MDE Limitations

[Domac]

What are MDE limitations in relation to MDB deployment model?

 

[Albert D.Kallal]

In relation to deployment?

Well, a mde is *usually* the result of your final product. ms-access is a
software development tool. You can use ms-access to write a pac-man game, or
even a word processor. When you are done writing the appcation, you turn it
into mde. This mde has all of the extra source code and additional baggage
removed.

From a user point of view, they can't modify a mde. (no more then you can
modify the word, or excel software on your computer). So, a mde is usually
used for final deployment as it is smaller, faster, and cannot be modified
by end users. It is in effect the "last" step you make right before
deploying the appcation to your users.

Since you can't build a mde when you software has any syntax errors, it
also ensures that you are not distribution a application with syntax errors.

Most commercial applications are distributed as a executable. In ms-access,
the mde is that executable. (and, the ms-access problem is thus your runtime
supprot files)

 

[Guest]

This is an additional question on this topic.

Thank you Albert - I had the same question and you explained it really well.
To continue on this...

Can an MDE be turned back by the designer into a modifiable format?

I designed a form for a user to collect data on and build a database.
I am about to create an MDE file and send it to the user
If, down the line, we want to modify something about the form, and she's
already entered a lot of data - can she send it all back to me and let me
modify the form?
Or, do I work on the original database? If so, how do we then incorporate
the data she's already entered?

THANKS!

 

[Pieter Wijnen]

You should always split the Data from the logic.
See Tools / Database Utilites / Database Splitter (make backup first)

If not , you'd have to copy all of her data into the modified version of the
Application

Pieter