views:

169

answers:

2

Hi. I was just wanting some explanation as to what is going on once you have split your tables out into a back end file, and set an mde out for use.

When a user accesses the mde, is the mdb still required to get to the tabes (or in order to make it work)? Let say I put these access apps on a shared drive for folks to use. If I split the be end on to the shared drive, and placed the mde on the shared drive, would I the mdb have to exist for that version mde to work (communicate with the tables)? Or does the mde sort of speak to the mdb which speaks to the tables?

Hope this question makes sense.

Thanks

EDIT:

One additional question: I have an MDE set up on a network share drive, but I was not certain as to whether or not I had to have the mdb present on the same share drive as my mde and back end (tables)....if not then I would prefer to not have it there because user insist on getting into it, and making copies of it and such.....

But my question is, as I said I put A MDE out on a shared drive, which means there is one that about 10-12 people max, share, and the likelihood that even half these folks would be in there at the same time is very very unrealistic. But I recently read that I should have an MDE for each person? Is that true? What is a good example of distributing one to each person? I have only ever gone with the one on a shared appraoch before, and was unaware that this was, if in fact it is, a bad approach?

Thanks for your help!

+5  A: 

No the MDE version does not maintain any communication with its original MDB source version. However you want to keep the MDB in a safe place so you can make design changes there, and then create a new version of the MDE from the updated MDB.

The stronger case for an MDE is for the front end application you distribute to your users --- assuming you don't want them changing the design of any database objects. The back end database traditionally contains only tables, relationships, and indexes. You may decide the back end can remain in MDB format.

Edit: Do not allow your users to open the same front end application database, regardless of whether the front end is in MDE or MDB format. Sharing the same front end increases the risk of corruption. They can all still share the same back end with links from the front end to the back end tables.

Tony Toews has made the challenge of giving each user their own local copy of the front end fairly easy. See his useful and free! utility at Auto FE Updater.

HansUp
@Hans....so in the scenario i find myself in, there is a .mde, .mdb, and backend, all on a network shared, and the mdb has somehow become corrupted. so the mde still work fine because it just speaks straight to the back end, and once you create an mde from an mdb, its independant so to speak?? but because of that mdb being corrupted I cannot make any future mde's with it because I can't even open it....however I always make a copy of the mdb file iteself and save to my local. so i could take my back up copy and create a new mde to place on the shared, from my local, because as long as the link
Justin
@Hans (cont)...exists between the mde and the backend there is no need for the mdb on the shared?? am i correct in this thinking? if so this would really suit me well anyway, because people keep getting into the mdb and making copies of them and such. I appreciate your help because this is obviously something I have only a fair understanding of, and I really want and need to understand it better. Thanks!
Justin
@Justin If the MDB version of the front end MDE is corrupted, use your uncorrupted saved copy of the MDB to create a new front end MDE. But the users can continue with the existing front end MDE as long as it still works and until you need to make design changes to it. But, seriously, I encourage you to use Tony's Auto FE Updater to give each user their own copy of the FE on their local hard drive.
HansUp
@Justin Hope I've understood your situation. If the users have access to the front end MDE, they don't need access to the original MDB version ... so move that one somewhere they can't get at it.
HansUp
@Hans...yeah that helps clear up some things....unfortunately with enlightenment comes the realization of a whole new set of things I gotta learn, and how much i really do not know. but i also am grateful for the help as always.
Justin
so after downloading the FE Updater, I am trying to figure it out, is there a forum conversation, blog, website or whatever I can learn about this thing? Would I simply need this on my machine and I email the config files to the would be users?
Justin
@Justin see http://autofeupdater.com/pages/quickstart.htm
HansUp
@Hans....thanks a lot man!
Justin
Justin, email or phone me. I'm not very good at user docs so I try and incorporate all questions in the website and/or in the FAQ section. Tony (author of the AUto FE Updater utility.)
Tony Toews
Hans, thanks for you kind words.
Tony Toews
@Tony Awesome! yes I may send ya an email. I really really appreciate the help...from you and everyone here! Thanks!
Justin
+3  A: 

@HansUp has done a fine job of answering your actual questions, but I'm posting an answer here just to try to explain what seems to have confused you.

Step back for a moment and consider how Microsoft Word is deployed and programmed.

  • When you install Word 2007 on your computer, you don't share it with other users -- each of you installs it on your own PCs.

  • When you install it, you're installing the compiled application, not the source code.

  • Microsoft keeps and maintains the source code, which you don't need to run Word on your PC.

  • The source code for Word is like the front-end MDB.

  • The compiled Word EXE and all of its supporting files is like the front-end MDE.

  • Just as with the Word application files, you don't share it, but give each user an individual copy of it.

  • As with Word, your users don't need the source code to run the compiled application, so all your users need is the MDE.

  • Just like Microsoft, you need to take care of your source code MDB so that it doesn't get corrupted or lost, in order that you can continue to update it and produce new compiled versions for your users.

It's not complicated when you understand the function and role of the different parts. It is confusing because of the fact that MS's documentation for Access tends not to promote or explain best practices. I can't quite understand why this is the case after all this time, but it still is.

You're well on the way to doing things properly, though.

David-W-Fenton
That is a great explaination, and I understand basically what you are saying! I am just in need of learning the deployment of the mde individually to user's now. Apparently I should have been doing that all along, however the sad truth is I have never done that so it's great that I realized what I need to do (or start learning)....but also i realized the can of worms that is open.....hehehe. I have been looking at Tony's tool, though I am not sure how to use it properly yet??
Justin