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NRQZ Database Project

Project Proposal

Deliverables

  1. A Microsoft Access database that is multi-user capable.
  2. Data entry pages that the RFI group can use to manually enter content.

Need & Benefit

The workload of the NRQZ office is becoming increasing difficult to administer efficiently. The current Access database appears to be single user mode limiting data entry. Back-ups are done twice/week onto a network drive as a preventative measure minimizing the affect of a computer storage crash or data corruption. SQL has been mentioned as an option but has yet to be investigated.

Random Notes

Email correspondences

16OCT07: The workload of the NRQZ office is becoming more than 1 FTE can handle. One of the major obstacles in distributing the workload is the fact the NRQZ database is an Access database which lives on a single PC hard drive (it is copied periodically to the network for backup). If we simply move the database files to the network, that still would only allow one user at a time to have the file open for editing, so that does not solve our problem. An alternative to a network version of Access would be to migrate the database to SQL, but that would mean I would need software resources to write the interface for it, MAYBE NOT and I am currently struggling to do exactly that with another project. (We'll see how it goes; I'm not going to start in this direction with the NRQZ database until the current project succeeds.)- CB

16OCT07: Gareth, Is there a version of Microsoft Access that allows simultaneous multiple-user editing of the database? If so, what would it cost us? -CB

16OCT07: Apparently, Access CAN use a SQL database. "Access can use data stored in Access/Jet, Microsoft SQL Server , Oracle , or any ODBC -compliant data container."

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Access

...wish I had known that. Anyway, I CANNOT start working on a project to migrate the NRQZ database at this time. Wes, is this something you'd be interested in working on? - CB

17OCT07: Now this document (http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal/Articles/split/index.htm) has some cool stuff, but I didn't read it well enough to see if it really addresses the heart of your initial question: how to make Access multi-user. Anyway, it discusses the merits of splitting the data from the forms as I'd mentioned the other day, and it mentions making the database into a .mde (a standalone executable which is awesome and reason enough to convert the database to Access 2003). Anyway, have a read and I'll see what else I can find on multi-user access databases. - CM

18OCT07: Carla,As far as I know, there is not. Access was designed as a single-user database. For multi-user access, with record-locking, etc. you usually use a database designed for the purpose - MS SQL, Oracle, MySQL?, Postgress, etc. - just as you appear to be doing. If you are prepared to do a little VBScript, you can find recipes on the web to enable what you need, for example:

http://www.aspfree.com/c/a/Microsoft-Access/Upgrading-your-Access-Application-for-a-Multi-user-Environment/ For several years, I have been vainly advocating the need for an NRAO-wide Data Base Administrator (DBA) group precisely to help with this type of (very understandable and reasonable) request. The only group who may have the expertise available to help you is Amy Shelton's group, but I have no idea whether they actually have the resources available. - GH

-- PauletteWoody - 31 Oct 2007

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