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I had been told that if I open Access 97, the whole system or at least most of it are inside some database. Is it true? For example if I write some VB code into it, the whole code is inside some database. I thought before that only the data I fetch from SQL are inside some database.

Fionnuala
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amateurprogrammer
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  • Access is a file-based database, and EVERYTHING related to the database (data + forms + code + reports + blah blah blah) is inside that one single .mdb file. – Marc B Aug 16 '11 at 17:26
  • Or, it's spread out over as many files as you want. The typical structure of a properly deployed Access application is two files, a front end with UI objects (forms/reports/etc.) and a back end with data tables only. But certainly Access files have the capability of including everything all in a single file -- it's just not the optimal way to deploy an application in production use. – David-W-Fenton Aug 17 '11 at 20:49
  • BTW, *why* are you asking this question? The way it's worded seems to me to imply there's some kind of problem with the way Access structures its files (there isn't). What is it you fear? – David-W-Fenton Aug 17 '11 at 20:51

2 Answers2

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The "whole system" is inside Access, so if you have forms and such they're mingled in that file along with the data.

duffymo
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Access keeps everything in an .mdb file. When you open up the project you will see your tabs (tables, queries, forms, etc. etc. etc.) Code in Modules is there as are Macros.

It actually keeps a lot more in this file that is generally hidden - basically its meta data for the project. If you go to tools -> options you should see a check box for system objects. Select that and when you look at tables you will see names like this:

MSysACEs MSysModules MSysModules2 MSysObjects MSysQueries MSysRelationships

You play with these tables at your own risk.

The only other thing that is not stored in the main file is security info - if you try to lock down the file. That is in a system.mdw file See here for more http://support.microsoft.com/kb/303941/EN-US. I have only used this or seen it used when we wanted to lock down an 'application'.

J Henzel
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