Richard wrote:
it will be a client feature. the client clicks a button -and
downloads ms access database with a certain information from the master
mysql database.
This would not be easy. MS Access (MDB) files are a proprietary binary
format. Assuming a Linux/UNIX server, there is virtually no software able
to manipulate them. MDB Tools <http://mdbtools.sf.net/provides a Linux
ODBC driver for MDB databases, but this is read only, so while you can
use this ODBC driver to extract information from Access and insert it into
another database, you can't use it the other way around. They are working
on a read-write driver, but don't expect it any time soon (at least not in
a stable form!).
If you're running PHP on a Windows platform, with the Access DLLs
installed, you might have slightly better luck. The basic technique would
be, in advance, to create a blank database with all the right tables,
views, forms and so forth set up, but not populated with any data. Then,
when required, in PHP you could do a simple file copy of that database,
connect to it through ODBC, populate it with data, using INSERT queries,
then allow it to be downloaded.
Do the client really need it in Access format? Would it be a better idea
to provide them with a read-only phpMyAdmin-type solution, which they
could use to query?
Another idea, if you have control of the server's firewall, would be to
allow the client to connect directly to MySQL on TCP port 3306. You will
need to be very careful with security here. But this will allow them to
hook Access up to your live data, perform queries and run reports on it.
(You can create a special read-only user in MySQL for such purposes.)
--
Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~
http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact 
