I'm a hybrid of a purchasing agent and half-baked DB guy.  I spent a week
reading tutorials about access and SQL and learned more than my boss, who
heretofore knew more than anyone else did about how our database runs.

Here's the skinny, Chris.  I had the idea to change a report's structure
from *running a lengthy query each time it is opened by one of the users* to
*reading data from a table that gets refreshed by an automated query*.  Now
my question to you (i.e. the forum) is twofold:
1. How can I update data in a table without incurring Run-Time Error 3009
"Lock table while in use"?
2. If I overwrite a table with a table that has an identical structure (only
different data), is it really modifying the structure?
I hate to argue semantics, but this situation has me peeved.  Not your
fault, I know.  Chris, thank you for your response.  I wish you and all who
read this a fantastic weekend.
-Pete

No one can modify a database table's structure while it's in use.  Not even
you.  Not in SQL Server, not in mysql, not in Oracle, not even in Access.

By splitting your db, you gain the advantages of speed for users accessing
the db, speed for developers in development and maintenance, exclusive access
to the front end db when necessary, ease of data backups and restores,
separation of processes for individual users, and you avoid many chances for
corruption.  Furthermore you get a chance to see how good a db developer you
are.  If performance improves after a db split in a multiuser db, you're good,
if performance degrades after a db split, well...

Chris
Microsoft MVP

Are they just the tool of a false god?  I split my database, and all I got
was this lousy backend.  Front End on each user's C:\ Drive.  Back End on the
shared network.  My Front End runs a query that replaces a table's contents
with updated data.  If I can't modify a table's structure while it is in use,
then what's the point?  Excuse me while I tinker with this thing, and pardon
me if I seem jaded.
inb4 SQL Server...
Poster: "My wife left me"
Aaron: "Switch to SQL Server"