MAPPING OF EXTERNAL DATA

[Guest]

I have an Access 2003 database which we would like to use at our company
branches. The database consists of a main database with all tables on the
fileserver and a user interface database with all queries and forms.
The names of the fileservers are different as well as some database parts
which are connected via "External data".
The "user interface" gets change regularly which means I have to simulate
every branch before uploading the database file to the user’s computer. I
would like to make use of the replication part of access but because there
are so many differences I can't.
Right after all that my question:
Is it possible to have a INI file in the same location as the user
application and when the user open the application it uses the info in the
INI file to "map" the external data?
If so, how will I go about getting the database to look for the INI file?

 

[Arvin Meyer]

Replication should only be used for data, not the user interface. Your best
answers on replication specifics will come from the
microsoft.public.access.replication newsgroup.

To answer you INI file question: I don't see why not. You can code the
relinking process:

http://www.mvps.org/access/tables/tbl0009.htm

Just use the INI file to retrieve your specific paths.
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP
Microsoft Access
Free Access downloads:
http://www.datastrat.com
http://www.mvps.org/access

 

[Nikos Yannacopoulos]

You don't even need an external .ini file. Since all re-linking will be
done through VBA code, all you need is an API call (or plain environment
function) to return the computer name or user login name in Windows, and
select your link strings based on that. Personally I would use a table
in access linking username to server/path etc, so it is easy to maintain
and doesn't involve extra files.

If that doesn't work for you, then yes, you could create a small text
file in C:\ (preferably hidden and read-only) to hold a site code in a
single line, and read it through your VBA code to make the selection
upon, or you could even store the paths themselves.


HTH,
Nikos