Using Microsoft Access with File Sharing Services: Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.

[@JennRankine]

I'm a freelance web developer and working with both MacOS and Windows via virtual machine. Started using Access (I'm a newbie) to wrangle my personal and business documents and finances and OneDrive has been syncing everything. I kinda figured syncing Access was not a good idea but figured I'd cross that bridge when I got to it. Weeellll, I just got to that bridge and it's backed up with traffic and everyone's stuck! hehe. Poor OneDrive has been trying to keep up with me building a database and has been syncing for a while now and my Mac has been throttling like crazy which it hasn't done - ever. OneDrive finally crashed to the point I couldn't shut down or force quit the virtual machine so I had to shut down everything. So here I am googling for answers and ran into your video *hanging my head in shame*. Folks, I know this was a long story but I just wanted to reiterate Mr. Rost and everyone else's advice. Don't do it! I'm digitally paranoid so I have backups and backups of my backups from several services. I'm about to check to see if there's any damages so, here goes... *fingers crossed*

[@599CD]

Good luck. Soooo many people email with this problem. I wish they'd add some kind of warning to Access if it sees itself on a cloud drive like that.

[@jontrinder7787]

This is an excellent demo of some of the issues encountered (I have seen these happen but didn't really know why until now being an access newbie!) What are your thoughts on MS Dataverse? I looked at Sharepoint before but it doesn't handle relationships very well. Will you be doing a video on this? Thanks for all the content.

[@599CD]

599cd.com/Dataverse

[@JesusJoaquinMorenoCarreño]

what is the link of your sharepoint seminar?

[@islammmi]

You are very organized .. I really like your videos

[@599CD]

Thanks. :)

[@SamA-jg8vy]

Have things changed with the way that Microsoft Access works? I'm just curios because I have a split database, the back end data table is hosted on oneDrive, and I have multiple copies of the "front end" file (one copy distributed to each user) which contains the forms and reports. I have never had a problem with even as many as 8 people using the database simultaneously. Why does it seem to work for me?

[@599CD]

599cd.com/ask

[@rabidfollower]

Maybe Access should simply forbid linking to online storage folders. Software design 101: if it allows the user to do something and it doesn't work, it's the software's fault, not the user's. For instance, in External Data -> New Data Source -> From Database -> Access -> Browse, simply not show all the OneDrive, Google Drive, etc. folders, so the user can't link to anything in them.

[@599CD]

That would be wonderful. Get on the phone with Nadella. :)

[@ballaomer6738]

Can u tell me , What should we do if we want to used by more than 1 user,and share the back end file ?

[@NeoQJ]

At around 1:10, for the text 番号 I think is miss translation for Japanese. 番号 means number in Japanese as 電話番号 means phone no. Not sure the proper translation for No in Japanese though.

[@599CD]

Thanks for sharing. I just used Google Translate. Their fault. Good thing I didn't get a tattoo, eh? I love when people get Japanese or Chinese characters tattooed on themselves and it turns out to be wrong... Excuse me... do you know that means "Milk?" Ha ha.

[@ptzzycool]

Thanks for all the advice provided in this tutorial regarding Access Sharing issues, pros, and cons. I do have one question here and that is, how about sharing your split database using a mapped shared drive or folder on a wired LAN network? I am just curious. I actually tried doing that and managed to successfully share it with only two computers. With the rest, I am getting all kinds of error messages. I am asking this here because I'm thinking that if it works with at least one or two computers, why wouldn't it work with the others. I'd appreciate your response to this. Thanks.

[@599CD]

You should be able to share the back-end database file with dozens of users across a wired (or even fast wireless) LAN. I've connected 20+ users. It's more about the number of SIMULTANEOUS users. I really wouldn't use Access alone with more than 10-15 users at the same time. Beyond that you're going to want a database server like SQL Server.

[@599CD]

I haven't done a video on actually setting up a network yet. I'm going to in the future as part of my Windows series.

[@ptzzycool]

@@599CD Thanks, that would be great indeed.

[@ptzzycool]

@@599CD I am trying to connect with only five users and I am facing this issue. I assume I could be doing the configurations wrong in the individual pcs as some do have onedrive in their file path. Just thinking, but thanks a lot for your response.

[@SimplyAmazing247]

Hello! I’m currently trying to convert my db online because my job got rid of our local servers in favor of one drive :/ my question is what’s the difference between using windows hosting and Apache hosting. Will I lose VBA functionality?

[@599CD]

Access only cares that you have a mapped drive. It doesn't matter what the server type is.

[@johnrickparohinog821]

what is the best to use? i have problem with that

[@ngoydho337]

Hello, I would like to ask you about to share the Backend file with multi user in google driver but the problem with the syncing of google drive properties. So how do I do ?

[@599CD]

DO. NOT. SHARE. ACCESS. FILES. ON. GOOGLE. DRIVE. Watch the video!

[@phtuanminh]

it is corrected

[@izuanheadstompvega2152]

What about links to files like pdf and pictures? I just want to share the pdf , docx and pictures to Google drive because lack of space on each user pc.

[@599CD]

599cd.com/FollowHyperlink

[@nikolaradovic1726]

Hi guys ,i have problem with acess database ,he is created a few year ago (2) and multiple user can use them on sharefolder ,but now when 2 user on same time want to acess give message dont have exlusive right to acess .If any know what is answer please reply ,thanks 😊

[@599CD]

599cd.com/ask

[@Byrkster]

My company is moving to a cloud platform. I was told that I cannot use Access on the CLOUD (AZURE). Is this true?

[@599CD]

CAN you? Of course you can. MAY you? That's up to your boss. You can definitely upgrade Access to work with SQL Server (Azure or otherwise). I've got a whole seminar on the subject: 599cd.com/SQLServer

[@599CD]

Or use 599cd.com/ADC

[@Byrkster]

@@599CD Our IT department doe snot support Access, but with the small amount of trials I have been doing I have not ran into any issues. Thank you again!

[@stuartround]

There's simply no reason to ever do this. If you need to share a database in multiple locations it makes far more sense to split the database and have the tables in mysql and copies of the front end on each user's local machine. Alternatively, you can use remote desktop to access the database on another PC.

[@599CD]

I personally prefer SQL Server, but yes, I agree. 599cd.com/SQLServer

[@indtak3368]

Sir I want public my ms acess it is possible.

[@599CD]

Yep

[@Stepan_H]

Old verstion of MS Access, mdb, support replication. New version, accdb, does'nt. I never used it, but it coud be programmed. I guess, It will be highly complicated and inefficient, but there are a lot of people, who are masochist... They would program the synchronization purely for fun ...

[@599CD]

Sure