Re: Refreshing table links
Vincent Verheul
1) Refreshing table-links becomes necessary when you would distribute a
Front-end / Back-end application to others. The receiving party would
install the Front-end / Back-end on any location on their computer. As a
result, the Front-end will still be pointing to a path that existed on your
computer which most likely will not exist on the receiving party's computer.
Therefore he/she will want to refresh / re-link the Front-end to the
Back-end on the current location on his/her computer. Another reason for
refresing occurs when the back-end was compacted. I noticed (at least with
Access 2003) that a Front-end sometimes may get confused and issue an error
that the field is to small to hold the data in field xyz.
2) If you want to manage Front-end versions in a multi-user environment
there is an excellent tool called the Auto FE Updater by Tony Toews, have a
look at www.autofeupdater.com Your users will start this little program
(StartMDB.exe) via a desktop shortcut that you have placed on the central
server. They will not start your Front-end Access application directly.
StartMDB.exe will read the .ini file that you have configured. Here it will
find where your master copy of your Front-end is located. A first time use
will cause StartMDB.exe to copy the master copy to a local folder on the
user's computer and start it from there. Any subsequent call to StartMDB.exe
will compare dates and do a new copy as necessary to make sure the user has
the latest version. The users don't need to know where you have put your
back-end at all. You make sure that the Front-end is linked to the correct
location for the Back-end. Works perfectly!
See also newsgroup microsoft.public.access.multiuser
Vincent
"Doc" <D...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:383CE349-2505-449C...@microsoft.com...
> This is a two part question, the first is just looking for some insight:
>
> 1) Every where I look, everyone always refers to refreshing table links,
> my
> question is why is this so necessary? What function does refreshing table
> links accomplish, and is there a way around it?
>
> 2) I am really struggling with a back-end issue. I have the database
> setup
> so each user has a local copy of the front end, which is linked to a back
> end
> on a file server. The permissions on the folder is a little odd, but is
> fairly effecient. The primary folder contains the master copy of the
> front
> end, and when I have updated the front end, this is the location all users
> download the file from. All users have modify access to this part of the
> folder. The folder also contains a sub folder, which everyone has been
> denied access but myself. Inside that folder, is another folder, which
> restores the modify access for everyone. Inside that folder, is the
> backend.
> It creates an environment where a user can not simply browse and find the
> backend file, but still have full access to the tables which are linked to
> the back end. Works perfectly 98% of the time. Just to put it into
> words,
> here is an example:
>
> N:\Database\PerTrack\ - All users modify access (contains front end
> master)
> N:\Database\PerTrack\Data\ - All users denied access (exception of myself)
> N:\Database\PerTrack\Data\dq304gvbha\ - All users modify access (contains
> back end)
>
> For some reason, on certain computers, in certain circumstances, the front
> end can not find the back end. Since refreshing links takes time, I have
> a
> table dedicated to tracking the last time the database was refreshed, and
> refreshes when the last date was more than a week ago. In seemingly
> random
> events, when a user opens the database, it can not find the backend, and
> therefore can not find the table, and therefore errors out of the startup
> procedure. When I receive the call, and go to the users pc, all I have to
> do
> to fix the issue is type in the exact path of the back end in the run
> dialog
> box, so the folder that contains the back end opens (would be the
> N:\Database\PerTrack\Data\dq304gvbha\ example) . Once I open and close
> the
> folder, and relaunch the database, everything works perfectly. As well as
> if
> I am not available, the user simply restarts their PC, and asks everyone
> else
> to exit the database. They are then able to enter, and everyone else also
> re-enters without concern.
>
> Thoughts?????? Solutions?????? Thanks!!!!!