Linked forms to the database in network shared drive!

[Nou]

Hi there,
I created a database with vba access and put one of them in the desktop and one of them in shared network drives and went to external data section in access and created a linked table for multiple users, so now whatever they insert in the access file in their desktop, it goes to the database in the shared network drives.My question is that, I also have different forms in the access files and how can I linked the forms in to the forms in shared network drives, cause whenever I want to change something in forms, I should go and change it for each user on his desktop,but if I could find a way to link all the forms for each user to the forms in network drive,then whenever I want to change something in the forms,I can go to the network drives and change it and it will change for each user's file on his desktop too,so how can I linked my forms to the one in shared network drives like the tables?

Thank you

[orange]

Access basics.

With multi user set up:

You have a Backend database which resides on a server. It contains only tables.
You have a front end. It contains all queries/forms/reports/macros/modules. A copy of this front end exists on each user's PC.

Review these links:
http://www.fmsinc.com/microsoftaccess/databasesplitter/
http://www.fmsinc.com/microsoftaccess/performance.html

[ArviLaanemets]

This is frontend-backend database design, an preferable one for access.

The mayor idea for this is, that every user uses HIS OWN FRONT-END. It may be saved to his own computer, or it may be on network resource, but only one user works with it at same time (otherwise the risk of database corruption will be several orders higher as usually).

My advice is:
Create a directory in domain, with subdirectories for every different Access application. You'll have full rights there - everyone other only read rights. Whenever you update some Access front-end, you save the new version into according directory and move old version to archive directory. And then you send out e-mails to users with message that a new version is ready, and they must replace their old front-end with new one. All this will work of-course only, when front-ends aren't customized for user. When the latter is case, then you must have subfolders for every user, and you have design new version for every user.

[Nou]

Thanks all, the pervious structure was like this, each user was using his own front End and there was a Back End database in a shared network drive which whenever I wanted to Modify something in the forms, it couldn't change for them! I found another way and it worked!
I put the access file in the Shared Network drive where all the people could access to that & I gave them full rights there, then created a shortcut and each user put the shortcut on his desktop. I tested it with multiple users & they could update the access file at the same time & now whenever I want to change something in the forms, I can go to the Shared network drives and update the file and they could see that! Its an easier way, What do you think?

[Bulzie]

As others said, yes it could work but could also cause corruption issues, also you will need everyone to be out of the program and not get back in while you update it if you only have 1 FE.

What many of us do is have the FE on each PC(BE on network drive) and when they click on the icon to open the program, it copies the latest version from the network to their PC, then opens it. So they do not have to do anything, they will always have your latest version the next time they click the icon. I use a VB exe (can use bat file maybe or something else) to do the following:

1. Check to see if local folder is on their PC, if not I create it.
2. Copy the FE database from network to their PC. (So I make changes to a dev copy of the program on the network. When I am done, I replace the live database in that network folder with this dev one. Then next time they click the icon this new version is copied to their local folder).
3. Find their MS Access program on their PC and open the FE database in the local folder.

[Micron]

I cannot disagree with the comments about sharing a common FE. I can say that because of the issues we encountered when trying to replace everyone's FE after a design change, when I had to take over from my predecessor, I used the common FE approach for a few db's and they are still running 10 years later. I know because I still see those people a few times each year. HOWEVER, after much learning I would not do this again and Nou, I would advise against taking the risk. The downloading of a new FE is the preferred way to go, but I wouldn't do it indiscriminately each time a user started their own FE. I'd update the version number in a BE table and in the FE somewhere (a table would be easiest) and have the startup routine check the FE value against the BE value and do the update if they don't match.

One of the biggest hurdles I found when trying to share an FE is when wanting to know who created or made changes to data (which was an issue in only one project). Each relevant process had to handle the user id as part of the transaction lest one person affect what another person was doing in the same tables. It was a bit of a pain.

For those of you who want to admonish me for my old ways, be sure that I've heard the comments at least once before in this forum.