Changes to table layout by multiple users or instances

[Jennifer Murphy]

When I tried to close a database I have been working on for a couple of days, I got the attached message saying that the layout of one of the tables has been changed either by another user or by another instance.





The database is on my C-disk in a local, non-shared folder, so I'm pretty sure that I am the only user.

As for it having multiple instances, I don't believe it was ever open twice. I don't even know how to do that or why I would want to. The Access screen shows just one tab.

Can anyone explain to me how this could occur and how I can avoid it in the future?

More importantly, what do I do now? The pop-up only offers me two choices: Yes and No. Yes = Save the most recent changes and discard the previous changes. No = Cancel saving this version. Why is there not a "Cancel" option and how can I see which changes we are talking about?

[JoeM]

Sounds like you opened it twice on the same computer. Perhaps you had an ab-end, where you closed the database incorrectly and it didn't release the locking file (such as shutting of the computer while the database was open). Or perhaps you have another program linking into it?
As long as you are happy with the structure of the table in the version you are working from, it should be safe to say "Yes".

What you want to do is close out of the database, and in Windows Explorer, browse to the location of this database. You should see the "accdb" file. Do you see a matching one with a "laccdb" extension? This is a "locking" database file that gets generated whenever the database is open. If you see this file, and are sure you have closed out of the database, try deleting this "laccdb" file. If you cannot delete it, try re-booting your computer and see if that releases it.

[Jennifer Murphy]

This database has been open for about 2 days. During that time there have been no system crashes and the computer has not been shut down. And I'm quite sure that Access has not been closed, normally or abnormally.

As for some other program linking to it, how could that happen? This is a new database that I am working on. It's not even in operation yet. It only has 3 tables; no forms or queries.

You say "As long as I am happy with the table...". How can I know that? I can't look at the table with the pop-up open and I can't close the pop-up without choosing to discard one of the two sets of changes.

Before I tried to close the database, this table was in some state with, apparently, two sets of unsaved changes. Now Access has reported a problem and is refusing to allow me to go back to the place where I was before I asked to close it. This seems like a potentially serious bug.

[JoeM]

If it is a new database on your C drive, the only things that would link into it would be something that you set up. So if you did not do anything like that, that shouldn't be an issue.

So you left the Access database open on your computer for a few days consecutively? Don't think I would recommend doing that. It is best to close it when you are not using it. I know that sometimes computer's "hibernation" modes can cause problems for some programs (don't know if Access is one of them, we disable hibernation on all our computers).

[Jennifer Murphy]

This computer does not go into hibernate or standby or anything else when idle. It certainly did not hibernate since this database was opened.

I left the database open because I was working on it more or less continuously over that time. I am working my way through a couple of books on Access and applying the lessons to this database. Sure, I could close it when I go to bed, but during the day, I am working on it more or less all the time.

But all this begs the question: Why is Access forcing me into this no-win situation? Maybe I did do something wrong and ended up with two sets of changes to the same table. I don't think I did and, anyway, this "locking" mechanism should have prevented that or at least warned me. But is it punishing me for my sins? Why is there no "Cancel" option so I can go back and examine the two sets of changes. It is forcing me to choose between two sets of changes that it won't let me examine. If that's not a bug, I don't know what is.

[JoeM]

Don't really know what else to tell you. You may want to try and reach out to Microsoft Support.