ALL DATA Has disappeared from Main and back up copy of db. Lost as to how.

[zestygirl]

I know I posted a similar thread in General: no one has read it and I think I need an expert. Hopefully will find one here. Totally confused.

I have a database that is on a server, populated with a bunch of data and forms. There is a security file associated with it that has 10 different logons, each with special accesses, as well as an administrator password. There are 10 users. They are able to delete records.

Each user has the shortcut to the Dbase on their desktop, pointing to the main database on the server.

There is a 'back up' copy of the dbase on the same server right next to the original, that even points to the same security file. (not my idea, but, oh well. I would've put the back up far away somewhere with a separate copy of the security file where users couldn't touch it).

The users arrived this morning to find all of their shortcuts missing from their desktops, the security file no longer associated with the database, (so it didn't prompt for login) and all the entered data GONE from the database tables AND gone from the "Back Up" as well. (if we want to even call it a back up, it had all the same problems as the main dbase).

I had the user re-associate the database with a back up copy of the security file. The user was then able to open the dbase using his password, but, the data remains missing, or deleted, or whatever. It has totally disappeared from both databases.

My suspicion? Antivirus/spam software has gobbled up the shortcuts, data and corrupted the connection between dbase and security file? How else could the shortcut on every users desktop just vanish?? As well as all the data in both the Main and Back up Databases??

Any ideas Geniuses? Do you think the data might have been zapped via some other method? If antivirus software has gotten it, do you think it could it be recovered? Possible that corrupted security has caused this? I've never seen anything like this. I am shaking my head and wanting to smack the 'lead user' who's brilliant idea it was to leave the back up accessible to all.

Ideas, suggestions, sympathy welcome.

 

[DJkarl]

I'm not aware of any anti-virus software that would delete file contents rather than quarratine the whole file (with the exception of system files). It is odd that the users shortcuts all disappeared, this may be a network policy of some kind if you're on a domain (just guessing). The bad news is unless the server has some sort of tape back up of the file your data is likely gone for good.

 

[DCrake]

Were you the author of the program? and was it you that configured the system to work as it did?

It seems to me that the database was not split and the shortcuts on the desktop were pointing to a single application that everyone logged in to.

This being the case then this was corruption waiting to happen. I would retreat through you sequential backups from IT until you find a copy tha tis usable.

 

[zestygirl]

Thank you both for your thoughtful responses.

David: This is the first time I have written something as complex as this for a group of users....yes, the master copy was sitting un-split on the server, each user utilizing a shortcut pointing to it....the lead user would 'back up' by copying and pasting the master database (I had planned to write something automated for backing up at some point).

How was this a case of 'corruption waiting to happen'? How would splitting the database benefit us? Would you say the main issue is security, protection of the database, or potential for user corruption? Or are all of these issues present?

PS: The users have access to enter data into forms. they cannot look at or view the database window or tables. Their menus have also been restricted.

Please tell me more....as for the 'missing data', is it possible corruption could be the culprit for wiping the data if indeed antivirus is not capable of this kind of action? Or is it more likely a double-error on the part of a user, who somehow managed to delete data from the master, and then do it again in the back up?

Thank you again.

I am just starting to write applications for 'other people'. I have normally been the user and administrator of the databases I've written...so these kinds of isses are a little foreign to me.

 

[DJkarl]

the lead user would 'back up' by copying and pasting the master database

I would lean towards this being the culprit, if the lead user copied the database before any change were made to it, then copied it again (this time in the wrong direction) it would have overwritten the most current file with the pristine original. If your database works fine except it has no data then this seems most likely, corruption usually pops multiple errors when opening a database.

 

[DCrake]

Yes I have Seen this happen before with disaterious consequences.

Here today, gone tomorrow. I know you said copy and paste, but what is the actual procedure that occurs. Do you append dates to the end of the backup files? store them on the same drive?

 

[boblarson]

How was this a case of 'corruption waiting to happen'? How would splitting the database benefit us?

Using an unsplit database with multiple users over a network is like playing Russian Roullette with your data. Access is very sensitive and one of the most common reasons for corruption is having someone in the database at just the moment a network connection drops, even for a millisecond. When that occurs, sometimes you are lucky and no corruption has occurred or very little. But most of the time you get to restore from a backup at that point because it is usually hosed.

When you have a split database and EACH USER has a copy of the frontend on their machine, then things are safer in that:

1. The backend is on the network drive and while the frontend is connected to it, there isn't likely anything flowing between the two most of the time so you don't have the network disconnection issue as much.

2. If the network disruption occurs, then most of the time, if anything is corrupted, it would be the frontend of the user who was connected and doing something at the time. But their frontend may be corrupt but the likelihood of the backend suffering from corruption is very low and if that users suffers corruption you can simply give them a new copy of the database to get back at it. And in the meantime, nobody else is affected and can keep doing their work and therefore you have less downtime than if your database is unsplit and it gets hosed. If that happens then EVERYBODY can't do their work.

3. When using a shared database file (even a shared frontend from a split database) you would have that in the network location and then since Access runs on the local machine, the network gets bogged down because it has to pass all of the Access objects over the wire that each user is using (not talking just data here, but forms, reports, etc) and that takes up bandwidth. So, not only does it increase the likelihood that the frontend would become corrupt but it also would potentially slow things way down.

I hope that explanation helps.