Question Network Problem?

[JoeyB_99]

I am currently using Access 2010, and have successfully split a database, using the Access wizard.

However, whenever a second or third user opens the database - with their front-end database file - they encounter the following message;

The Microsoft Access Database engine cannot open or write to the file ". It is already opened exclusively by another user, or you need permission to view and write its data.

I have researched the internet and see that it has something to do with network permissions. I have worked with my IT department and this appears to be resolved!

Is there a setting I need to check in the front-end and/or back-end copies of the databases?

Has anyone else encountered this and successfully resolved it?

Can someone please explain this message to me? Why is there no file name in the error message?

 

[GinaWhipp]

That message normally appears when Users are sharing the same front end. Is that the case?

 

[Mihail]

I think that that depend from the Record Locks property for forms.
Take a look to the Form's property sheet at this property.
If the property is set to All Records so this can be the explanation for your issue.
Also if the property is set to Edited Record. In this case Access lock not only one record. It lock a page (that mean that more than one record are locked). But in this case the error do not appear all the time.
Google a little bit and you will gain better explanation than I can give you about this.

 

[JoeyB_99]

Thanks Mihail. But I checked every form and this setting is No Locks.

Do you happen to have any other suggestions/checks?

 

[Mihail]

Yes I have. Unfortunately, far away from brilliant ideas.
The last one: You have open a record set and forget to close it.

 

[Mihail]

And this one.
I have copy this because I'm not sure if the forums rules allow me to provide a link to other forums. Can I ?

Not sure I would go the route of having a separate frontend interface on each individual computer verses a central frontend on the server somewhere (and have a routine which clones the frontend and opens the cloned file or just have the users use 1 frontend mdb/mde) but I don't want to tell you how to set it up. Regarding the compacting and *.ldb file...if a user has a frontend open (which has linked tables to the backend), and you attempt to compact/repair the backend, you'll most likely get an error that the backend is locked. I wouldn't recommend attempting to compact/repair the backend while a user has the frontend open. If you look at the folder the backend is in and see an *.ldb file, someone has the frontend open which has the linked tables to that backend or has the backend open itself (or the backend is in a corrupted state.)
1. Make sure everyone using the frontend also has read/write permissions to the folder the backend resides in (this can cause problems and leave an *.ldb file hanging.) You never want to see an *.ldb file in the backend folder if everyone is out of the frontend and backend. This means the backend wasn't closed properly or is in disarray (or someone has it/the frontend open). But users need read/write permissions to the folder (so an *.ldb file can be created when the user opens the frontend that links to the backend) and read/write permissions to the backend mdb file. The way it works is this....When a user opens the frontend on their machine, a *.ldb file is created for the frontend and a *.ldb file is created for the backend. You'll see the *.ldb file in the same folder the *.mdb file is in. For example, I open the frontend called: MyFrontEnd.mdb on my machine in FolderX which links to a backend called: TheBackEnd.mdb on the server in a folder called CentralFolder. I should see MyFrontEnd.ldb in FolderX and TheBackEnd.ldb in CentralFolder. When the user closes their frontend, their *.ldb file dissappears and the *.ldb file for the backend may or may not dissappear depending on if all the other frontends are closed as well (and again, no one has the backend mdb open.) If all is good and done, you shouldn't see any *.ldb files hanging out there when everyone is closed out.
2. Make sure the backend has enough disk space. If not, when compacting/repairing you could very easily trash the mdb.
3. Make sure there's a good network connection and good connection speed for all users to the backend folder. Nothing worse than a user constantly locking up the backend because their connection via the frontend is slow.
4. MAKE BACKUPS of your backend/frontend (this should be a given - copy/paste.)
5. Don't put code in the frontend to automatically compact/repair the backend on a network drive - this is just silly to me. Check also in Tools - Options - General that Compact on Close is NOT checked (a dumb option to even have if you ask me.).
6. Check to make sure in the Tools - Options - Advanced tab (I believe it's the same for all Access versions) - the default open mode is set to shared verses exclusive (and No Record locks is selected.)
7. Refresh the linked tables in all the frontend interfaces (Tools - Database Utilities - Linked Table Manager.) If you made table changes and didn't refresh the tables in one of the frontends, this could cause problems.

 

[JoeyB_99]

Thanks Gina, but that is not the case here. All 'front-ends' are archived and run from the user's local hard-drive (C:\).