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Indiana State University : Information Technology
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Frequently Asked Questions |
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This original document was prepared by
This document will be revised as necessary to include additional questions and more information, with content provided by other contributors as well. MS Access
MS Access Q: How do I obtain MS Access software? A: See information about Indiana State University's Microsoft campus agreement licensing. Q: What version(s) of MS Access are currently supported by IT on campus? A: MS Access 97, MS Access 2000 and MS Access 2002. Q: What are the hardware requirements for running MS Access on my PC? A: See information about regular PC requirements here at Indiana State University. Q: Where can I get training for MS Access (in general)? A: See information about available faculty/staff training on IT User Services: Training and Documentation web site. Also, Ivy Tech Workforce Development Center and CT Consulting Group & Learning Center both conduct MS Access classes designed to prepare students for Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) certification exams. There is a fee associated with their classes. Q: Where can I get help for MS Access questions (in general, not Banner-related)? A: Contact the Help Desk. They will create a work order and assign it to an IT representative who will work with you to help resolve the issues involved. Q: What resources are available for learning and using MS Access? A: Here is a small sampling of the numerous resources available to users of MS Access.
Q: I want to save my MS Access programs for future use. Where should
I store them? A: There are several options for storing MS Access programs and data, depending on such factors as the amount of data, the duration of the storage, how easily the data could be reproduced, with whom the programs and/or data would be shared, backup and security issues. For MS Access programs and data to be shared, storing them on the Novell network is a natural choice: Sharing can be accomplished by granting appropriate rights or permissions to desired users; owners should be aware of which rights may or may not be inherited on other directory levels. Files stored on the network would be backed up automatically by IT Operations. The drawback to storing an MS Access database on the network is that overall disk space is limited, and personal accounts normally have only about 5MB of total space, which may not be enough for purposes of the database. Because of security issues, IT discourages the storing of data on the local hard drive of any PC, with the possible exception of larger data files (10MB or more) that need to be stored on a temporary basis. If the data is to be stored for extended periods of time, the use of CD-writeable media is desirable; CD "burners" are readily available, and are often "standard equipment" on PC nowadays. Another alternative for larger data files, but not as "clean" as the Novell network solution, is to use the GroupWise library to store the database. By doing so, one can assign different rights to that database to individuals or groups of users. The data is encrypted, and is automatically backed up when the GroupWise server is backed up by Operations. In any case, MS Access should be configured to use the local hard drive for temporary work files, as this creates less traffic on the network, less load on the server, and makes better use of server space. Because of the impact that storing and hsaring MS Access databases may
have on other campus users, IT requests that you
contact the Help Desk.
At the beginning of the request description, please include the following
key phrase:
The Help Desk will create a work order and assign it to an IT representative who will work with you to find a solution suitable to your needs. Q: I want all my MS Access queries to run in Snapshot mode, but when I create a query, it automatically assigns it to Dynaset instead. Is there a way I can change the default to Snapshot? A: In our experience, running queries in Snapshot mode instead of Dynaset will usually result in faster run times, so we agree with your desire to use Snapshot mode when possible. It is possible to change the default on a PC running Windows so that MS Access queries default to Snapshot mode. But this requires the editing of the machine registry, a critical piece of software that affects all PC operations, not just MS Access. In other words, if the editing is not done correctly, the entire machine could be rendered inoperable. Because of the importance of the registry to the operation of the PC, IT
requests that users not try to edit the registry themselves; rather,
contact the Help Desk.
At the beginning of the request description, please include the following
key phrase: The Help Desk will create a work order and assign it to an IT representative who can edit the PC registray at a minimum risk to you.
Q: How can I schedule an MS Access job to run at a specific time? A: To do any of the tasks (or combinations) mentioned in the questions above will require some combination of Windows Task Scheduler, MS Access macros and Visual Basic programming, depending on the complexity of the desired setup. For assistance, you may contact the Help Desk. They will create a work order and assign it to an IT representative who will work with you to help create a solution that will meet your needs. Q: What if I want to set up a combination series of MS Access, Banner
and/or FOCUS jobs? A: Sorry, but at this time we do not have software available to accomodate the automated combining of MS Access jobs with Banner and/or FOCUS jobs. Q: I understand that data in administrative systems is confidential. What security measures should I take when using MS Access? A: Administrative data is indeed confidential, and is often subject to governmental regulations or involves other legal issues, thereby should be protected. Here are some recommendations:
Using MS Access with Banner and Datamarts Q: What training is available for using MS Access with Banner or the Banner datamarts (specifically)? A: Datamart documentation and vendor-sourced training materials are available on the "Datamarts" page of the ICS web site. In addition, ICS will offer a series of workshops on using MS Access with the Banner datamarts. Watch for future announcements. Q: How can I connect to Banner or the Banner datamarts (specifically) when using MS Access? A: Information about Open DataBase Connectivity (ODBC) is available in the "MS Access and ODBC" section at the bottom of the "Reporting" page of the ICS web site. Q: Where can I get help for questions about reporting from Banner or the Banner datamarts (specifically) using MS Access? A: Contact the ICS Banner coordinator for the area you are working with. Added 27 Feb 2002 A: A user id and password is required to access either data from BANNER base tables or data from a BANNER datamart using MS Access. For BANNER base tables (PROD, CLNT, or DEVL), the user id and password required is the same as your BANNER logon id and password for the specified BANNER database. However, the user id must be validated for one or more reporting reporting roles. Reporting roles allow the user id to use specific BANNER base tables and specific BANNER views. These views may be referred to as Object:Access views. There are two BANNER datamarts. PRODDMRT, which reflects the BANNER PROD database, and DMRT, which is based on the CLNT database but may not always totally reflect the CLNT database. PRODDMRT is refreshed each night. Each morning PRODDMRT will reflect PROD database as of about 2:00 am. To access either of these two datamarts requires a user id and password for the datamart being used. The datamart user id is usually the same as your BANNER login id. However, the password will likely be different. To change your datamart password logon to the desired datamart using sqlplus:
Datamart user ids must be validated for the datamart desired composite tables or desired Object:Access views. This is accomplished by granting reporting roles to the id. To request a datamart user id and access to reporting roles or to request access to additional reporting roles for an existing datamart id, contact the area that manages the desired data.
A description of the type of data desired will be needed along with
justification for using the data. |
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Page created: 22 Feb 2002 jg Last checked: 25 Oct 2002 jg Last updated: 25 Oct 2002 jg |
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