Memo Fields In Multiuser Database

[Wayne]

I've been asked to construct a database which will require several
memo fields. This database will be the standard frontend/backend mdb
configuration. I have read many posts describing the corruption
problems associated with memo fields, especially in a networked
environment. Am I asking for trouble if I go ahead with this project?

[Allen Browne]

No, you should be fine.

There was a problem with corrupting memos back in the early days of Access
97, but it was fixed in a service pack.

What you do need to do is ensure that all workstations use good, stable
network connections, not flakey ones (such as WiFi). For more details, see:
Preventing Corruption - Techniques to avoid corruption
at:
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-25.html

--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia
Tips for Access users - http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps dot org.
"Wayne" <cq*******@volc anomail.comwrot e in message
news:49******** *************** ***********@i24 g2000prf.google groups.com...

I've been asked to construct a database which will require several
memo fields. This database will be the standard frontend/backend mdb
configuration. I have read many posts describing the corruption
problems associated with memo fields, especially in a networked
environment. Am I asking for trouble if I go ahead with this project?

[Wayne]

On Nov 5, 7:58*pm, "Allen Browne" <AllenBro...@Se eSig.Invalidwro te:

No, you should be fine.

There was a problem with corrupting memos back in the early days of Access
97, but it was fixed in a service pack.

What you do need to do is ensure that all workstations use good, stable
network connections, not flakey ones (such as WiFi). For more details, see:
* * Preventing Corruption - Techniques to avoid corruption
at:
* *http://allenbrowne.com/ser-25.html

Thanks Allen. I've also read in this group that the memo fields can
be stored in a separate table as a precaution, but that is probably
also referring to earlier versions when memo field corruption was more
of a problem.

[David W. Fenton]

Wayne <cq*******@volc anomail.comwrot e in
news:49******** *************** ***********@i24 g2000prf.google groups.co
m:

I've been asked to construct a database which will require several
memo fields. This database will be the standard frontend/backend
mdb configuration. I have read many posts describing the
corruption problems associated with memo fields, especially in a
networked environment. Am I asking for trouble if I go ahead with
this project?

You might want to try one of three approaches (or a combination of
them):

1. store your memos in a separate table, with a 1:1 join between
your memo table and your table for the rest of your data. If a memo
pointer gets corrupted, you won't lose any data in the main table.

2. store your memos in a separate table, 1:N, where each record in
the memo table has a memo type (assuming you have more than one memo
field).

3. edit your memos with unbound controls. To do this, you read the
memo value from the form's recordset into an unbound textbox in the
form's OnCurrent event, and then save edits to the textbox back to
the underlying recordset in the textbox control's AfterUpdate event.

Those are the steps that can be taken to minimize the possibility of
memo corruption, and I think they work pretty well.

--
David W. Fenton http://www.dfenton.com/
usenet at dfenton dot com http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/

[David W. Fenton]

Wayne <cq*******@volc anomail.comwrot e in
news:e2******** *************** ***********@s1g 2000prg.googleg roups.com
:

On Nov 5, 7:58*pm, "Allen Browne" <AllenBro...@Se eSig.Invalid>
wrote:

>No, you should be fine.

There was a problem with corrupting memos back in the early days
of Acces

s

>97, but it was fixed in a service pack.

What you do need to do is ensure that all workstations use good,
stable network connections, not flakey ones (such as WiFi). For
more details, se

e:

>* * Preventing Corruption - Techniques to avoid corruption
at:
* *http://allenbrowne.com/ser-25.html

Thanks Allen. I've also read in this group that the memo fields
can be stored in a separate table as a precaution, but that is
probably also referring to earlier versions when memo field
corruption was more of a problem.

I don't know why Allen suggests that memo fields are safe. They may
be *safer* than they were in A97 without service packs, but they are
still not completely safe -- they are still more vulnerable to data
loss in Jet 4 than any other kind of data field. But they danger can
truly be minimized by implementing the approaches I outlined in my
reply to your original post.

--
David W. Fenton http://www.dfenton.com/
usenet at dfenton dot com http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/