Hi Everyone,

I'm a long time listener and sure appreciate the great tips I get from this newsgroup!

We keep getting a corrupted database in this scenario - 

Two server-side Access 2000 databases containing data  with a single frontend Access 2000 database containing reports, forms, etc,
on 6 client PC's that contains links to all the tables in both of the server databases.   The backend databases are about 80 Mb
apiece and the front end is about 1.8Mb.

We have a cycle every two weeks that programatically adds a lot of records to the server side tables. The client PCs then update the
records through data entry forms.

All client PC's are stable Dell Optiplex's running Win2k.   The server is  a new Dell server running Win2k server on RAID-5.  

Everything has been as stable as a boulder for the past year or so, up until the last couple of months.   

Now, everytime we go through the two week cycle and begin the data entry process we will be entering records and then the back-end
database will "go corrupt".   

Usually, a "compact and repair" will fix the table and we go on like normal, but I sure want to find out what is causing this...   

Any ideas on how to track down such a problem??    Could it be related to trying to add records a few at a time with data entry
while the back-end files are getting fairly large?  Some of the tables have a few hundred thousand records in them.   I know that
isn't large for what Access was designed for, but we NEVER had this problem up until a couple of months ago and it has happened
EVERY cycle since then.

Could there be residual damage in the database from the very first crash that subsequent 'compact and repair' operations couldn't
correct?

Thanks for any advice or ideas!!
Howard Henderson

Hi, Howard...

I don't know if this is the solution for your particular situation, but
I know this worked for me.  In my case, I believe there were two
issues---something caused an initial corruption, and something was
causing the database to keep getting corrupted even after being repaired
and compacted.  You may not be able to determine what was the initial
corruption issue (in fact whatever that was may already have been
repaired by the repair/compact routine), but this anecdote may help
solve the subsequent recurring corruption.  FYI, our office uses a
grantmaking database software package that runs on an Access database
engine---i.e., the underlying database file is an Access .mdb file, but
the user interface is another software application entirely.

When I first started here, the database had for some weeks been
corrupting frequently---every few days it seemed---with the unrecognized
database format error.  The established maintenance procedures that I
inherited stipulated that a copy be made of the .mdb file and then
placed in a separate directory.  Then run the repair/compact routine on
the copy and then copy the repaired file back into the main directory,
overwriting the damaged file.  I was doing this for a couple weeks,
every time a user received the unrecognized database format error, and
we might go a couple days without problems, but ultimately the
corruption frequency was increasing.

Around the fourth or fifth time I was doing the maintenance steps, I
noticed something that hadn't really occurred to me before (and that was
not explicitly spelled out in the procedure)---there was an .ldb file
still present in the main directory when the .mdb file was being copied.
I had asked all users to log out of the database, and had gotten email
rsvps back from everyone indicating that they had logged out...but the
.ldb file was still there.  I went around and manually checked EVERY
computer and NO ONE was logged in...but the .ldb file was still there.

I deleted the .ldb file from the main directory (made a copy first, just
in case), copied the .mdb file into a separate directory, ran the
repair/compact routine, copied the repaired file back into the main
directory and had users log back in.  I have not had a corruption since,
and that was nearly six months ago.

I suspect that the problem started with predecessors (my position is
new, so there wasn't any one person handling this stuff before me) not
knowing to notice that there were still workstations logged into the
database before doing the whole repair/compact thing. In getting used to
my new job and a new software program, I was really keen on following
the procedures that were already in place, and so it took me a few times
to start thinking critically on my own about what the problem  could be.
In this case, the existing solution was part of the problem.  I have
since rewritten the maintenance procedures to include explicitly
searching for the presence of hanging .ldb files both when the initial
copy of the .mdb file is made and before the repaired copy of the .mdb
file is copied back into the main directory (in case somebody logged in
while the repair was being made).

Again, not certain if this would apply in your situation...but just some
notes from the field.

sc

Shelley Curnow
Grants and Data Administrator
F.B. Heron Foundation

-----Original Message-----
From: howardh@o... [mailto:howardh@o...]
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 1:13 PM
To: Access
Subject: [access] Database Corruption Problem - Any Ideas??



Hi Everyone,

I'm a long time listener and sure appreciate the great tips I get from
this newsgroup!

We keep getting a corrupted database in this scenario -

Two server-side Access 2000 databases containing data  with a single
frontend Access 2000 database containing reports, forms, etc, on 6
client PC's that contains links to all the tables in both of the server
databases.   The backend databases are about 80 Mb apiece and the front
end is about 1.8Mb.

We have a cycle every two weeks that programatically adds a lot of
records to the server side tables. The client PCs then update the
records through data entry forms.

All client PC's are stable Dell Optiplex's running Win2k.   The server
is  a new Dell server running Win2k server on RAID-5. 

Everything has been as stable as a boulder for the past year or so, up
until the last couple of months.  

Now, everytime we go through the two week cycle and begin the data entry
process we will be entering records and then the back-end database will
"go corrupt".  

Usually, a "compact and repair" will fix the table and we go on like
normal, but I sure want to find out what is causing this...  

Any ideas on how to track down such a problem??    Could it be related
to trying to add records a few at a time with data entry while the
back-end files are getting fairly large?  Some of the tables have a few
hundred thousand records in them.   I know that isn't large for what
Access was designed for, but we NEVER had this problem up until a couple
of months ago and it has happened EVERY cycle since then.

Could there be residual damage in the database from the very first crash
that subsequent 'compact and repair' operations couldn't correct?

Thanks for any advice or ideas!!
Howard Henderson

	Me myself have a hard time finding what causes the database corruptions.  but here
are some things that I have learned from the forums:

1.) Try using Jetcomp utility provided by microsoft.
2.) These are some causes of corruption:
     a. improperly shutting down the dbase
     b. low quality NIC
     c. viruses
     d. poor database design
3.) Try reformating the pc's accessing the dbase and to be sure
    include also the server
4.) Transfer your tables to a new MDB


Enzo


-----Original Message-----
From: howardh@o... [mailto:howardh@o...]
Sent: Saturday, October 19, 2002 1:13 AM
To: Access
Subject: [access] Database Corruption Problem - Any Ideas??



Hi Everyone,

I'm a long time listener and sure appreciate the great tips I get from this newsgroup!

We keep getting a corrupted database in this scenario -

Two server-side Access 2000 databases containing data  with a single frontend Access 2000 database containing reports, forms, etc,
on 6 client PC's that contains links to all the tables in both of the server databases.   The backend databases are about 80 Mb
apiece and the front end is about 1.8Mb.

We have a cycle every two weeks that programatically adds a lot of records to the server side tables. The client PCs then update
the records through data entry forms.

All client PC's are stable Dell Optiplex's running Win2k.   The server is  a new Dell server running Win2k server on RAID-5.

Everything has been as stable as a boulder for the past year or so, up until the last couple of months.

Now, everytime we go through the two week cycle and begin the data entry process we will be entering records and then the back-end
database will "go corrupt".

Usually, a "compact and repair" will fix the table and we go on like normal, but I sure want to find out what is causing this...

Any ideas on how to track down such a problem??    Could it be related to trying to add records a few at a time with data entry
while the back-end files are getting fairly large?  Some of the tables have a few hundred thousand records in them.   I know that
isn't large for what Access was designed for, but we NEVER had this problem up until a couple of months ago and it has happened
EVERY cycle since then.

Could there be residual damage in the database from the very first crash that subsequent 'compact and repair' operations couldn't
correct?

Thanks for any advice or ideas!!
Howard Henderson

Thanks to both you and Shelley for your thoughts, Enzo!

(I'm going to watch for the phantom ldb file, if it happens again, Shelley!)

Yes, it really has me perplexed.

The offices are new with top notch wiring.   We recently upgraded to a new
Dell 10/100/1000 switch.   The server is new and solid with Win2k Server.
All PC's are  Win2K Pro with Norton Antivirus 2003 running.

One database is a commercial application database and the other is one I
designed to augment the data stored in the commercial mdb.    I've had a lot
of experience in relational design over the years.

I may try migrating all the records into new blank mdb's if I can't get any
other satisfaction, though I am looking at roughly 70-80 tables.

Also, I found a knowledgebase article with MS that suggested upgrading all
Win2k platforms to Service Pack 3.   I'm in the process of doing that and
will see if that helps at all.

Thanks again for the advice - other folks' war stories can sure be helpful
sometimes!!   :)

Howard H.



----- Original Message -----
From: "Enzo Zaragoza" <enzaux@g...>
To: "Access" <access@p...>
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 9:33 PM
Subject: [access] RE: Database Corruption Problem - Any Ideas??


>
> Me myself have a hard time finding what causes the database corruptions.
but here
> are some things that I have learned from the forums:
>
> 1.) Try using Jetcomp utility provided by microsoft.
> 2.) These are some causes of corruption:
>      a. improperly shutting down the dbase
>      b. low quality NIC
>      c. viruses
>      d. poor database design
> 3.) Try reformating the pc's accessing the dbase and to be sure
>     include also the server
> 4.) Transfer your tables to a new MDB
>
>
> Enzo
>