Bloody obvious question

  • Thread starter Michael Calwell
  • Start date
M

Michael Calwell

Hello,

I'm new to access, coming from MySQL and more server orientated databases.

Can somebody confirm that I can have an access database file sitting on
a fileserver, and two different people on different computers can access
that file at the same time and update the database without "File in use"
errors?

We are thinking of migrating our excel spreadsheets, and that's the
primary driver.

TIA

Michael
 
D

Douglas J. Steele

As long as they have at least Read, Write, eXecute and Delete permissions on
the folder where the MDB file exists, they shouldn't have any problem. This
is because Access creates a locking file (.LDB file) in that folder when the
first user accesses the database, updates it as subsequent users access the
database, and deletes it when the last user closes the database.

BTW, make sure you split the database into a front-end (containining the
queries, forms, reports, macros and modules), linked to a back-end
(containing just the tables). Only the back-end should be on the server:
each user should have his/her own copy of the front-end, preferably on their
hard drive. This will improve performance, and significantly reduce the risk
of database corruption.
 
M

Michael Calwell

Douglas said:
As long as they have at least Read, Write, eXecute and Delete permissions on
the folder where the MDB file exists, they shouldn't have any problem. This
is because Access creates a locking file (.LDB file) in that folder when the
first user accesses the database, updates it as subsequent users access the
database, and deletes it when the last user closes the database.

BTW, make sure you split the database into a front-end (containining the
queries, forms, reports, macros and modules), linked to a back-end
(containing just the tables). Only the back-end should be on the server:
each user should have his/her own copy of the front-end, preferably on their
hard drive. This will improve performance, and significantly reduce the risk
of database corruption.
Click to expand...

Douglas,

Thank you for your reply. What we will have is one PC acting as both a
server and a client. It this OK?

Michael
 
D

Douglas J. Steele

Michael Calwell said:
Douglas,

Thank you for your reply. What we will have is one PC acting as both a
server and a client. It this OK?
Click to expand...

Not sure I understand what you mean by that. Unlike, say, SQL Server or
Oracle, Access isn't a server-based DBMS.

Are you saying that you don't have a server, but a peer-to-peer LAN, and the
back-end database will exist on one of the workstations that will also be
used by one of the users? That should work.

If you meant something else, please explain.
 
A

Albert D.Kallal

Thank you for your reply. What we will have is one PC acting as both a
server and a client. It this OK?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is ok. Do note that if you are using ms-access to "linked" tables to
a Excel sheet, you still do NOT get multi-user
(I don't think you are doing this, but a number of posters here do link
"tables" to Excel sheets, and then come up with the bright idea to then try
and make Excel multi-user by sharing this mdb that has links to Excel).

For using ms-access in a multi-user environment, I explain "why" you split
(not just tell you) here:

http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal/Articles/split/index.htm

Do read the above..and you should then be right up to speed on how you
deploy this....

As a general rule, you don't need to change anything to have the application
multi-user.....
 
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