Greetings All.

Here is what I dream of: I have a potential client that has at least 100 reports they need to access. I was thinking..what if I put the reports in a database on the server. Then when someone on the network called for certain reports, the reports could be copied down to the users computer for use, after use the report can be deleted from the users computer.

Is that an impossible dream?

dakcg

dakcg,

If you have 100 stable reports, they all belong in a front-end on
each user's machine. When a report runs, there is no network
traffic to transfer a report ... and hopefully, there is a minimum
of data traversing the net.

If they're not stable, do as above, and install updates as
needed.

If you try to move reports around, or try to run them from a
remote Access database, you'll probably start encountering
performance problems.

Wayne

Thanks for the reply

The main problem I have is: Can Access contain 100 + reports without slowing down the database.

But the main reason that I thought to put them on one area on the server, is because they have said that they need to be able to change the report and have it move through the network, thus the thought of saving it on one place on the network, where it can be changed and called down when needed.

Make sense?

dakcg

dakcg,

Access can easily catalog 100 reports. That doesn't even begin to tap
its resources. But, that seems like a lot of reports.

It makes sense that the reports are dynamic. But if "changing" the report
can be achieved by altering sets of parameters, then I definitely wouldn't
move them around the network.

How are they "changing" the reports?

Wayne

Wayne,

These reports are mostly Legal reports that have set terms. But they did tell me that sometimes they have to change the reports, for diferent terms.
dakcg

dakch,

What's involved in changing a report for different terms? Is it really
necessary to change the reports design?

Need more info.

Wayne

Hi,

the document in question are legal documents, and due to goverments habit to change laws, these documents have to be able to change when needed.

If the terms are changeable, they should be stored in tables rather than hardcoded in labels on reports. That would allow them to be changed at will.

Thanks Pat. That is an idea that I had not considered, I will have to look into this.

Question: Right now they use a Word merge for the reports, but they have a lot of errors. Is having the reports in Access safer than depending on a Word Merge? Can you get a Word merge to produce multiple reports without having to export them one at a time?

Thank you all for your help

dakcg

If its a straight choice between Access Reports and Word mail merge, I'd go for Access reports every time. I've done alot of Word mailmerge from access and while it works 95% of the time, accounting for every eventuality of Word automation behaviour (and end user behaviour) is a pain.

In your position, I'd save myself alot of time and use reports. The time I save I would expend in making the user interface for the customisation as intuitive and as flexible as possible.

You might want to consider purchasing one of the third-party Rich Text controls. This will give you formatting capability similar to Word. FMS sells one - www.fmsinc.com