Working on db with a off-site partner

[Damon Heron]

Hi all:
A friend and I are co-developing a db and we primarily correspond by email
and send our code revisions back and forth. What is the best way to handle
keeping track of changes and making sure that we don't screw up each other's
programming efforts with changes we have made? We have a Access template db
called "Issues", where you put in work assignments, but is there a better
way to keep track of progress? I have suggested a 2-step process, where we
work on the db and name it with our initials and own version number, then at
weekly intervals, merge the two versions into a new complete version, test
it, and if it is working properly, continue with the new merged version as
our new starting point. My partner doesn't think this is a good idea. He
is suggesting some bug tracking software, but I am not sure how this would
help us with Access.

Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[PC Datasheet]

First, you MUST both be working with the exact same design of the tables. I
have developed what I call a "Map of the tables" that shows all the tables
arranged in the general flow of data in the database. The name of each table
in the database and all the fields in each table are shown on the map. The
relationships and the types of all the relationships are shown on the map. I
create a map for every database I create. A "Map of the tables" would be an
invaluable tool for you! Second, you could develop your database in
independent modules. Although it may make the database file slightly larger,
modularization insures that you don't screw up another part of the database.
I do this in almost all the databases I create and later if changes are
requested I can confidently make a change in a part of the database and feel
confident I am not screwing up another part.