Multiple Users Accessing Database

Question

Hi,

I currently have a database sitting on a computer that is sharing the database with other computers.  If someone logs into the database on the computer that it is sitting on first, another user (from another computer) cant go into the database.  If a different user (person that is networked to the database) goes in first, then the user who has it on their computer can go on too.  Any ideas what is going on.  If it makes any difference, there are tables that are linked to this database. 

Thanks

Answer 1

A shared database should be "split" into a shared Backend (containing only tables), and a Frontend containing all your forms, reports, queries and code. Each user should have their own individual copy of the frontend, all linked to the same backend over the network. Sharing a frontend, or a single database, is a recipe for corruption, bad performance, and the kind of lockouts that you're seeing.

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John W. Vinson/MVP

Answer 2

turbon5.0 wrote:

Any idea why I am experiencing this, because on other databases I didn't have to split it and had no problems of people accessing it at the same time?  Note that in the current database it only occurs if a user accesses the database on the computer physically.  If the mapped user accesses the database first, this problem doesn't occur.

Some folks have reported the same thing.  I don't quite know why. I suspect if I

discussed the issue for an hour or two with those folks we'd find out why their apps

behave so nicely.

However another problem is how do you work on the app?   You can work on your own

copy but to deploy your changes you are going to have to ensure everyone is out of

the shared Access database file on the server and then import all your changes.  That

alone is a significant hassle.  Especially given that when working at clients I will

deploy a new update every few hours or day or so.

Tony

Answer 3

Daniel Pineault wrote:

Yes.  Performance should improve and most importantly, you drastically reduce the risk of your database becoming corrupted!!!

In some situations splitting the database will decrease performance.  Sometimes quite

significantly.   Performance is worse after splitting - My personal experience

aka How to speed up complex forms and reports with many records each with subreports.

http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/splitapp/performance.htm

On the other hand, after spending hours, and hours developing, revising,... the vbs script. I became aware of a beautiful utility to deploy the front-end to user.  See:http://www.autofeupdater.com/ 

Thank you for your kind words.   Note though that the next version of the

AutoFEUpdater will almost certainly no longer be free to use.  

Tony (author of the Auto FE Updater.)

Answer 4

Any idea why I am experiencing this, because on other databases I didn't have to split it and had no problems of people accessing it at the same time?  Note that in the current database it only occurs if a user accesses the database on the computer physically.  If the mapped user accesses the database first, this problem doesn't occur.