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  1. #1
    Duncan Pucher is offline Advanced Beginner
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    My database exceeds 500k. How can I compress the file to send? How can I remove data and send?

    What is the best way to compress a db file? Also, I may want to send the db to a developer but don't want them to see the information in some records. The records contain patient medical information. How could I send the db to a developer to avoid an issue with confidentiality?

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Duncan Pucher View Post
    I may want to send the db to a developer but don't want them to see the information in some records. The records contain patient medical information. How could I send the db to a developer to avoid an issue with confidentiality?
    You only need to make info allowing to identify the patient (names, addresses, phone numbers, ...) unusable. Unless some of them are used as primary keys for tables, scrambling entries will do (but it will take some time!). You write a procedure, which runs through critical fields in tables and character-wise through entries there, and replaces any character according some schema you have defined. In case when the schema replaces sometimes several different characters with same, and replacements are un-regular, the probability someone descrambles entries is practically nonexistent - unless your data are something worth for somewhere in top-tier. When you get updated program back let all data to be removed, and transfer data from old database into new one. Probably you need a special program for this too - especially when autonumeric fields are used, and they have gaps.

  3. #3
    isladogs's Avatar
    isladogs is offline MVP / VIP
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    I use a dummy dataset with my example databases which are available for evaluation purposes.
    Although I created mine by scrambling the data, there are various websites which allow you to download dummy data to match the structure of your tables.
    Before distributing to your developer just swop the backend datafile.
    Colin, Access MVP, Website, email
    The more I learn, the more I know I don't know. When I don't know, I keep quiet!
    If I don't know that I don't know, I don't know whether to answer

  4. #4
    Duncan Pucher is offline Advanced Beginner
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    Isladogs,

    This is helpful. How do you swap the backend datafile? Also, any ideas about my other question about uploading a file to the accessforums.net site that exceeds 500k limit? What is best way to create zip or smaller size file?

  5. #5
    isladogs's Avatar
    isladogs is offline MVP / VIP
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    I use DSN-less connection strings which means I store all linked table and connection string info in tables.
    The required BE file(s) is selected using a combo and code then loops through each table in turn removing the existing links and then replacing with the new link.
    The whole process only takes a few seconds even for a large BE of around 330 tables.
    I've set up this approach to simplify distribution of files and use it on a regular basis with all my commercial apps.
    However if its a one-off operation, you can just redo links using the linked table manager.

    To upload, compact then zip the file. You are allowed zip files of up to 2MB.
    If still too large, remove any database objects unrelated to the thread and most of the data leaving enough records to illustrate the issue then compact and zip
    Colin, Access MVP, Website, email
    The more I learn, the more I know I don't know. When I don't know, I keep quiet!
    If I don't know that I don't know, I don't know whether to answer

  6. #6
    Micron is online now Virtually Inert Person
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    If personal data is not required, consider running update query on copy of db, replacing all with Daffy Duck (e.g.). If required to distinguish between records then no - unless you want to do an update for every individual. If db is split, make sure you don't just copy front end, thinking that you won't affect your linked data, because you will if not careful.
    The more we hear silence, the more we begin to think about our value in this universe.
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