Updating multi-user mdb, and version control

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

I have built a 6 user DB and installed it on the server and given access to
the clients. So far so good.
Question 1: Inevitably there will be changes and enhancements that I will
want to deploy. I will be doing the development locally on my own machine
and will want to upgrade the shared mdb on the server. Obviously I cannot
just overwrite the existing one as that would wipe out all the data. What's
the process?
Question 2: I would like to keep some sort of "version control" so that I
will always know what level each instance of the app (i.e. my own dev
version, perhaps a Test version on the server, and of course the Live
version) has reached. Is there some way of doing this?
Thanks for your help!
CW
 
I cannot determine from your question if you have split the application
between tables and code.

In fact your question makes it sound like to me that you have NOT done
this.
Here are two references about splitting databases.


Split your MDB file into data and application
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-01.html

Splitting your Microsoft Access MDB into a front end and back end
http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/splitapp/index.htm

Once you have do that changing the application is a snap because the
application is maintained separate from your data.

Split them first.

Ron
 
First, you have to split your application into a Front End, with
everything but the tables; and a Back End, with just the tables.. I
usually cheat and name the Front End WhatEverItsNameWasGUI.mdb and the
Back End WhatEverItsNameWasDAT.mdb. Then go to the GUI and delete all
of the tables. Then find Get External Data in your version of Access
and Link the Tables in DAT.

Visit Tony Toews' site and find his Front End Updater. It's freely
downloadable but first read what he has to say about all of the
related concepts. This is not a short journey. You have some work to
do now so that you can save lots of sneaker and/or email traffic.

When you have digested and implemented the above then question 1 has
been answered and a lot of the question 2 content made irrelevant.

For the remainder of question 2. You can set Access to increment a
build count on each compile. You can also manually update the file
properties for each thing you are about to release.

FWIW: The Front End that you make available to your users should be
in the form of an MDE. That way you'll know that you're the only one
modifying the code.

HTH
 
Back
Top