Date: June 10th, 2008

Author: Mary Ann Richardson

If you need to report on the latest data in the company’s employee database and don’t have Access, you can use Word’s Mail Merge Directory feature. With this feature, you can quickly add data from any Access table into a table in any Word document. Follow these steps:

1. Click Next: Starting Document.
2. Click Browse and then navigate to the Access database that contains the data you want to insert into your document.
3. Click the Open button.
4. Click the table containing the data.
5. Click OK twice.
6. In the task pane, click Next: Arrange Your Directory.
7. Click the Insert Table tool on the Standard toolbar. (In Word 2007, click the Insert tab and then click Table.)
8. Click and drag over the first four cells to create a 1 x 4 table.
9. Click in the first cell hair propecia vitamin of the table, if necessary.
10. Click More Items in the task pane.
11. Click the InternID field, click the Insert button, and then click Close.
12. Click in the second cell of the table.
13. Click More Items in the task pane.
14. Click the LastName field, click the Insert button, and then click Close.

1. Click in the third cell of the table.
2. Click More Items in the task pane.
3. Click the FirstName field, click the Insert button, and then click Close.
4. Click in the fourth cell of the table.
5. Click More Items in the task pane.
6. Click the PayRate field, click the Insert button, and then click Close.
7. Click Next: Preview Your Directory in the task pane.
8. Click Next: Complete The Merge in the task pane.
9. Click To New Document.
10. Click OK.

Now you can format the table any way you wish. Here we have inserted a row above the table, added table headings, and selected a format from the Word 2007 table gallery.

Be sure to save the Main document file so that you can get the latest data from the Access table without having to set up the document again. Simply open the file and then click the Merge button on the Mail Merge toolbar in Word 2002/2003 or click the Finish And Merge Button on the Word 2007 Mailings ribbon.

Date: May 27th, 2008

Author: Mary Ann Richardson

Do you need to query your data by the last date modified? For example, say you would like to include donors whose records show no activity during the last six months in a special fund-raising appeal. How do you know which donors are to be included? Follow these steps:

1. Click the Build button and select Code.
2. At the prompt, enter the following code:

Me![Date Modified].Value=NOW()

1. Press Alt + Q.

Now each time a user changes a record, Access will enter the date and time from the system before the changes are updated. When the record is accessed again, the Date Modified field will contain the date and time of the last modification. You can query that field to determine which records have not been updated within the last six months.

Date: May 20th, 2008

Author: Mary Ann Richardson

You have a number of offices in various cities across the state. You need to send the latest employee information to each office. You have already grouped your Employees report by city. Now you want to be sure that when this report is printed, each city’s employees list is printed on a separate page. Follow these steps:

1. In the GroupHeader’s Property sheet, click the All tab.
2. Click the Force New Page property box drop-down arrow and select Before Section.

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Now each city’s employees list will begin printing on a new page.

Date: May 6th, 2008

Author: Mary Ann Richardson

Date: April 1st, 2008

Author: Susan Harkins

By Susan Sales Harkins and Gustav Brock

Nothing frustrates the full spectrum of Access users — from casual user to developer — quite like a corrupted database. With a little know-how, you might get lucky enough to repair the database or at least recover the data. Sometimes, a third-party product that specializes in recovering data from a corrupted database can help. But you could end up rebuilding and re-entering data. (Or rather, your replacement will rebuild and re-enter it.)

A more proactive approach to the situation is to avoid corruption in the first place. Here are some strategies for preventing your databases from becoming corrupted.

Note: This information is also available as a PDF download.

#1: Split your database

If more than one person will access the database, split it into two pieces: a backend that stores the data in tables and a front end that contains everything else (forms and reports). Access has a wizard that holds your hand through the process so there’s no excuse not to split a shared database. Name the two ends appropriately. Remember, the backend contains your “gold” — your data. With the data and interface objects in separate databases, you can easily replace the front end from a backup, if necessary. In addition, this setup makes enhancements easier to incorporate into your system.

There is some discussion about whether the front end should be stored on a network server (and shared) or on a local drive. This decision really has no impact on corruption, so the choice is yours. If possible, consider write-protecting a shared front end. If the worst happens and something destroys the front end, simply obtain a fresh copy of it to replace the broken one and reboot the local system.

#2: Store temporary tables in a backend

If a database creates, populates, and then deletes temporary tables, keep those tables in a separate backend database to prevent bloat. Name the additional backend accordingly, making its purpose obvious. This additional backend can be shared or local.

#3: Don’t use memo fields

Avoid using memo fields if possible. They often, indirectly, cause corruption. Even though the database in these cases often can be repaired, some content in the memo fields might be lost. If you need memo fields, keep them in separate tables and create a one-to-one relationship to the parent table(s). Even better, move memo tables to a separate backend database file and name the file accordingly, to indicate its purpose.

#4: Don’t store picture files

Usually, you shouldn’t store picture files in a database. If you must, treat them the same way you would a memo field (see #3). Access has no problem attaching tables from multiple backend databases.

#5: Create temporary tables to speed up queries

If you run complex or nested queries (where one query pulls data from others that hit still others), Access may write a lot of temporary data that you never see. Most often, this happens when a query that works with a small amount of data performs slowly, putting stress on the JET engine. If Access chokes during this process, you can end up with a corrupt backend file.

To prevent this problem, write some of the temporary data to temporary tables. There’s no universal method to recommend. Analyze the specifics and run some tests to find the best solution. However, sometimes the use of just one temporary table can minimize the chance of corruption and speed up the queries by a factor of 10 or more.

#6: Be careful with wireless networks (WiFi)

A connection may work fine, but multiple users or powerful neighborhood networks (or other noise sources) can abruptly cut off the connection. That can corrupt the database file if you are writing to it at the time. This type of interference isn’t a problem if users are mostly reading from the database.

#7: Be careful with WAN connections

A WAN connection that covers any connection from a local system to a server via the Internet can cause trouble. Reading the database may be slow but acceptable. However, writing to the database is error prone and can cause corruption. When bottlenecked traffic interrupts data transfer, Access times out, believing the connection has been lost. This behavior usually leaves the backend database in a corrupted state.

#8: Don’t put Mac and Windows users on the same network

If Mac and Windows users share the same network and experience problems, establish a separate network for database users. Macs are extremely noisy, and typical Mac applications generate vast amounts of network traffic when moving large graphics files and printing. In a shared environment, use only high-quality network components.

It’s best to keep the database traffic separate from the graphics traffic, as much as possible. You can accomplish this by allowing administrative workstations to connect directly to the server with the shared database via a local switch.

#9: Troubleshoot network hardware

If corruption just happens from time to time, you may have to deal with a network hardware issue. First, try to narrow down the workstation and swap the error-prone station with another. If the issue follows the workstation, you know that’s the source. It might be easiest to get rid of the workstation.

If the problem isn’t specific to the workstation, the error is most likely to be found in the connection from the workplace to the network switch — including the actual switch port. If the cable’s in good shape, swap the ports between the workstations. If the error source now swaps too, replace the switch; if not replace the cable. If cables aren’t permanently installed or don’t cross from floor to floor, you can try replacing them before swapping workstations.

#10: Check the server’s configuration

Sometimes, the configuration for the server where you’ve stored the shared backend database file is the culprit. You’ll need a specialist to track down and resolve this type of problem. There are several possibilities, from server parameters to a malfunctioning disc controller to a misconfigured RAID array.

You can temporarily move the backend file to a different viagra low price location, like one of the popular NAS devices or a shared folder on a workstation. If the problem with corruption goes away, call the specialist. If not, the corruption’s source is somewhere else (#1 through #9).