Well you'll have to write code on the server to handle all of that data processing (importing, formatting, etc.) once it receives your command. Pretend like you're running the code AT the server. All you're sending it a message saying "hey... go do THIS and let me know when you're done."

Thank you Richard for getting back to me. I guess I'm not following you.

So I'm my case with DoCmd.RunSavedImportExport "Import- ImportName". Let's say I have that in a sub routine in my backend database. What command would I put in my front end to run it on the backend?

Whatever you like. Make up your own command. It just has to be something that the back end recognizes to run that routine.

Richard's method works for SQL statements only, not VBA code.  But it can be modified to run VBA code too -- if you can turn VBA code into strings.  This can be done with the Eval() function.  For instance:

     Dim s As String
     s = "MsgBox(""Hello World!"")"
     Eval s

The above code will show the "Hello Word" box as if you ran MsgBox directly.

The limitation is that Eval only accepts expressions.  All functions like MsgBox() and DLookup() are expressions, but DoCmd is not.  But you can put DoCmd inside a custom function to make it an expression:

    Function MyFunction1()
        DoCmd.RunSavedImportExport ...
    End Function

Then you can run Eval with the function's name as a string parameter:    Eval "MyFunction1()"

In Richard's method, the BE can "listen" for strings that are SQL statements.  So you need to modify his code to look for VBA expressions also, and run them with Eval().  I don't have access to Richard's downloads so I can't show you what to modify.  Maybe Richard can in a future video.

I don't know how differently running VBA code instead of SQL statements will affect performance on the BE.  A BE's performance is affected not only by transmitting too much data, but also by being kept too busy.

Yeah, basically what I'm saying is just send a command to the server like "RunRicksImport", and then on the server, make a special exception for that. So, if it sees the command you send, it runs a whole separate routine that you've already programmed into the server. This routine can include importing data, running a query on it, doing whatever, and then passing you the data that you need.

On the server, you'll find this...

    If Not rs.EOF Then
        ' we have a command
        If rs!CommandText = "LOCK" Then
            Status "Waiting for front-end..."
        Else
            Status "Executing " & rs!CommandText
            CurrentDb.Execute rs!CommandText
            Status "Complete"
            rs.Edit
            rs!CommandCompleted = True
            rs.Update
        End If
    End If

See how "LOCK" is a special command. Just make your own commands and put them in the IF block. So you could have something like...

        ElseIf rs!CommandText = "SHUTDOWN" Then
            ' Do shutdown sequence here
        Else

The sky's the limit. The server can respond and do whatever you want. It doesn't have to just run SQL commands.

Thank you both. I think I get it now. Let me test this out. I'll let you and anyone that reads this forum know how it turned out.

Live long and prosper :)