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I set up a synchronization between my desktop database and my
flash drive.
BZZZT. That breaks replication, because the flash drive can be
plugged into any PC, and each time it's opened on a new PC, Jet sees
it as a completely new replica.
See question 5 in the Jet Replication Wiki FAQ:
http://dfenton.com/DFA/Replication/index.php?title=FAQ
When I try to make changes to the design of tables forms, etc., I
get an area message saying that I can not make changes to the
design to a replica, only to the master.
This is correct -- you can only make design changes to the Design
Master. Only data changes (i.e., data stored in tables) are allowed
in a replica. This is by design, in fact, it's a necessity for
replication to be able to work at all.
How do I get switched between the master and the replica.?
First off, you have a significant design error -- you have not split
your application. All multi-user apps and all replicated apps should
be split into a back end, with nothing in it but the data tables,
and a front end with everything else (forms, reports, queries,
modules, macros). The front end will have links to the back end
tables, which as far as the front end is concerned are identical to
tables stored in the front end.
Second, Jet replication is not suitable for anything but pure Jet
objects (tables/queries), and eventually leads to corruption of
Access objects (forms/reports/macros/modules). That risk aside,
there is no justification for replicating a front end, anyway, even
though it might seem like it would be a good way to push out
updates. See the first item in this article:
http://dfenton.com/DFA/Replication/index.php?title=Replication_Myths
Last of all, before going any further with your project, you would
do well to review all the documentation for replication listed here:
http://dfenton.com/DFA/Replication/index.php?title=Resources
And also:
http://dfenton.com/DFA/Replication/index.php?title=Best_Practices
Once your application is split, any updates to the front end can be
propagated to other users by simply having them copy the new front
end over top of the old one.