Microsoft Access

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Microsoft Access Questions and Answers

Here at Winning Solutions, Inc. we answer many questions each day for our clients about how to make Microsoft Access work for them. On this page we are providing a free resource consisting of answers to some common questions people ask us about Microsoft Access. If you have a question that needs to be answered and do not see the answer listed here, you may contact us. WSI does charge a fee to answer some questions. If you do not have time to implement the answer we provide, WSI will implement it for you, but we also charge for this service.

Question: Linking Parent record to Child Record

Can I create a Microsoft Access Database that contains information about a person or an item that is linked to another record such as the a record containing information about the person’s child or a related item?

Answer:

Yes, you can create a Microsoft Access database record for a person or item with a related person such as a child or a related item’s record linked to a parent’s record using Microsoft Access.

Question: Facilitating multiple users of a Microsoft Access database.

Would like to have multiple users on different computers work with the same Microsoft Access database at the same time, do they have to be on the same computer network?

Answer:

Yes, the users will need to be on the same computer network. If the users are not on the same computer network they can use software such as Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (requires Pro versions of Windows XP and higher) to log into a computer that is on the network from a computer that is not on the network via the Internet. Another option is to use remote access software such as VNC, GoToMyPC, Team Viewer or LogMeIn to get connected to a PC on the network with the Access database from a PC that is not on the same network, via the Internet.

A more advanced option is to split your Access database into a separate Front End (Forms, Queries, Reports) and back end (tables that store data). Then place the Back End on a server that is accessible from the Internet. Next, you’ll need to configure the front end of your database to connect via the internet with backend hosted on the Internet accessible server. (Note: WSI provides server hosting and Microsoft Access support services for a fee that will set this up, if you do not have time to do it yourself.)

Question: Information privacy in Microsoft Access

How do you keep information private in Microsoft Access?

Answer:

Maintaining the privacy of information stored in a Microsoft Access database is a challenge. One technique you may employee would be encryption of the data along with a user permissions system that would only decrypt records for authorized users. When handling confidential data in Microsoft Access it is best to deploy a runtime version of the database to users. Since Microsoft Access itself is a powerful data management and reporting environment, sophisticated Access user may be able to circumvent data security procedures when working with the data using the full version of Microsoft Access. (Note: WSI provides Microsoft Access support services for a fee that will set this up for you, if you do not have time to do it yourself.)