Why You Should Consider Splitting Your Access Database
One of the unique features of the Access database is that one can work with both data and user interface objects in the same MDB file. You might believe that this is very advantageous, as you have to worry about managing and protecting a single MDB file. Therefore, when developers advise that you split your database into two MDB files, you might be surprised. However, a split Access database not only makes it more flexible and versatile, but you will find it easier to protect and maintain. Typically, we divide the single MDB file into two MDB files - one that stores all the important data and another storing all the user interface objects. We can take backups of these MDB files in an appropriate manner so that during an mdb recovery, there is minimum loss of important data.As we have mentioned earlier, most Access database developers advise using two MDB files that are linked together. The back-end will store the relational tables and the necessary records while the front-end will store objects such as forms and reports. You can allow users to read the data and modify it by linking the two files - users will access the data stored in the back-end through the user interface objects such as forms and reports stored in the front-end. This has many advantages, as we shall outline below-
o If you would like multiple users to access your database but do not want to make multiple copies of your valuable data, you can simply make copies of the front-end and distribute this to many users. They can use the front-end to access and modify the back-end stored in a single file.
o Splitting the database into two files allows you to protect your data better. The back-end contains the more valuable data and your entire database structure. Since users are not allowed direct access to this data or the structure, they cannot make any changes in the database design even by mistake. Further, by enhancing the security of this MDB file and taking more frequent backups, you can ensure that during an mdb recovery, there is minimum loss of data. In fact, users who are accessing the data only through the front-end will not even be aware that they are working with two MDB files and will thus have no effect on the performance of the database as a whole.
o As your organization grows, you may want to install new features in your database or modify some of the existing access rules, and so on. Very rarely will you feel the need to change the structure of the existing database. In other words, you will not be required to make any changes in the back-end. Any enhancements or changes that you might wish to make will only be in the front-end. As a developer, you will find it very easy to make changes and test them in a split database.
Though a split Access database offers many benefits, enhanced security being one of them, it still does not rule out the possibility of corruption due to virus attacks or other malicious attacks. Powerful recovery tools such as Advanced Access Repair from DataNumen help in the mdb recovery of highly damaged files, regardless of whether they are the back-end or the front-end files.