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

You don't need a server; I've got just two ordinary desktop computers connected to the same router and they work fine. Are your two computers in the same location, or would you need to use the Internet to connect them? If so Access won't be suitable; databases are VERY demanding of network traffic, and don't "play nice" over an Internet connection.

Answer 3

Is it possible to share an Access 2007 database without a network?  We don't have a server just two computers.  We thought about using Google Docs or Skydrive but, don't know if that will work.

Answer 4

Form response can indeed get a bit slower after splitting. By using techniques such as keeping an open link to a backend table, minimizing the number of fields in a form's recordsource, and so on, you can ease this slowing.

I've found that it's a lot better to have a usable form that takes a couple of seconds more to load instead of a form that locks up, becomes unusable from corruption, etc.

Tony is certainly NOT marketing the auto-updater by alledging that it improves performance; quite the opposite! He documents the loss of performance.

The autoupdater is an excellent tool, and he's put a lot of work into it; if you wish to use another tool, or write your own, you're perfectly welcome to do so - and you'll have exactly the same performance issue that Tony documents on his webpage.

Answer 5

Performance is worse after splitting - My personal experience

YOU JUST WANTED TO MARKET YOUR AUTO-FEU UPDATER, right? will anybody agrees of becoming it worse after splitting?