You can save yourself a lot of energy and time wasting by simply employing Microsoft Access as a front end for the MSDE databases that you are using. An MSDE database simply refers to the Microsoft Data Engine database and configuring it with Microsoft Access can make using it time saving and easy. Microsoft Access is a user friendly program that provides controls and additions that you cannot find in MSDE. You can either create fresh databases in access and then sync them to the tables in MSDE or alternatively convert them to a current Access database you have to MSDE. Once you can pull this off, there are lots of gains, especially from an enhanced storage capacity. This is what you need to do;
To Link To MSDE Tables, do the following;
Commence the process by clicking on the Start menu of your PC and maneuvering to Microsoft Access Outlook. Open the Access program and click on the Office tab then pick Open. After you have opened it, simply check the database you wish to open and then select the Open option to access it. After you have opened the database, pick the External Data tab and from there select More from the Import group tab and simply pick the ODBC Database option from the available options. If that is done, click to check the tab beside “Link to the data source by creating linked table” tab and finish off with OK. Now, simply select the data source you want from the Select Data Source tab and then click the OK tab to progress. From here, check the tables you want to have linked to in the Tables button under the Link Tables option and again press OK to move on. At this point, under the Fields in Table tab, pick the index fields from the list presented under the Select Unique Record Identifier pane and again click on OK to finish.
ToConvert an Access Database to MSDE
Simply open MS Access and click on the Office tab under which you will pick Open and then check the databases you want before clicking the Open tab. Now just pick SQL Server tab under the Move Data group in the Database Tools button. Under the Create a new database button, select the tab beside it and then progress by clicking on Next. Under the tab “What SQL Server would you like for this database” select the local tab and then type your login and password, alternatively, you could choose Use Trusted Connection for the MSDE connection. Under the prompt for the name of your database name, simple enter the name of your database and click on Next. Now just click on the tab under the Upside Wizard and all the tables will be exported to SQL Server. Progress with Next.
Finish!
Under the what table attributes prompt, just enter a check mark beside it and then choose Use DRI, after which click Next and under the “Link SQL…” prompt, select the button beside it and simply click on Finish.
