ADO Connection dropping? when left idle

[Toxalot]

I'm developing a database in 2003 with a separate FE/BE. The BE is
Access, but the book I had when I started learning was really pushing
ADO as this new and great thing so I started out using ADO.

If the database is left open and unused while the client is on lunch
or break, she gets errors when she tries to do anything when she comes
back. Many of the functions try to requery the recordset and I'm
thinking that maybe that is failing because it dropped the connection
or something?

Should I be doing something to make sure it stays alive?

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

Databases, and indeed any program with sensitive company data shouldn't be
left open when she goes to lunch. It risks company data. She needs to close
the database and log off of the computer, then log back in when she comes
back.

Incidentally, ADO has been replaced by a similar .NET method called ADO.NET.
The 2 are incompatible to some extent. Current Microsoft advice is to use
DAO. They will both work, and both are supported. Each can do things that
the other can't. As long as you set a reference to both, and disambiguate
methods and properties that are common to both, you should have any problem.

 

[Tom van Stiphout]

On Thu, 2 Oct 2008 14:13:27 -0700 (PDT), Toxalot <[email protected]>
wrote:

No. Don't be an enabler for bad practices.
But you may want to try to log her out automatically after being idle
for a while. There is a Microsoft KB article about this.

-Tom.
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[Toxalot]

Client had a database in FoxPro before and they could leave it open
and not get errors upon return and they expect same from the new
database. It's a home office with only a few employees and none of the
data is sensitive.

There is only one user and so I didn't use any login.

I have had issues before as well if I left the database idle for any
length of time, but I can't figure what the cause is. I just tried
opening the database and leaving it for hours and no problem when I
came back.

Jennifer

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

I already said it's not safe to leave a database open, but if you are
determined to do so, may I suggest that you buy the best possible network
and computer components. Dropped connections occur when network cards drop
packets, or when Windows decides it need the memory for something else.
Unless the system is really stable, you may wind up with a corrupted
database.

To determine if the data is sensitive to the business process or not, remove
it for a few hours or a day. Expect to hear major complaints if the data is
required.

 

[David W. Fenton]

My guess would be the issue of Windows OS problem. Did the user
had to login into the desktop?
When the computer is not in use for a certain period of time, it
will disconnect any opened ports.

It could be something like the power saving settings shutting down
the network card. Basically, in my opinion, all power saving
settings for desktops computers should be turned OFF except for
those that control the monitor. Everything that is related to hard
drives, network cards and any other peripherals that actually
transmit data need to *never* go to sleep.

 

[Paul Shapiro]

I think Windows defaults to disconnecting a connection between a workstation
and the server after 15 minutes of idle time. I haven't seen this issue
often with Access, so maybe Access is normally doing some background IO
which keeps the session alive?