Unable to access MS accdb

[J_Rich]

Hello,
I inherited an accdb the allow colleagues to enter data to be tracked/retrieved at a later date. The problem is, I have several contract colleagues needing access but they're not able to. They have been granted all necessary access for the DB but something is still blocking them. I'm wondering if there's some type of code or something within the build that allows permanent colleagues to access but restricts others.

 

[Jon]

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[GPGeorge]

Hello,
I inherited an accdb the allow colleagues to enter data to be tracked/retrieved at a later date. The problem is, I have several contract colleagues needing access but they're not able to. They have been granted all necessary access for the DB but something is still blocking them. I'm wondering if there's some type of code or something within the build that allows permanent colleagues to access but restricts others.

Maybe you could share error messages that appear when your colleagues try to open the accdb.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

When you say "Inherited" there are a series of likely age-related issues. Without knowing the errors they get, we would only be guessing.

How old is this database we are discussing? (Either its Access version number or year of creation would help.)

When you say they have all necessary access for the DB, are you specifically talking about file permissions? Because not only will they need permissions for the DB, they will also need them for the folder.

 

[J_Rich]

Maybe you could share error messages that appear when your colleagues try to open the accdb.

I don't have the exact verbiage in front of me as I'm not at work and don't Ave my PC. But, I believe it says "Can't access loced file". I will check tomorrow if this is the exact error message.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

If it says that it cannot access a locked file, then you need to look for either the .LDB or .LACCDB file that is the lock data file for the database. It will have the same name as the database but a different file type. Two thoughts come to mind.

First, if the file is being opened EXCLUSIVE then to everyone else the file is locked, regardless of permissions.

Second, you need permissions of type MODIFY on the actual DB file or back-end AND you need MODIFY on the folder holding the file or files. Further, if they are on a network and the DB's folder is deeper than just being in the root folder, any folders in the path between the folder holding the DB and the root folder of that drive need at least the PASSTHRU permission, or the broad-brush version is READ.

But another thought pops up. Is this a split (i.e. has front-end and back-end) database or a monolithic (i.e. single-file) database? Because then there is the question of how your users are using the file.

 

[J_Rich]

First, if the file is being opened EXCLUSIVE then to everyone else the file is locked, regardless of permissions.

Can you clarify "EXCLUSIVE"? Also, I will check if the file is split which I don't think it is. Additionally, the file is within a folder with numerous other files options

If it says that it cannot access a locked file, then you need to look for either the .LDB or .LACCDB file that is the lock data file for the database. It will have the same name as the database but a different file type. Two thoughts come to mind.

First, if the file is being opened EXCLUSIVE then to everyone else the file is locked, regardless of permissions.

Second, you need permissions of type MODIFY on the actual DB file or back-end AND you need MODIFY on the folder holding the file or files. Further, if they are on a network and the DB's folder is deeper than just being in the root folder, any folders in the path between the folder holding the DB and the root folder of that drive need at least the PASSTHRU permission, or the broad-brush version is READ.

But another thought pops up. Is this a split (i.e. has front-end and back-end) database or a monolithic (i.e. single-file) database? Because then there is the question of how your users are using the file.

Hello,
The exact error message is "There was an error executing the command".

 

[The_Doc_Man]

There are two modes available to open an ACCESS file for use - exclusive and non-exclusive. A file opened in exclusive mode cannot be shared by simultaneous users. The exclusive user must close the session before another user could get in. A non-exclusive mode allows multiple users to get in and use the file at once.

Here is a link that will give you an idea of how you could possible get to Exclusive mode.

How to Open a Database in Exclusive Mode in Access 2016

www.quackit.com

That error message is pretty much useless. It would be nice to know WHICH error occurred when executing the command. I would think that there might be more to it than that.