Hi Richard,

I have already started using my database that I have created for my work, so it is actual live data.  How would I go abouts making changes to my live structure without impacting my live data?

When I want to make changes to my Access DB structure, I copy the DB to a test name and make my changes in the test DB.  Once I am happy with those changes, is there a way to copy back the structure changes only without impacting my live data since I may have changed the test data during my development stage?

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Reply from Richard Rost:

This is always tricky. Basically, the EASY thing to do is to write down what changes you've made to the tables and then just take the database down when people aren't using it and put those changes in quickly. MOST of the updates you're going to make are to the forms, queries, and reports, so table changes are usually minor in an "active" database.

HOWEVER, if you have to work with a remote database, or the database can't come offline, then you could use SQL statements or DAO commands to modify the structure of your database while it's active. I cover using SQL to manipulate table structure in Part 3 of my SQL SEMINAR series. I'll be covering the DAO methods in a more comprehensive DAO recordset seminar later this summer.