Moving Split DB from Network to Sharepoint

[mounty76]

Hello!

I have a large db which is split with 15 FE users, to my dismay I've been told the networked shared drive is being deleted at the end of this week and we are now going to have to use a SharePoint.

Is there a way to migrate the split db onto SharePoint? I have only found about this today and have til the end of the week to sort it out, so any ideas would be most welcome!! :banghead:

Many Thanks

 

[AccessBlaster]

The bigger question moving forward, will Microsoft support Sharepoint in the future.

 

[mounty76]

Not sure, but this doesn't help me out now

 

[Mark_]

Does your I.T. department have a backup plan if you cannot convert in the time frame provided? I'd check to see what they plan to do if you can't get it working as required by next week.

 

[mounty76]

Probably not! Haha! I will have to take the db back and join it together and keep the FE's then not use it until such time as I figure out what I can do, I'd rather migrate it over it possible though as it means the db cannot be used properly as intended, it's not a massive issue if it waits a week or so but would like to get it done.

Cheers

 

[Pat Hartman]

SharePoint CANNOT be used to share an Access .mdb/.accdb back end. The Access BE can only be shared on a LAN powered by Windows/DOS since it is the Windows file sharing that makes the file sharing work.

You could convert the BE to SharePoint Lists but that may not be easy and will almost certainly require changes to the application. This is not something you will be able to do in less than a week with no planning.

The Server has to stay or the Access app dies!!

Another solution which will be much more expensive is to use Citrix to host the application. This will run around $50 per month per user so if that is cheaper than keeping the server in service, that can be accomplished in most cases with no application changes. I can't say 100% because there may be issues depending on whether the app requires other software to interact with such as a PDF reader/wrriter and other office products.

 

[mounty76]

Hi Pat,

Thanks for the info. We actually have Citrix with Access 2013 Ctx. Where would I start in converting the current networked BE/FE database onto Citrix...sorry complete novice on this with an IT dept that have little knowledge in Access.

Cheers

 

[Mark_]

Unless you are doing something that requires 3rd party tools you should be able to simply copy over the back end to a shared location. Each user would need to be able to copy the front end to their virtual desktop.

I'd suggest doing a search on this forum for Citrix to see what others have needed to do. For the most part you will need to get the virtual machine set up so multiple users are not accessing the same copy of the front end at the same time.

 

[NauticalGent]

The bigger question moving forward, will Microsoft support Sharepoint in the future.

In a word, no.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Talk to your Citrix people. You will need to make them understand that EVERY SINGLE USER MUST HAVE HIS OWN PERSONAL COPY OF THE FE. Just as when running on a LAN, sharing the FE is a recipe for disaster. For some reason, Citrix admins have trouble with this concept. Do NOT back down. They are wrong. I (and all the other Access experts) am right! I've included a batch file that I use for my Citrix clients.

md %USERPROFILE%\DwgLog
del %USERPROFILE%\DwgLog\DrawingLog.accdb
copy "\\BSCCTIMBERLINE1\Timberline Office\AccessApps\Data\CommonFE\DrawingLog.accdb" %USERPROFILE%\DwgLog
%USERPROFILE%\DwgLog\DrawingLog.accdb

Your Citrix admin will help you move the BE to the Citrix server. You will need to move the FE to a locked directory on the Citrix server. Only YOU and the Admin should have update access to this folder. Once the FE is in this folder, relink the BE to the BE on the Citrix server. Then the FE is ready for distribution. Have the admin make a shortcut on the Citrix desktop that executes your batch file. The batch file will copy the FE from the locked folder on the Citrix server down to the personal directory of each user.

 

[AccessBlaster]

In a word, no.

Our organization dropped Sharepoint from the server side 2-3 years ago. We also dropped Outlook an opted for Google.

 

[NauticalGent]

My sad tale:

https://www.access-programmers.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=297552