Share Your Order Entry Database

After the Database Wizard creates a complete order entry database, you can use Windows Explorer to copy or move the file to a network location where everyone can open it.

When you place the database on a network, your co-workers can use the switchboard to open its forms and reports. You can work with order prices, dates, and other important information by using Orders by Customer, the primary order entry form. To use this form, click Enter/View Orders by Customer.

Multiple users can enter data at the same time when working in forms. Microsoft Access saves changes every time a user presses SHIFT+ENTER or moves to the next record.

Prevent others from making changes to a record you are working in   Click Options (Tools menu). On the Advanced tab, click Edited Record. Does someone else need to edit while you are?   Microsoft Access will notify you and give you choices about how to proceed. View the most up-to-date changes to records   Click Refresh (Records menu). Open Database button Commands and Settings button Do some users just look at orders and never make changes?   These users can open the file in the read-only state. To open a database in read-only state, click the Open Database button and then click the database. Click the Commands and Settings button, and then click Open Read Only. Is your database slow?   You can improve performance and make a database easier to maintain by dividing it into two files: one that contains your data and another that contains the queries, forms, reports, macros, and modules that you need. Click Add-Ins (Tools menu), and then click Database Splitter.

When You Need to Modify a Database, Open It in Exclusive Mode

Making design enhancements while others are sharing a database can be confusing to your users. For example, if other users are sharing the database and you start making changes to table designs, the other users cannot use the data stored in the tables you’re modifying. If other users have opened tables, you can’t modify them.

You can prevent others from using a database while you make changes. First, make sure no one else is using the database. Click Open Database (File menu), and then select the Exclusive check box in the Open dialog box that appears. Then select and open the database you want to work in.