Hi Ken, Since you can open them, it is a matter of relocating the tables to where they belong. If you select External data, new Data Source, From Database,  Access and select the accdb where the tables are, Browse and select the tables, you can then Import  HTH John

John is on the right track, Ken. You should not have to recreate your forms.

The forms in your original database are still looking for the tables that used to be there. Since you copied the tables into a different database, the simplest fix is to link the original front-end database to those tables.

In your original database, go to External Data > New Data Source > From Database > Access. Browse to the database that now contains your tables, select "Link to the data source by creating a linked table," and then select all of your tables.

Once the linked tables are back in the original database, give them the same names as the original tables if Access has added anything like "TableName1" to avoid a duplicate name. Your forms, queries, and reports should then work again.

At that point, you have essentially done a manual split: the database with the tables is your back end, and the original database with the forms, queries, reports, and linked tables is your front end. Make a backup of both files before changing anything else.

Hi Rick, I thought he said he moved the tables, so I was going to have him move them back where they belong before relinking. John

1.  Yes, I moved the tables.

2.  I am unable to open the associated Forms.

3. I will try all suggestions and see whart works.

Thank you.

Well, I was able to move the tables back to the original Database and am able to open form.  I will attempt a proper transfer at a later time.   TY.

Hi Kenneth, You are almost there. Here is a link to Richard's video on splitting the database.https://599cd.com/blog/display-article.asp?ID=1373.  If you have any trouble let us know and we can help. John

Glad you got it working, Ken. Moving the tables back restored the table names and locations that your forms were expecting, so that makes perfect sense. When you're ready to split it properly, make a backup first, then try again. Since you're the only user and everything is currently on your laptop, there is no urgent need to split.

If your database is ever going to be shared with different users (or you are to play developer for multiple customers), you'll want to plan your splitting. For example, my log and import tables are in different BE data bases from the app data, that can run over the network. Since they can get quite large too, it helps avoid the 2GB db limit.

I also have two "BE" databases that sit on the FE's computer. They contain my static tables for: foreign language translates, validation of entry, job definition, menu organization, and FE control records. These are data dbs that are tied to controlling how the FE software behaves, and don't need to be constantly dragged across the network. They allow for easy multiple-user customization without the need to support multiple FEs.

To make Access life even better organized, I put some tables, for example postal codes, in another shared BE db that several client's (meaning different clients as in an accounting or legal firms) dbs can link to, so they all don't need their own duplicating postal code table. (That db contains many additional shared "universal" data tables such as additional postal code oriented tables {think country, services & formatting}, geo, language, currency, exchange rates, time zones, addresses, etc.)

Thomas, thank you for the ideas.  I can't think of a reason why I would be sharing with other users, but it is good to know that I am able if needed.  The reason why I would like to split is because my database consists of many tables for different subject matters.  And of course, many tables mean many Forms, Queries and Reports.  With the number of items in my Access list, I sometimes have a difficult finding what I am looking for.  I'm just glad that I save Tables, Forms, etc. the way Richard suggest so I at least know what I am dealing with.

That's exactly why good naming conventions are so important, Ken. Once a database grows beyond a handful of objects, the Navigation Pane can get crowded in a hurry.

You can also create custom Navigation Pane groups and organize objects into categories. For example, group your forms, queries, and reports by subject area instead of just seeing one giant alphabetical list. That can make a single database much easier to work with without splitting it.

And just to clarify, splitting a database does not really reduce the number of forms, queries, and reports you see in the front end. The tables move to the back end, but all of those other objects remain in the front end. Splitting is mainly for multi-user situations, easier maintenance, and sometimes swapping between different sets of data.

I use linked back-end databases for exactly that last reason in some of my own training databases. I can keep my personal account data in one back end and link the same front end to a separate back end with sample data for videos. You can even make a button to relink the tables to a different back end.

Richard Instead of a relink button, a db could (and I'm not mentioning any names here) have a login that reads a configuration file. Besides the paths to FE and BE, that config.txt could set the language, client, currency, etc. Only if you want to look like an ENTERPRISE application that is.

Once you start getting more than a page view of tables, queries, forms, etc., it's worth the time to do as Richard suggested and invest some time into figuring out how to tame that Navigation Pane. The only downside is that there doesn't seem to be a way to export/import the categories there to another .accdb (that I've found).

Thomas oh, come on, you just don't want to send me another $0.02 commission check, LOL.

Richard Am I not already up to my neck in debt to you?

Here is a Screenshot of my Main Page to show you what I am dealing with.  As you can see, I have several Tables and Forms.  Although you are probably unable to see the Queries, you can see my list of reports and I probably need to add more.