ACC: Cannot Change Some Properties of Attached Tables

ID: Q114216

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.

You cannot change engine-enforced properties such as FieldSize, DefaultValue, ValidationRule, ValidationText, Required, or AllowZeroLength on linked (attached) tables. When you open the linked table in Design view, the following warning is displayed:

In Microsoft Access 97:

Table 'tablename' is a linked Table with some properties that can't be modified. Do you want to open it anyway?

In Microsoft Access 7.0:
Table 'tablename' is a Linked Table. Some properties cannot be modified. Open it anyway?

In Microsoft Access version 2.0:
Table 'tablename' is an attached table. Some properties can't be modified. Open it anyway?

If you try to save changes after modifying one of the properties listed above, you receive a message that states:

In Microsoft Access 97:
This property cannot be modified in linked tables.

NOTE: Microsoft Access 97 will still allow you to save the table. However, the change will not be saved.

In Microsoft Access 7.0:
Microsoft Access cannot save changes to properties of linked tables.

In Microsoft Access 2.0:
This property cannot be modified in attached tables.


CAUSE

You cannot modify engine-enforced properties in linked non-Microsoft Access tables because Microsoft Access cannot enforce validation of a field that may be updated by other products, such as Microsoft Visual Basic.


RESOLUTION

You can add a default value or validation rule at the form level instead of modifying the linked table. For linked Microsoft Access tables, you should change engine-enforced properties in the base tables before you link them.


REFERENCES

For more information about validation rules, search the Help Index for "validating data." 


Keywords          : TblFldp 
Version           : 2.0 7.0 97
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: April 3, 1999