[AccessD] Replication and Referential Integrity

I have mined Access replication extensively and like to pretend that I know it very well. So perhaps I can help in that regard. However, before we go there, I must say that I think something is very wrong if only one company can use the database at a time. Perhaps you are so fortunate that they reside in time zones that will never collide. 

IMO, your first question should be, Why is it that only one company can use the DB at a time? (And secondly, does this mean that 20 users within one company can use it simultaneously? Or is it even worse?) I have been trying for the past few minutes (not long, admittedly), but I cannot see a situation which forces you into this "one-company" scenario. Further, I don't see how replication will get you out of this problem, which seems to me of your own creation.

Using replication strictly within Access, I have successfully tied together 4 branches distributed across North America, with a total of about 70 users, everyone hitting the same fixed-inventory tables. I can say with confidence that when this is set up correctly, nothing goes wrong. Not a single collision in over six months of operation. (After that we migrated to SQL Server.)

So back to your original question. What is lacking in the design that forces you to restrict access to just one company? Something is strange in Denmark, methinks. Without knowing anything about your DB, at the very least I might suggest creating a Companies table and inheriting its PK in all the immediate tables, so that Company 1's customers have an FK pointing to Company 1, etc. This would effectively isolate all rows from each company, and also permit adding Company 3.

Or perhaps I'm missing something.

----- Original Message ----
From: ewaldt at gdls.com
To: accessd at databaseadvisors.com
Sent: Thursday, September 7, 2006 3:57:39 PM
Subject: [AccessD] Replication and Referential Integrity

I've created a database that is used by two companies. For purposes of
security, it cannot be on a network drive shared by the two companies. More
detail isn't really necessary. What it amounts to is that only one company
can use it at a time.

I have had replication suggested to me. I know what it is, of course, but
have only played with it on a very minor and experimental basis. However,
the individual who recommended it to me is more experienced with it, and he
said that it cannot be used with a database that employs referential
integrity. Is he correct? I am sure that he knows more than I do about
replication, but that doesn't mean much.

TIA.


Thomas F. Ewald
FCS Database Manager
General Dynamics Land Systems
(586) 276-1256






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