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ntossiouFlag for Austria

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Simultaneous users - how many users can have a DB open at the same time

Hello there,

I have developed a simple Access database (recruitment) and we have entered all the necessary data. Now all entries have to be reviewed by the relevant departments and everyone may have to do certain modifications to the entries (the data, not the design of the DB objects), approximately 30 people at the same time.
Today I was told that some people - when opening the database - would receive a message that it was read-only. The DB is shared on a folder running Windows Server 2003, the permissions are correct (I asked them to try and copy a Word document into that folder, try to modify it and save it and it was possible), so it can't be that. I tried opening the DB myself (I'm the Admin) and I get the same error message.
As a result, I assume that this is an Access restriction (maybe total number of simultaneous users opening the DB). Or maybe something else? Maybe I have to create a Workgroup file? I'm not really an Access expert, so any step by step guide would be really ehlpful.
Thanks in advance.
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jerryb30
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Are users opening the db directly, instead of using a local front end?
We had a similar set-up a few years back, and there was a limit of about 10 simultaneous users, but that was an OS thing.
Your solution, if you do not have local front ends, is to go to that model.
Create a db with everything in the back-end db except the tables, and then link to the tables in the back-end db.
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ASKER

Yes, the DB resides on a shared folder on a server, which is mapped as drive Z on the client computers through group policy, there is no local front-end.
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The max # of users is (theoretically) 255.

This error many times can occur if one or more users do not have FULL Access to the folder holding the MDB.

mx
So the procedure would be to move the tables to a new MDB file, put that on the server, give a copy of the other MDB file to all users and link the user MDB file to the tables on the server MDB file?
See previous comment.
Access can handle more than 30 users (per specs), although it is hardly the best db for that.  But you really do want to use a front-end/back-end schema.
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jerryb30
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Thanks for all your comments.
I will try it (hopefully tomorrow, if not Monday) and I'll get back to you!
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Thanks for all answers, jerryb30 gets 200 points because he was the fastest (I hope it's fair).
Thanks again everybody.
Just glad you got the answer you were looking for.

Rick