My database is to "go-live" soon (thanks to many of you kind folks), and will be used by up to 15 folks here. They will have read-only access (already set by user-level security wizard).

Having read that I need to split my database, I am assuming I use the Database Splitter….

However, I have a few questions which I have not yet found concrete answers to:

How do I go about placing the front-end database on each of their PCs?
Right now the (unsplit) database is sitting out on a file server--and that will be the location of the back-end database (folks do not have permission to access this server). Would I place the front end in an accessible folder for them and ask them to place it somewhere on their hard drive…..or just leave it there and distribute the shortcut to it?


What about the shortcut?
Since the database has user-level security I was just going to email them the shortcut that allows them (with password) to open the secured database. After I split the database I am assuming I would point the shortcut to the FE …since that is what I want them to access…..

What about updates that I may have to make to the forms or reports in the future…?
If I make form/report changes (front end stuff) do I thereafter have to again distribute the front end? I guess this would make a case for placing the FE on a common file server area (where the users have permissions) so I just need to replace it in one place….?

thanks for any clarifications to the above...
sjl

Take a look at Bob's free front end auto update tool at http://www.btabdevelopment.com/main/MyFreeAccessTools/tabid/78/Default.aspx

Bob is our super mega uber moderator here and has provided an excellent service in making this program available.

I think you don't understand the concept of the FE/BE split. The BE resides on a server that you can access from any client in the network. The FE resides on each individual user's PC. You can manage the updates of the FE with Bob's aforementioned software.

Before you distribute the FE, make sure that the links to the tables point at the fully qualified name (UNC) of the BE. Once you do that, distributing the FE is moderately simple.

Bob is our super mega uber moderator here and has provided an excellent service in making this program available.

Thanks George - I don't know that I would describe myself in quite the same vein though. :)


As mentioned by George, if you use my Frontend Auto Update Enabling tool, it will enable you to do auto updates of your frontends. Yes, the first distribution you will need to get it to people somehow and that is in your court. But, if you have enabled auto updating, then you can just go into your master file on the network, make your changes, change the version number in two tables (one in the frontend and one in the frontend that is linked to the backend), then when your users open their frontend and the version numbers don't match it will tell them that their frontend is out-of-date and it will close, delete the old file, copy the new file, and then reopen for them automatically.

I had to create this for a big healthcare provider I worked for which originally had over 100 users using a single mdb frontend on the server and they wondered why it crashed each week, or several times each week. So, once we implemented this and moved to frontends on each user's machine, they never had a corruption issue again as long as I was there.

Thanks for the replies, George and Bob; very glad to learn of your FE and BE apps, Bob. I will read them through today.

Still not sure how/where I should place copies of the Front End.

Currently, my shortcut's Target is:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\MSACCESS.EXE" "\\ncfile1\IRB\Regulatory.mdb" /WRKGRP "\\ncfile1\IRB\Security.mdw"

Assuming that the secured database's shortcut points to the front end, it seems that I will have to customize each user's shortcut if the FE is placed at a different place on each person's computer (or personal server space).

Really I am just wondering about the mechanics of this--do you instruct users to create a folder at a specific path on the local server, then ask them to copy the FE database to that folder? Or, does this folder have to be on their hard drive?

Then do I distribute the shortcut with those particular specs (i.e., path and file name) and have them place it on their desktop? Just wondering how programmers implement this....

hoping this is making sense....

sjl

I usually just tell them to put it in a common location. For example, I had one app where I just said you have to use: C:\HDCC2

But, I will tell you that the code that gets placed in the frontend auto update tool will need to have some "tweaking" done to it for using an mdw file. The current tool only deals with unsecured databases, but there was someone who posted here a solution for modifying the batch file script that gets generated when the auto update occurs, so it would reopen it for them.

Bob,
thanks! That clears things up a bit for me. I'm just going to bite the bullet and try the db splitting with a copy and see what happens. Thanks for the heads up about using the auto update tool with a secured db.
Sarah

Actually, this post might get you through it:

http://www.access-programmers.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=120147

perfect, i'll take a look.
gracias.

I usually just tell them to put it in a common location. For example, I had one app where I just said you have to use: C:\HDCC2


Bob / others...

What happens if I place the front end of my database in a common folder out on the file server. Will the thing blow up if they are all sourcing the same copy? (They will each have a shortcut to the front end database on their desktop. The database has user-level security and each user is only granted read-only access). :confused:

thanks,
sjl

It will not work as you desire. Each person should have their own copy.

What happens if I place the front end of my database in a common folder out on the file server.

You run a great risk of corruption of the frontend that way.

Hi SJ,

I recently released a db.

I emailed it to them telling them to drag the icon onto their desktop. I used Bob's code (with his help!). Whilst the db size is still small (before use obv) it's perfect.

Had no complaints and works smoothly.