FE on individual's hard drive, Argument for

[Denise]

My IT department does NOT want me to place a copy of the front end on desktop
for our multi-user dbs. They want everyone to open the server copy FE file.
If there is a good argument that I can present to our IT department, please
provide.
Thank you.

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Each user accessing a single FE on your server causes additional network
traffic, as Access loads the screens, etc, across the network.

Moreover, if any ONE of the users of a single, common, network-based FE
turns off his/her PC, kicks out the power cord, has a flakey network card,
or suffers a ... cosmic ray, the FE is likely to be corrupted/hosed for ALL
users, requiring a backup copy and compact & repair on that network-based
FE. This will put everyone out of work until it is finished.

On the other hand, a copy of the FE on each user's PC can still get hosed,
but won't (as likely) affect all the other users.

Good luck!

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

 

[rick123]

Tell them it is for efficent network utilization, only the data from the
tables is moving across the network, versus, having the forms and reports and
all the queries move across the network.

 

[Denise]

Thank you for your advice, Jeff. Does this additional network traffic
continue throughout the session or only when a user opens the front end?

 

[Denise]

Your detailed discussion is most helpful. Now, I'm going to copy FE to users
desktop and let the chips fly.

 

[John Spencer MVP]

Additional traffic should continue each time the user opens a form or new report.

In addition multiple users on the same front end has the potential of locking
up functionality for the users or causing conflicts of other types.

If they are worried about keeping the FE copy current on multiple computers,
then they can download the Auto FE Updater from Tony Toews' site. The
software works and does a good job for me.

Tony Toews' Auto FE Updater

This utility will automatically update the Microsoft Access front end (FE)
MDB/MDE/ADE/ADP and associated files from a server to client workstation(s) or
other network locations.

This utility is designed to automatically update the front end and
associated files from the server to the client workstation or
directory on the server. The utility will, if required, create the
directory on the workstation, copy files to workstation, create a
shortcut on the desktop and update registry keys. It will then start
the Access MDE/MDB. If none of this is required the next time you run
this utility then all those steps are bypassed and it just starts the
Access MDE/MDB.

Updates:
better error handling and file existence checks (to reduce your
confusion and emails to me. <smile>)
environment variables support
%user%, %workstn% and environment variables supported in command
line
UNC paths support
Master workstation INI file entry to allow you the developer to
have a button which you click to open the INI file if an error message
is displayed
CreateShortCutOnCommonDesktop option

http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/autofe.htm
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm

John Spencer
Access MVP 2002-2005, 2007-2009
The Hilltop Institute
University of Maryland Baltimore County

 

[BruceM]

Another point is that you are creating an application when you create an
Access database. IT would not expect all users to use a ingle installation
of Word or of Internet Explorer. Access is a little different in that some
multi-user functionality can take place with a single copy, but as has been
observed there is much greater risk of corruption that way.

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

My IT department does NOT want me to place a copy of the front end on
desktop
for our multi-user dbs. They want everyone to open the server copy FE
file.
If there is a good argument that I can present to our IT department,
please
provide.
Thank you.

The main argument is ask them why they installed applications like word or
excel or PowerPoint on each person's desktop for the last twenty years?

Just because somebody at your company has now built an application, why
would the support department throw out every single rule and procedure
they've used for installing the application software on each person's
desktop for the last 20 years?

I explain in detail why you split your applications and why you installed
that application part on each desktop and the following article of mine
here:

http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal/Articles/split/index.htm


You are not just providing a data file like a word Doc sitting on a server.
Your team of software developers and in engineers are now building software.
That software needs to be deployed to each person's desktop. I would ask the
question how come the support people don't understand the difference between
a data file and that of an application? Then the next question is how come
they are not flipping burgers then?

I mean, if your support people can't tell the difference between
applications and data then they should not be allowed anywhere near
computers, should they?

So the main point of view that you have to discuss here is to make it clear
that you're deploying and developing software. Ask your support department
how come they always deployed word or PowerPoint or Excel to each computer?
You could make it clear that you might share a couple of word documents on a
server, but you don't share the copy of word with everybody do you? You can
make it clear that if one person in the building had word freeze up, would
you want every other single desktop in building to now have word frozen or
damaged or not function properly? You mean one person your whole building
has a problem with word and whole building now gets to go home for the day
because no one can write letters for the day?

If I have to explain to your support people why they installed word on each
computer so that if one person has a problem with word then everybody else
the building does not then I don't think you have Competent support people.
if you're support people cannot grasp this concept, then why are they being
paid to support computers in your building then? I mean let's be honest, if
they're not going to allow you to install you software on their computers
then you're not going to be allowed to use your software. However, for them
to come up with some arbitrator rule just because you've built the software
in house, means that you don't install the software on each computer like
every other piece is software is silly.

Make it clear that you talking about software here and then ask them how
come they installed every other piece of software in their inventories on
every computer? Why are they now making some strange and bizarre exception
for your application? What is it about your application that warrants such
unusual and special treatment beyond that of every other application they
purchased and deployed to every computer in the building?

On other words because you purchase something that means you install this
software on every machine? However, if you develop an in-house software
application you don't? What does the fact that you purchased some software,
or build software in house have to do with the fact that you've always
install software on every computer in your building?

The harsh reality and harsh argument here is that if your information and
support people don't know the difference between an application and data
then they have no business in the computer industry at all. They should not
be allowed anywhere near any computer in your building if they are not
willing to make this distinction.

That front end of yours is not just a file, it is an application. Just like
it would be silly to have one person change their printer or settings or
Margins inside of word and have that change effect every other user in the
building, you're dealing with the exact same situation your case. We are
talking about a piece of software that does not support we reentrant code
very well at all. In fact most cases Allowing multiple uses into this piece
of software the same time who will simply cause instability and
compatibility problems when one user does something who'll cause of facts
and problems with other users running the software also.

In other words we install software on each computer to isolate the problems
to the one computer and not spread that issue to every other user on their
computers.

Printout a copy of this post...and pass it around to them....then schedule a
meeting with them. Simply put if your support people don't know the
difference between applications and files they simply should not be allowed
anywhere near a computer for the next couple of hundred years ...

 

[Denise]

Thank you. I enjoyed reading your discussion filled the ammunition to support
my case to install app on desktop.

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

Thank you. I enjoyed reading your discussion filled the ammunition to
support
my case to install app on desktop.

Also, I being a "bit" loud here. Don't take anything I said here as a
personal issue to you or your fellow workers.....

Nice soft gloves and honest explain is the best policy. However, you asked
for ammo. So, sometimes is good to have a "HARD" argument if things don't go
your way....

Really, if I sounded a bit loud, or pretentious...it was not my intention
here and I do apologize.

I am 100% sure that you work hard, and are well able to convince people
around you of your needs.....

However if the chips come down too hard against you, you can certainly can
now explain your position a lot better....

Have a great day...ok!

 

[David W. Fenton]

My IT department does NOT want me to place a copy of the front end
on desktop for our multi-user dbs. They want everyone to open the
server copy FE file. If there is a good argument that I can
present to our IT department, please provide.

You might direct them to this post of mine:

http://groups.google.com/group/comp.databases.ms-access/msg/89ef2720a
38758db

It explains *why* shared front ends are subject to corruption. It is
because of the way the data on the front-end objects is stored that
there are problems.

BTW, they may be balking because they don't want to make a subfolder
in the Programs folder writable by regular users. That's a valid
point, but the proper place to put the front end is in the
Application Data folder under the user profile. This is because even
while the front-end MDB is an application, it has to be writable.

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

My IT department does NOT want me to place a copy of the front end on desktop
for our multi-user dbs. They want everyone to open the server copy FE file.
If there is a good argument that I can present to our IT department, please
provide.

The FE.MDE does not need to go into the desktop. Placing it in the
users %appdata%\<FE Folder>\FE.MDE is just fine and works very well.

As others have stated the Auto FE Updater handles all this painlessly.
Well painlessly once it's setup and working.

Sharing an FE is very prone to corruptions. Also you can't update the
FE while others are using it. A tool such as the Auto FE Updater
makes pulling in a copy of the FE the next time they run the app.

Now you can use a folder on the server. I'd suggest a folder labeled
Users FE in the same folder as your BE MDB. Then each user gets their
own folder within that server folder. Again the Auto FE Updater
handles that situation well too.

This does cause greater network traffic than having a copy local to
the PC and makes the app somewhat sluggish. However it may not be
that noticeable.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/

 

[David W. Fenton]

Really, if I sounded a bit loud, or pretentious...it was not my
intention here and I do apologize.

I like your tone, Albert. I read almost all of your posts,
*especially* the 20-volume ones avidly.

You seem to get my tone in response, too, and I'm grateful for that.
I get all excited and come on too strong sometimes and so it's
fortunate you read through that to my point.