Question about Linked Tables

[Duane]

After you split a database you can hover over the linked table or open the
Liked Table Manager to see the path to the backend database.

What I would like to know is does Access store the linked table information
in a hidden system table? The reason why I ask this is because I have
loaded some databases on servers within our company throughout the state. I
don't have remote access to these servers. The front-ends are all the same;
however some of the users are wanting different reports and such.

I am wondering if the user sends me their front-end version and I re-link it
to my back-end to make their needed reports, if there is a way to set the
database up (re-link by entering the path) to their back-end path before I
send it back? This way they don't have worry about trying to learn how to
use the linked table manager.

 

[Rob Parker]

Hi Duane,

Yes, that information is stored in a system table, called MSysObjects. You
can see this (and several other) system table if you set the System Objects
checkbox in the Show section of the View tab of the options dialog, from the
Tools menu.

The full path/filename of all linked tables (or the connect string) is in
the Database field.

HTH,

Rob

 

[Rob Parker]

Oops, forgot a very important point.

The MSysObject table is read-only. So, for your plan to work, you would
need to have servers with the same names to the datasources available
locally to you, to re-establish the links; you can't just copy them from the
MSysObject file into a temporary table and then write them back to the
MSysObject table via an update query.

The usual way of handling such things is to include some code that will
check whether links are correct, and if not will perform the re-linking
with just a prompt (via a standard via file open dialog) for the user to
select the back-end file. There's some suitable code (for both standard
linked tables and ODBC tables) available at The Access Web
http://www.mvps.org/access/tables/index.html

Again, HTH

Rob

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

The usual way of handling such things is to include some code that will
check whether links are correct, and if not will perform the re-linking
with just a prompt (via a standard via file open dialog) for the user to
select the back-end file.

I store the backend location in an INI file on the users hard drive.
When they get a new FE from me obviously opening a linked table fails.
My next step is to read the INI file and then, if a table open works,
relink the tables.

If either the INI file didn't exist or the MDB specified doesn't exist
then I throw up a browse screen, etc, etc.

Tony
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