Most of the times, you can take adequate steps to prevent corruption from happening in Access MDB files. This would involve avoiding bad designing techniques as well as poor programming techniques. However, there are other factors that result in damage to the Access MDB files. For example, some database file operations may still be going on and users may prematurely shut down their computers. Or, even as users are still working on the database and writing into it, the server where the Access MDB files are located may be restarted. You could try using the Microsoft Access utilities to repair these damaged databases or if the corruption levels are high, you could use more sophisticated solutions like Advanced Access Repair from DataNumen to carry out an Access recovery.
As a user of Microsoft Access, you should bear in mind that Access is not a managed data system, like say Microsoft SQL server. Instead, it is essentially a file-based database. When you make a request for data from the Access database, you are simply requesting for a file to be sent across the network. Similarly, when you are making updates to the database, you are simply sending information across the network. This means that any problem with the network can immediately cause corruption in the MDB files. Problems such as outdated network interface cards, hubs or faulty cables can interfere with the functioning of the network and consequently with that of the database. Any such interference can lead to Microsoft Access marking the Access database as a possibly corrupted one and you may be faced with the dreaded 'Unrecognized Database Format' error message. Even if the user shuts down Access in an improper manner by either shutting down the computer while the application was still in use or by using the Alt+Ctrl+Delete buttons, there is a possibility that the Access database may become corrupted. The only option then is to try for an Access recovery.
Rather than deal with corrupt databases, it is best to try and prevent corruption in your MDB files. Some simple rules that you could follow are:
- Never close down Microsoft Access in an incorrect manner. Always close the application properly before shutting down the computer. Avoid having to close down the application by using Alt+Ctrl+Delete buttons.
- Make sure that there is an uninterrupted source of power when you are working on an Access database. Sudden power outages are a very common source of corruption in Access databases.
- Make it a habit to regularly run the 'Compact and Repair' utility provided by Microsoft Access to avoid corruption. This will not only make better use of all the space available but will also ensure that Access works more efficiently.
- Unless the database you are using is going to be shared by others, there is no point in making it available on a network. Instead place it on your local machine so that you can avoid corruption because of network problems and can also quickly carry out an Access recovery if you suspect data corruption.
