Database corruption

[Guest]

I have a network database which is accessed by approx. 15 users, plus 3 which
connect through Terminal Server. The database is currently split into a front
end, and a back end, and each workstation has a copy of the front end on
their own computer. The size of the back end is around 75 Mb. This database
has been up and running for the past 5 or 6 years.

The problem that I am having is with database corruption. Over the years, I
can probably count on one hand how many times the tables have became corrupt.
Since the start of this year, the tables have been corrupted at least 7
times, and now it seems to be a weekly occurrence. Is this a sign of
impending doom? Should I be looking to upgrade to SQL Server? I have not
found a good estimate to the maximum number of connections to an Access
database, but I would have trouble believing that I am maxed out with 18
users.

One thought that I have has to do with the design of the front end. I
inherited alot of this code, so some may not be "perfect code." The one thing
that sticks out in my mind is the opening of a recordset, and then never
closing it. I can see this not causing a major problem with a smaller
database, maybe the occasional corruption. But as the tables grow, the
problem would grow exponentially. Is this correct? Is this a possible root of
my problem?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Douglas J Steele]

You might want to read the Corrupt Microsoft Access MDBs FAQ that Tony Toews
has at http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/corruptmdbs.htm

Have you got new hardware on your network? Access has often been described
as the canary for network problems, especially flaky NICs.