Split Ms Access Application

The Split Ms Access approach is a superior method for deploying Ms Access applications within a LAN environment. This approach requires “splitting” the Ms Access application into 2 MDB files: one that contains the front-end Application components (User Interface Forms, Queries, code, etc.) and another MDB file that contains the Back-end datastore component.

Splitting an Ms Access application into front-end and back-end components can incrementally improve application reliability, but will come at the cost of performance. Splitting an Ms Access application is a good idea to support small LAN workgroup environments.

Split Ms Access Application Scorecard

Sharing Data With A Split Ms Access Application

It is fairly common to use the Split Access method to support different Ms Access front-end applications that are connected to a single back-end Ms Access datastore. For example, a single Ms Access datastore that contains customer contact data connected to different Ms Access applications in the marketing and customer support departments.

The benefits of splitting an Ms Access application are limited: you cannot share the application across a Wide Area Network (WAN) or scale application use beyond a dozen or so simultaneous users.