compact on close option

[Janis]

Is it a good idea to use the option to compact a database on close if there
is a possibility there is corruption in a database. Last year the client had
a split database ascs.mdb and ascs_be.mdb and they had them both on a z:
drive and opened it from a shortcut. Everytime she ran a report she had to
compact the database first or she would get a runtime error I guess it was
looking for the backend. But it worked by compacting it. So there is a
chance there is corruption however I split the two up and I didn't get the
runtime error again. So what I want to know is safe to use the compact on
close option?

 

[Larry Daugherty]

Compact on close is only going to compact the FrontEnd, not your
BackEnd with the data.

HTH

 

[Janis]

Oh thanks, compacting the front end will not do anything in this case we only
need to save the back-end.

 

[Roger Carlson]

On my website (www.rogersaccesslibrary.com), is a small Access database
sample called "CompactBackEndDB.mdb" which illustrates how to do this. You
can find it here:
http://www.rogersaccesslibrary.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=378

--
--Roger Carlson
MS Access MVP
Access Database Samples: www.rogersaccesslibrary.com
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[Jeff Boyce]

Janis

Did I understand you correctly? The backend AND the frontend are both on a
network drive?

The preferred design is to leave the backend on the network, but place a
copy of the frontend on EVERY user's PC.

That way, one user experiencing difficulties with the "frontend" won't hose
it for everyone.

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

 

[Janis]

That is what happened but I moved it back to the users hard drive. Now we
are compacting it just in case. They did this for a whole year. Very
painful.

 

[Janis]

I do have a question though. Do you have to compact both databases or only
the backend? I would think you only have to compact the data file but I
don't know.

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Janis

Before Compact/Repair, make a (safety) backup copy.

If either the frontend or the backend has either temp tables and/or a number
of records being added/removed, they may periodically benefit from running
Compact/Repair.

On the other hand, I have some applications I support at my day job that I
haven't run Compact/Repair on in years ... and there've been no
complaints/issues by the users.

If your database is periodically requiring Compact/Repair, you need to be
looking for the cause of the corruption that leads to needing to run C/R.

Good luck!

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP