Hi -- I work for a non-profit, so we're trying to solve our problem on a tight budget. We have an split Access 2002-2003 database we have been successfully sharing locally for a couple of years - we all need to be able to view and modify the data simultaneously. We don't use a server, we just keep the back end on the administrator's local computer and share using the basic Windows XP Pro networking. Nothing fancy, but it meets our needs.
Recently, however, three of our staff have moved to other offices, but still need to access the database. They technically can connect through a VPN to the database, but we all know that because Access is not designed for a WAN, it is extremely slow. We've tried remote access software (logmein), which is quite fast and works well, but monopolizes our one spare local computer and only one person can use it. It seems that it's slightly faster if the remote user opens a front end that's physically located on the same computer (rather than keeping the front end on the remote user's computer), but the linked table manager still requires the path to go through the mapped networked drive (so instead of understanding that the back end is located in the same folder as the front end the user is accessing, it directs it to go through the internet to find the back end), which I imagine slows it down (as opposed to logmein, where the local computer does all the work and you just view it once it's processed)?
1) any good new general suggestions on how to improve the speed of an Access database through a VPN?
2) Is there any way to make the linked table manager understand the relative location of the backend, making it more like a remote access system?
I've read the previous threads on the topic and haven't found something that works for us. I've tried converting the backend to MySQL and accessing it with an Access front end through the internet and it's just as slow. We've also tried replication and it created more headaches and bugs than I want to remember. We're not at this point ready to ditch the Access front end, and the idea having a bank of extra computers just for remote access use seems kinda ridiculous. I'm hoping someone has a brilliant idea I haven't thought of. Thanks for your help.
