Identifying obsolete objects

[Laurel]

What is the best way to identify queries and forms that
are no longer actually being used in a database?

tia

 

[John Vinson]

What is the best way to identify queries and forms that
are no longer actually being used in a database?

tia

Not easily in native Access. Two suggestions:

- Make a copy of the database. Rename each suspect query, form, etc.
by adding _DELETE to the name. Test your application thoroughly. If
everything still works, just go through and delete all the _DELETE
objects, compact and repair the database, and go on.

- Or, get one of the third-party tools that let you search for
references to an object and generate crossreferences. In increasing
order of cost and power:

Freeware: http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/starthere/findandreplace
Find and Replace: http://www.rickworld.com
Speed Ferret: http://www.moshannon.com
Total Access Analyzer: http://www.fmsinc.com

 

[Rolls]

Excellent question. I have manually gone into each object and built an
Excel worksheet with one row for each object and two columns captioned A)
ObjectName B) DependentObject. Then prepare a chart with boxes for each
ObjectName and arrows pointing to DependentObject, organized L to R in
columns Tables, Queries (multiple cols if necessaty), Forms, Reports. The
end result is a flowchart showing all objects and how they're related. The
table alone often suffices. The chart is a deliverable. Always name
objects beginning with tbl, qry, frm, rpt, Too bad this isn't a standard
capability of MS Access diagnostics.

 

[PC Datasheet]

Rolls:

Just a suggestion ---

Add to your naming convention PFrm for pop-up forms, SFrm for subforms and SRpt
for subreports. The two advantages are that you can immediately tell what type
of object any object is by just looking at its name and like objects are grouped
together in the database window.

Just a request ----

Could you email me an example of one of your worksheets.

Thanks!

Steve

 

[Rolls]

Add to your naming conventionWe use the Leszynski naming conventions.

Just a request ----

Done

 

[Joe Fallon]

I use a similar trick when I am not sure if I will need a query.
But instead of a _DELETE prefix I use zzz so it appears at the END of my
list of queries instead of at the beginning.
--
Joe Fallon
Access MVP