Linked Access tables (Office 97 SR2)

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Hi:
I need a little advise about linked tables. I have a database that draws its data (via linking) from monthly databases that our system generates. In fact, I recently completed linking for all of 2002 and 2003 (I created blank databases to link to for all future months; i.e., each month the real database will be pasted over the blank one, which does not disturb the link). So, I created 24 blank databases and 24 links. I also did this for 5 other projects (a total of 144 links). Now, the client has decided that he wants to change the name of the parent folder (same drive) where all these files are stored. That means, I guess, that I will have to change the path in the links. My question is: “how do I do this?” I could not even find a way, in ACCESS, to inspect the link to see how the path reads. I hope that I am not going to have to redo all these 144 links manually.
Help!

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Stephen: The Linked Table Manager will give you the paths that currently exist. In Access 2000, it’s found under Tools, Database Utilities; in Access 97, it may be in the same place or it may be an add in. Regardless, this is where you can inspect the links. HTH.

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Are you familiar with the linked table manager? Look under tools…add-ins. When the dialogue opens, select tha tables whose links you want to change. Click on the “Always prompt for new location” checkbox and click on OK. The office common dialog will open and you can browse to the new/renamed folder.

This seems like an awkward setup but I’m sure I’m missing something. Is there a reason you cannot keep all of the tables you link to in one file?

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Hi Paul:
Thanks to you and Bill for your quick response. Paul, this is a long story and the only short answer that I can give you is the ols adage “if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it”. Actually, we can thank Mr Demming for that one.
Anyway, at present, there is no way I can stop the generation of the direction of these monthly files into separate folders. In fact, each little database is generated has the same name each month, which made it even more difficult to harvest their data. I finally got them to put the year and month in the filename along with the a 3-letter project designator.
What can I say, other than that this is a government funded project and the original software was developed by a subcontractor.
I keep trying, though.
Thanks for your interest. You will no doubt be seeing more questions from me in the future.
Stephen

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I used to *be* a government contractor. You wouldn’t believe some of the bad designs I saw because the contracts went to people who didn’t know anything about database design so they let the user tell them how to design it.

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