indexes and relationships blown away sometimes

Access 2000 w/ jet backend.

This client of mine runs the app in a pretty harsh environment. Long cables
(and poor quality ones at that), no boosters, very hot temperatures (the
air, not the employees, LOL) and impatient operators. Some time ago I
noticed that some of the relationships were blown away and primary key
fields were no longer primary keys. Once in a while I'd have to recreate a
few of them as needed. After a few years of littel contact with them I've
found that the problem has gotten worse and the current data file is full of
corruption. Of all my Access clients, this is the only one I've ever seen
with this level of corruption.

Allen Browne's site has this section:
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-47.html#LostKeyRelation

But he doesn't say why indexing rules could be violoated. I'm wondering how
much the hardware has to do with this. I'm also wondering how Access is
letting duplicate PK's into tables so that the compact & repair ends up
deleting indexes and FK's. I'm hoping that if they upgrade some network gear
that the problem will be reduced significantly. I'm also wondering how much
help it would be for me to convert this thing to MS SQL on the backend. I
did that for another client and corruption was reduced but they didn't have
any where near the problems that this client has.

Thanks for any input,

Keith

Just a thought ... any chance they're also using wireless connections?

Is this a split application, with one copy of the front-end on each user's
PC and a single copy of the back-end on their network?

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP


"Keith G Hicks" wrote in message
...
Access 2000 w/ jet backend.

This client of mine runs the app in a pretty harsh environment. Long
cables (and poor quality ones at that), no boosters, very hot temperatures
(the air, not the employees, LOL) and impatient operators. Some time ago I
noticed that some of the relationships were blown away and primary key
fields were no longer primary keys. Once in a while I'd have to recreate a
few of them as needed. After a few years of littel contact with them I've
found that the problem has gotten worse and the current data file is full
of corruption. Of all my Access clients, this is the only one I've ever
seen with this level of corruption.

Allen Browne's site has this section:
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-47.html#LostKeyRelation

But he doesn't say why indexing rules could be violoated. I'm wondering
how much the hardware has to do with this. I'm also wondering how Access
is letting duplicate PK's into tables so that the compact & repair ends up
deleting indexes and FK's. I'm hoping that if they upgrade some network
gear that the problem will be reduced significantly. I'm also wondering
how much help it would be for me to convert this thing to MS SQL on the
backend. I did that for another client and corruption was reduced but they
didn't have any where near the problems that this client has.

Thanks for any input,

Keith

"Keith G Hicks" wrote in message
...

I'm also wondering how much help it would be for me to convert this thing
to MS SQL on the backend.

The above is usually far more reliable in harsh environments. so, I think
this is good idea.

I did that for another client and corruption was reduced but they didn't
have any where near the problems that this client has.


Is a copy of the application installed on each computer? This REALLY helps.
I deployed some applications in some not so great environments, and been
really surprised on reliability the setup is when you split this way.

so:
Ensure that each workstation has a copy of the front end (don't allow
multiple users into the same front end).

ensure that each workstation has all of the service packs installed,
especially for 2000 and also install the jet updates.

ensure no one is using wireless networks connections.

If the above is already your current setup, then improving the network
cabling is possible, or it simply might be less cost to simple use one of
the several free editions of sql server for the back end...

I also like installing a mde on each computer, but I have no data or proof
that using a mde is better or more reliable network wise then distributing
an mdb of the application to each computer.

--
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada

I bumped send..but take a look at this corruption faq he

http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/corruptmdbs.htm

the above is gem of information on reducing corruption issues...

Yes, split (never done anything but split - seems like trouble to do the
other way).

Only one machine is wireless. But that's a fairly new thing. They were
having this trouble long before that was set up.


"Jeff Boyce" -DISCARD-HYPHEN-TO-END wrote in message
...
Just a thought ... any chance they're also using wireless connections?

Is this a split application, with one copy of the front-end on each user's
PC and a single copy of the back-end on their network?

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP


"Keith G Hicks" wrote in message
...
Access 2000 w/ jet backend.

This client of mine runs the app in a pretty harsh environment. Long
cables (and poor quality ones at that), no boosters, very hot
temperatures (the air, not the employees, LOL) and impatient operators.
Some time ago I noticed that some of the relationships were blown away
and primary key fields were no longer primary keys. Once in a while I'd
have to recreate a few of them as needed. After a few years of littel
contact with them I've found that the problem has gotten worse and the
current data file is full of corruption. Of all my Access clients, this
is the only one I've ever seen with this level of corruption.

Allen Browne's site has this section:
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-47.html#LostKeyRelation

But he doesn't say why indexing rules could be violoated. I'm wondering
how much the hardware has to do with this. I'm also wondering how Access
is letting duplicate PK's into tables so that the compact & repair ends
up deleting indexes and FK's. I'm hoping that if they upgrade some
network gear that the problem will be reduced significantly. I'm also
wondering how much help it would be for me to convert this thing to MS
SQL on the backend. I did that for another client and corruption was
reduced but they didn't have any where near the problems that this client
has.

Thanks for any input,

Keith

Thanks for the info guys. Really apprecieated.

Keith

Is the app locked down and only a few people can get to the table design?
I've seen users mess with things like primary keys when they became "too much
trouble".
--
Jerry Whittle, Microsoft Access MVP
Light. Strong. Cheap. Pick two. Keith Bontrager - Bicycle Builder.


"Keith G Hicks" wrote:

Access 2000 w/ jet backend.

This client of mine runs the app in a pretty harsh environment. Long cables
(and poor quality ones at that), no boosters, very hot temperatures (the
air, not the employees, LOL) and impatient operators. Some time ago I
noticed that some of the relationships were blown away and primary key
fields were no longer primary keys. Once in a while I'd have to recreate a
few of them as needed. After a few years of littel contact with them I've
found that the problem has gotten worse and the current data file is full of
corruption. Of all my Access clients, this is the only one I've ever seen
with this level of corruption.

Allen Browne's site has this section:
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-47.html#LostKeyRelation

But he doesn't say why indexing rules could be violoated. I'm wondering how
much the hardware has to do with this. I'm also wondering how Access is
letting duplicate PK's into tables so that the compact & repair ends up
deleting indexes and FK's. I'm hoping that if they upgrade some network gear
that the problem will be reduced significantly. I'm also wondering how much
help it would be for me to convert this thing to MS SQL on the backend. I
did that for another client and corruption was reduced but they didn't have
any where near the problems that this client has.

Thanks for any input,

Keith

Nobody touches it. They have no idea how and they don't have time. The
changes are too random as well.


"Jerry Whittle" wrote in message
...
Is the app locked down and only a few people can get to the table design?
I've seen users mess with things like primary keys when they became "too
much
trouble".
--
Jerry Whittle, Microsoft Access MVP
Light. Strong. Cheap. Pick two. Keith Bontrager - Bicycle Builder.


"Keith G Hicks" wrote:

Access 2000 w/ jet backend.

This client of mine runs the app in a pretty harsh environment. Long
cables
(and poor quality ones at that), no boosters, very hot temperatures (the
air, not the employees, LOL) and impatient operators. Some time ago I
noticed that some of the relationships were blown away and primary key
fields were no longer primary keys. Once in a while I'd have to recreate
a
few of them as needed. After a few years of littel contact with them I've
found that the problem has gotten worse and the current data file is full
of
corruption. Of all my Access clients, this is the only one I've ever seen
with this level of corruption.

Allen Browne's site has this section:
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-47.html#LostKeyRelation

But he doesn't say why indexing rules could be violoated. I'm wondering
how
much the hardware has to do with this. I'm also wondering how Access is
letting duplicate PK's into tables so that the compact & repair ends up
deleting indexes and FK's. I'm hoping that if they upgrade some network
gear
that the problem will be reduced significantly. I'm also wondering how
much
help it would be for me to convert this thing to MS SQL on the backend. I
did that for another client and corruption was reduced but they didn't
have
any where near the problems that this client has.

Thanks for any input,

Keith