Anybody Here Handy With MS Access?

[nasum]

We're having a weird issue here and I can't find anything to help myself out.

Two users at the office can use access with no problems and all the data shows up as it should. However, one of those users has issues with some data not being available (or missing altogether) when using VPN from home and another user in the office seemingly can't get some data either.

What in the hell is happening?

PS
It seems like part of the problem is that the tables for the search query aren't updating across all computers.

 

[Zodiii]

How do you have it set up? Is it a single file dropped on a network location? Or do you have it split into Frontend and Backend?

If it's not split, I would recommend it, but try it out first before you take your production database down.

Also, read this: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa167840(office.11).aspx

If multiple users are using the same database, then you may have problems with people trying to make changes at the same time, I forget the word that it's called though.

Access should have some handling of it built in automatically, but it isn't very much. If this is a large-scale database, you may consider moving to something more versatile like MySQL/PHP or SQL Server/VB/ASP.

EDIT: The person with the VPN may need some more ports open? I don't know if that would make sense, but it would defintiely need FTP ports open and any other ports that may be used to send the data across the network.

There should be some options for the backend, once you split, for handling multiple connections. I can't remember for the life of me where they are, or what you are looking for, as it's been about 2 years since i've done anything in Access that used multiple users.

Hope that helps.

 

[nasum]

it's all in one file.

w/o too much detail, we have a database that houses commissions from cell carriers (Verizon/T-Mobile/etc...) and each one has their own. None of us are able to do more than add data to the database and build our own queries. Really the only purpose the databases serve is to make a better searching tool for research. The files are too huge for excel (124mb is the small one) so the database makes it a bit more manageable. We're trying to update tables for the user's that are having trouble, but that seems more like a workaround than a fix.

 

[Zodiii]

[quote name='nasum']it's all in one file.

w/o too much detail, we have a database that houses commissions from cell carriers (Verizon/T-Mobile/etc...) and each one has their own. None of us are able to do more than add data to the database and build our own queries. Really the only purpose the databases serve is to make a better searching tool for research. The files are too huge for excel (124mb is the small one) so the database makes it a bit more manageable. We're trying to update tables for the user's that are having trouble, but that seems more like a workaround than a fix.[/QUOTE]

In that case, I would definitely at least give splitting it into two separate parts a shot. With any kind of database there needs to be certain locks in place for instances where there are multiple connections at once and making changes at once.

Basically, when a user is connected to a database, the DB checks for a lock, if the lock isn't there, then the update is allowed. That is a super dumbed down explanation, there is a ton more to it than that.

But, access is at least advanced enough to allow for multiple connections and provide some kind of assurance for updates being passed out. With the way you have it set up right now, each user would have to close and reopen the database every time someone makes an update, which should be the reason the updates aren't showing. Or they are overwriting the new file with their old copy that they have open.