

You can have different versions of the front end that you give to different
users to provide different functionality even though they are using the same
data.

The other question is that "Can multiple people use one .MDB file at
the same time over the network?" I guess it can. To do this, do I have
to place the .MDB file on a server and let people run the file via
Windows Explorer from their machines?

Access is multi-user capable right out of the box, but even Microsoft highly
recomends that this be done using the split model as described above. Having
multiple users in a single monolithic file will often lead to corruption
problems and will be slower to use. All users who will use the file need full
permissions to the folder on the LAN where the Back End file is located. This
is required so that Access can manage the locking file (LDB extension) as users
come and go in the app.

 

[parkchan]

Hi Rick

Wonderful !!

I've just splitted the database into Frontend and Backend using
Database Splitter utility. It's so easy to split the database and it
solves my problem.

Thanks you so much,
Chan