Question : Visual SourceSafe & Access

We're trying to install Visual SourceSafe on our network so that two people can work in the same database. We run the install, set up two users with the admin program, then install two client versions like it shows.

Once we do that we go into the target database and add it to the Visual SourceSafe  project, which works fine. But when we open Access on one of the client machines and 'Create Database From Visual SourceSafe Project' and get that database we hit a snag.

We check out an item, make changes to it, and check it back in. Then when we log into the target DB we get this message: Another user (Admin) has placed this database under source code control and is the only person who should work with it. Source code control features will be disabled.'

And none of the changes we made appear in the target DB. HELP PLEASE!

Answer : Visual SourceSafe & Access

Beginning in Access XP you can use Visual Source Safe to check in/out files, and in theory it seems like a great idea, but during a project last year we had huge problems with this, and ended up removing the Access database from VSS:

(1)  If you check out a form, it checks out all queries, subforms, etc. that are bound to that form, and this can take > 5 minues depending on file size.
(2)  When more than person is doing work, (1) above can cast a pretty wide net, which means that you're going to have conflicts like what you describe.
(3)  Over the course of a month the access app w/VSS crashed twice and had to be rebuilt.
(4)  You can't do a historical comparison between versions like you can with other file types.

Looking back, if I was in the same situation, I'd appoint someone to babysit the app, and avoid VSS altogether.   I love VSS for VB and ASP, but not for Access.

Hope this helps.
-Jim