Ongoing development

[Marianne]

I've created an Access 2007 data base with a lot of adjunct VBa
programming. I have released that for general use. But I need to
continue adding functionality. I don't want to do new programming and
testing in the production data base -- because it will mess up the
users. I do have a test database. If I use my test database to
develop, how do I move the revised code to the production data base?

 

[Clifford Bass]

Mi Marianne,

One place to start would be to look at Tony Toew's information about
his Auto FE Updater. He has some good information about the concepts of
making changes and getting them out to the users. And he also has some links
to other people's ideas about the issue.

Good Luck,

Clifford Bass

 

[Steve Sanford]

You should split your database into a front end (FE) and a back end (BE). The
BE has just the tables. The FE has everything else - forms, queries, reports,
modules, etc.

Everyone should have a copy (not a shoutcut) of the FE on their computer
that is linked to the BE (on a server).

A known cause of database corruption is putting an unsplit database on a
server and everyone opening it.

Read this:

http://allenbrowne.com/ser-01.html


More links:

http://www.accessmvp.com/JConrad/accessjunkie/splitting.html



HTH

 

[Dorian]

Split your database into front end and back end. Develop in a new version and
when your changes are complete, replace the old front end (after backing it
up of course). To back out your changes, simply revert to the old front end.

It gets a bit more complex when you need to add or change your tables, since
that involves changing the back end as well.

The most important thing with ongoing development is to make frequent
backups as you never know when your database might get corrupted.

-- Dorian
"Give someone a fish and they eat for a day; teach someone to fish and they
eat for a lifetime".