Help Sharing Database

[Blastbeats]

Hello, i am new to this forums and kind of new using access as well, i am developing a database atm and i am trying to share it for use with various computers at the same time, the problem is that i dont know how to share it properly, i tried using the sharepoint lists as tables but this is painfully slow, and it messed up my forms functionality too, i am open to suggestions since we have a network and everything, i dont think i can get sql server atm so im wondering what my options with access are

 

[tehNellie]

Standard option is to split your database into a Front End, which contains all the Forms, reports, code and queries. This can be distributed to your users.

The back end contains all your tables and can be placed on a network drive/share.

The front end connects to the back using linked tables.

There is a database splitting wizard in Access (in database Tools ribbon in 2007/2010) that will automatically split your current database into a front and backend for you and ask you where you want to place it, if you save it where you need it on your network share then all the linked tables should be set up properly and you can now distribute a copy of the front end to the users that need it. (assuming that everyone has the same network drive mapping).

 

[Blastbeats]

yeah, i saw that option as well and it seemed pretty convenient, the problem is that the only resource allowed for us to share files is the sharepoint itself, that has become an issue for me since they dont allow servers, so it doesnt work for me completely, i tried uploading the back end to sharepoint and its not possible either, i was also wondering if i can import/export files automatically to/from the sharepoint and then append those files to my database, thanks again for the help

 

[tehNellie]

You could do, it'd be messy though and trying to ensure that everyone using a copy of your database was using the same data would be an utter nightmare. I know there's better integration with Sharepoint in 2007 onwards, but I'd be a liar if I said I was that knowledgeable about it, perhaps someone else has some more thoughts on it.

If you can create a local share on your computer (without IT jumping on you) that might be a roundabout way to achieve it, obvious downside there is that the computer needs to be on all the time and, more importantly, you've got [important] data on a workstation that isn't being backed up.

 

[Blastbeats]

the IT thing made me laugh, they are actually making this 10 times harder than it has to be, but yeah ill consider that, thanks for the info but ill still try to find a way around with the sharepoint, maybe a web database, im still open to more suggestions to see what i can do or help me take a better decision with this

 

[tehNellie]

Perhaps a meeting with IT is a place to start? (I know, I know ) If they're actively preventing you implementing an Access Solution, what's their preferred solution? i.e. will they give you som space on a SQL server, or whatever DB infrastructure they use?