Is a way to locate specific error messages for Access 2007?

M

Marian M.

Does anyone know of a searchable list of Access 2007 error messages that is
available to general users? It would whole lot easier to be able to go to a
specific error message and find out what it means than to wade through
bunches of 'knowledge articles'. Especially when it is not clear how the
articles relate to the thing one is searching for.

Marian
 
B

Brendan Reynolds

Marian M. said:
Does anyone know of a searchable list of Access 2007 error messages that
is
available to general users? It would whole lot easier to be able to go to
a
specific error message and find out what it means than to wade through
bunches of 'knowledge articles'. Especially when it is not clear how the
articles relate to the thing one is searching for.

Marian
Click to expand...


The problem, I think, is that what an error message 'means', and the steps
required to resolve the problem, may depend on the specific circumstances in
which the error occurred. It's not really possible, I think, to provide a
list of error messages and explanations of 'what this error message means'.
If there was one, simple explanation for each message, it would be in the
error message in the first place.

For example, you might receive the error message 'ODBC call failed'. What
does this mean? It means exactly what it says, that an ODBC call failed. In
order to provide a more detailed explanation of what the underlying problem
might be, and how you might resolve it, it is necessary to ask questions.
Under what conditions was the error raised? Was a query being executed? If
so, what is the SQL statement for that query? What does the data look like?
Might any of the fields referenced in the WHERE clause contain null values?
etc., etc., etc.
 
M

Marian M.

Brendan Reynolds said:
The problem, I think, is that what an error message 'means', and the steps
required to resolve the problem, may depend on the specific circumstances in
which the error occurred. It's not really possible, I think, to provide a
list of error messages and explanations of 'what this error message means'.
If there was one, simple explanation for each message, it would be in the
error message in the first place.

For example, you might receive the error message 'ODBC call failed'. What
does this mean? It means exactly what it says, that an ODBC call failed. In
order to provide a more detailed explanation of what the underlying problem
might be, and how you might resolve it, it is necessary to ask questions.
Under what conditions was the error raised? Was a query being executed? If
so, what is the SQL statement for that query? What does the data look like?
Might any of the fields referenced in the WHERE clause contain null values?
etc., etc., etc.
Click to expand...

'ODBC call failed' may be clear to more experienced users, but I don't know
what ODBC is. Just now I searched on F1 for Access. This did lead me directly
to 'ODBC scalar functions', but in the explanation, it says, basically, 'if
you want to know more than what is here, see the ODBC documentation' without
saying whether the documentation comes with Access, can be found in
Microsoft's knowledge base, or is something you have to search for on the web.

In the instance that prompted my message, the error said something about a
'search key not found for this record.' It would be nice to be able to figure
out what a 'search key' is. I could find nothing on this, either in the help
that comes with F1 nor on the microsoft website. Not knowing what a search
key is, I had no way of interpreting the error message.

Perhaps what I'm look for is a glossary (lookup table, perhaps?) of all the
terms used in the error messages. After all, you can get System errors or
FLEXlm errors that are specified with just a number. Then you go look up what
System Error 10009 is, or whatever. The explanations that you find for these
codes tend explain what the error phrase means, as well as listing the error
phrase that goes with the error number.

Marian
 
B

Brendan Reynolds

In the instance that prompted my message, the error said something about a
'search key not found for this record.' It would be nice to be able to
figure
out what a 'search key' is. I could find nothing on this, either in the
help
that comes with F1 nor on the microsoft website. Not knowing what a search
key is, I had no way of interpreting the error message.
Click to expand...

Google is your best bet. I often find that the information I need is on
Microsoft's web site, but Microsoft's own search features will fail to find
it there, while Google will find it. Here's the result of a Google search
that you might find useful ...

http://www.google.ie/search?q=microsoft+access+search+key+record
Perhaps what I'm look for is a glossary (lookup table, perhaps?) of all
the
terms used in the error messages. After all, you can get System errors or
FLEXlm errors that are specified with just a number. Then you go look up
what
System Error 10009 is, or whatever. The explanations that you find for
these
codes tend explain what the error phrase means, as well as listing the
error
phrase that goes with the error number.
Click to expand...

That would be nice, yes, I just don't think it's practical. To follow on
from your example, the system error and the FLEXlm error are likely to be
raised by two different components, probably from different vendors,
certainly from different development teams. The Access team can't provide
you with a list of all the error messages you might encounter when working
with Access because they simply don't have that information. The list of
error messages that you might encounter while working with Access today is
not the same as the list of messages that I might encounter today, or that
you might encounter tomorrow.

That's not to say that there aren't some useful lists available, though.
Here's another Google search result that might help ...

http://www.google.ie/search?q=microsoft+access+error+code+message
 
M

Marian M.

Brendan Reynolds said:
Google is your best bet. I often find that the information I need is on
Microsoft's web site, but Microsoft's own search features will fail to find
it there, while Google will find it. Here's the result of a Google search
that you might find useful ...

http://www.google.ie/search?q=microsoft+access+search+key+record


That would be nice, yes, I just don't think it's practical. To follow on
from your example, the system error and the FLEXlm error are likely to be
raised by two different components, probably from different vendors,
certainly from different development teams. The Access team can't provide
you with a list of all the error messages you might encounter when working
with Access because they simply don't have that information. The list of
error messages that you might encounter while working with Access today is
not the same as the list of messages that I might encounter today, or that
you might encounter tomorrow.

That's not to say that there aren't some useful lists available, though.
Here's another Google search result that might help ...

http://www.google.ie/search?q=microsoft+access+error+code+message
Click to expand...

Thank you,
Marian Mitchell
 
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