"Allen Browne" wrote
AFAIK, there is no truly consistent
way to create a backup copy of an
open Access (JET) database.
To add to Allen's accurate answer, Access and Jet were never intended for
heavy-duty, industrial-strength, 24/7 operation.
In fact, the uses to which Access and Jet have been put by enthusiastic
users have surprised even the designers and implementers of Access. It is
far more capable than most any other "desktop database", but your
requirements are just a bit too much.
If you must "take a chance" on doing this, your best bet would be to run the
copy at an "off-hour" when usage should be low or nil. But, you'd best try
opening the backup and seeing if it was successful right after or shortly
after it is backed up.
Your best bet, of course, is to obtain and use a database that was designed
for the type of use you describe. There are many available, commercial,
shareware, and freeware. I wouldn't presume to recommend a particular one,
but have worked in shops that used Informix, Microsoft SQL Server, and
Sybase SQL Server and were happy with them. (I also used Sybase SQL
Anywhere, but only in an offsite development environment, developing Access
clients for use with Informix.)
You can contine to use your Access application, likely with very minor
changes, as the client application (none of those I mention have a user
interface -- they are databases).
Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP