Copying a complete database.

Peter Jason

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Mar 31, 2013, 9:05:17 PM3/31/13

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I have an Access10 business database.

I want to make two copies and use:

1/ For personal finances
2/ For Investment finances.

Is this as simple as copying the original under
different names, deleting all the old data and
starting again?

Peter

David Hare-Scott

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Mar 31, 2013, 10:06:11 PM3/31/13

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Yes

D

JB Guernsey

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Apr 1, 2013, 6:32:17 AM4/1/13

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I would advise deleting all the data except for the first row (and any related rows in other tables). Heaven forbid that I would ever had been guilty of this (!) but sometimes programmers might neglect/forget to allow for Nulls in various formulas and variables and this might cause a problem when there is no data. Enter one new item and then delete the old row that you left when you deleted everything else. Of course, if the program was developed by a competent designer (not pressed for time) this shouldn't be an issue ...

JB

Joan Wild

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Apr 1, 2013, 10:39:29 AM4/1/13

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JB Guernsey wrote:

> I would advise deleting all the data except for the first row (and
> any related rows in other tables). Heaven forbid that I would ever
> had been guilty of this (!) but sometimes programmers might
> neglect/forget to allow for Nulls in various formulas and variables
> and this might cause a problem when there is no data. Enter one new
> item and then delete the old row that you left when you deleted
> everything else. Of course, if the program was developed by a
> competent designer (not pressed for time) this shouldn't be an issue
> ...

I would delete all data, for the very reason you give. It allows you
to track down these problems and fix them so they do work properly.

Peter Jason

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Apr 1, 2013, 7:19:26 PM4/1/13

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Thanks. Would deleting just all the tables be
enough, given the queries are based on these?

David Hare-Scott

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Apr 1, 2013, 7:37:00 PM4/1/13

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Don't delete the tables just their data. Yes once the data is gone from the
tables it will be gone from any query using those tables.

D

JB Guernsey

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Apr 2, 2013, 5:16:59 AM4/2/13

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Hi Joan.

You are right, of course, but I took the impression that the OP was not a 'developer' and wouldn't know how to respond to any problems that might arise: hence the avoidance tactic.

JB

Bob Barrows

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Apr 2, 2013, 6:55:17 AM4/2/13

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Peter Jason wrote:
> On Mon, 1 Apr 2013 03:32:17 -0700 (PDT), JB
> Guernsey <je...@angelsystems.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> On Monday, April 1, 2013 2:05:17 AM UTC+1, Peter Jason wrote:
>>> I have an Access10 business database.
>>> I want to make two copies and use:
>>> 1/ For personal finances
>>> 2/ For Investment finances.

Why? Is performance suffering? Or do you need to use them on different
computers that have no connection between them?

>>> Is this as simple as copying the original under
>>> different names, deleting all the old data and
>>> starting again?
>

> Thanks. Would deleting just all the tables be
> enough, given the queries are based on these?

Why? Do you have separate tables for each type of finance? Not a good idea,
usually.

If you delete tables, you will need to delete any objects in the database
(queries, forms, reports) that refer to those tables, as well as adjusting
any macros or VBA code that refer to them, or else your database might not
compile.. You are much better off deleting the data. And it's not much
harder, really, to delete data instead of tables.

In your next version of this, you might consider storing all the finance
data in single tables, using a new column to identify which type of finance
the record contains. Then create a query (view) to return personal finances,
and another to return investment finances, using the new column as a filter.
In any form, report or query that referenced the original separate tables,
change the reference to the appropriate query.There's a tool called Find And
Replace out there that makes this sort of thing fairly easy. You might want
to google for it.

Peter Jason

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Apr 2, 2013, 7:03:11 PM4/2/13

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I was so sick of associating with developers (or
rather their representatives) I resolved to make
my own business application beginning with
Access97; and so I bought an armful of books.

Gradually I got the thing done, making adjustments
along the way and the extensive use of Wizards and
newsgroups now defunct.
http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/6577/relat.jpg

VBA code was quite beyond me, but I cut/pasted the
code of sample databases and trial & error did the
rest. The only time I called in a consultant was
to contrive a 4-level bill of materials based on
my existing structures and I fiddled with it to
make forms & reports.

Some things happed by accident- like an immortal
Xtab query - that I have not been able to
duplicate. The MSGraph97 still works to produce
charts.