Splitting a database

[Tumby]

Hi!
I have never split a database before and am a bit puzzled!

I am trying this out on my own PC before I actually do it for real!

I have successfully split the db the BE is fine just tables.
The db that is left after the split which I assume is the front end- is fine, but when I link the tables to it they show on the FE and you can get into them. I expected the FE to be just forms, queries, reports etc...

What am I doing wrong?

 

[Rabbie]

The FE should have links to the tables in the BE. How did you split your DB? Did you do it manually or did you use the wizard? If you used the wizard then the tables you see will be linked tables.

 

[Tumby]

I used the wizard, but the FE didn't work, so I tried linking the tables.
I'll try it again and see what happens.
I was under the impression that access named both parts of the split, FE and BE.

 

[Tumby]

Have tried again-
BE is OK just tables- but the front end (the db that is left after splitting) is still complete, the tables are linked but can still be used!

I have realized that I make the users PC's start up at the main form (it is tabbed) and not to display the database window.

 

[gemma-the-husky]

splitting a database is best understood as a conceptual thing

imagine you have a database with tables

tableA, tableB, tableC

-------------
now copy this database to a shared server (just in windows) so you have two identical databases (but one is no the server)

Now in a shared environment you should not have users sharing/using the same copy of the database - each user should have his own copy to use, but (and this is the important thing) they should all be sharing the same copy of the data.

So in the copy on your own machine you now delete all the tables, tableA, tableB, tableC - so you still have all the code, but no data tables

Now you link your database to the tables on the server copy

File/Get External Data/Link Tables, select tableA, B, C etc

you will now see tableA, B, C in your code database as before, but they will now have a little black arrow, to show they are linked rather than local

--------
Once you have done this, you have succesfully split the database - you have a front end with no tables, and a back end with tables. Every userr has a copy of the front end, and they all share the same back end

----------
Further Issues

1. There are a few things that might not work in split databases (eg using indexes seek methods)

2. You can delete everything from the back end other than the tables (but you dont have to)

3. If you change functionality of the front end, you can distribute this to all users, without needing to change the data backend

4. If you change the data structures in the back end, you may then need to reissue a different front end

5. You can automate the procedure of managing front ends, and linking to back ends correctly - lots of examples here

6. You can use dbs utilities to split the dbs, but all it does is these simple steps covered here. I would never bother ot use the dbs splitter - what you need is the stuff in 5 above - a decent mechanism to automatically manage the links

7. Make sure you back up the shared data on your server frequently

8. As long as you have a safe copy of the front end, that doesnt matter - its only code and can easily be replaced if it gets corrupted