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Forum Discussion
What to do with conflicted copies?
Our office has two desktop computers. Both of them access the same Dropbox. No mobile devices or other computers are involved.
In the Dropbox there is a database.
The database is _never_ used fro...
Åke E. wrote:
We are also confused because "conflicted copies" should not appear unless two people worked on the database at the same time. So why does this happen?
A conflicted copy occurs when a file has been changed from multiple locations. Something has to have the file open in multiple locations for the conflict to occur. A file doesn't necessarily need to change for a conflict to occur. Simply opening it can cause it, especially in Microsoft products which modify a file simply by opening it, even if you don't save it.
The only way to know which one contains the correct data is to open both and compare them. Also note that it's not recommended to use database files within Dropbox specifically for this very reason.
If you are in the same location you should use a little Network attached storage device... you dont need the dropbox... If its an ACCESS database you can even use the database simultaneous.
While dropbox doesnt recommend that it works perfectly if you stick to some basic rules (we are doing that since longtime from different locations).
- close the databae before you log out from the computer
- always wait until the upload is finished (DB says its up to date)
- before you open the database - be sure that the dropbox is online and up to date
one of these points created your problem - this is the only way to create a conflict copy under the circumstances you described (apart from the possibility that your Internet connection was down while logging out or launching the database).
I let the database create a logfile on the dropbox - when another user violates the rules, it refuses to let him launch the database (this works only if you have split the database and only the datafile is on the dropbox).
:)
WB
Hello,
I quote part of your suggestions:
"I let the database create a logfile on the dropbox - when another user violates the rules, it refuses to let him launch the database (this works only if you have split the database and only the datafile is on the dropbox). WB"
How do you let de db create a logfile on the dropbox?
Many thanks in advance
Helen
- Mark
Super User II
You cant create a log file I'm afraid Helen - no such feature exists.- of course you can ... do it yourself with VBA code...
Hello Helen
sorry for the late answer...
When opening the database you need some VBA code putting a pdf file on the dropbox with your username and time... then the database is "blocked" while you use it.
This needs of course also other VBA code, cause it doesnt work if the data tables are staticly bind into your program database. So:
1) Program Database opens with no bind data tables
2) VBA checks if the logfile exists (if yes it gives a message that another user uses the DBA and closes the database) if no:
3) VBA creates the pdf log file to prevent other users from opening the database
4) the data-tables are now linked into your program database
5) When you log out the data-table are revoked and the pdf is killed (so nobody has the data on his computer - its only there while connected to the dropbox). For statistics etc., I create a snapshot database locally for users who need that.
Although we migrate on a big server for the areas that have good internet connection - the dropbox solution still works very good in remote areas of this world (which is the reason i programmed it).
Greetings
Walter
Could you share the vba code. It will benefit many of us who use database with dropbox. I use ms access database file and store on dropbox. Though I use it from single pc and no one else uses this file and there is no reason clear to me to make conflicted copy, still I have conflicted copies periodically, may be I am careless about switching off the pc without waiting to complete the sync and without closing the database file.
And always I find that conflicted copy contains most recent updates. But if I don't come to know that a conflicted copy is created, I continue to use the original file that has no currently entered data. To know that a conflicted copy is created at earliest, I put some code in main forms' 'current' event that flashes a message if the folder contains any file that has 'conflicted' in its name, when I goto another record. I start using conflicted copy and discard original one as conflicted one has uptodate data.
