ACC97: "Microsoft Access was unable to create an MDE database"

• Microsoft Access 97

SYMPTOMS

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

When you try to save a Microsoft Access database as an MDE file, you may receive the following error message:

   Can't open any more tables.

   Out of memory.

   Microsoft Access was unable to create an MDE database

CAUSE

The Microsoft Jet database engine versions 3.0 and 3.5 allow a maximum of 1024 open TableIDs at one time. The process of saving a database as an MDE may cause this number to be exceeded if the database contains a large number of objects.

WORKAROUND

Method 1

Obtain Jet35upd.exe from the Microsoft Web site; this file contains the updated version 3.51 of the Microsoft Jet Database Engine, which allows a maximum of 2048 open TableIDs at one time.

For information on how to obtain Microsoft Jet 3.51, please see the the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q172733
   TITLE     : ACC97: Updated Version of Microsoft Jet 3.5 Available on MSL

Method 2

Use lightweight forms and reports whenever possible, or reduce the number of objects in the database.

MORE INFORMATION

There is no accurate method to estimate the number of TableIDs that the Jet database engine uses during the process of saving a particular database as an MDE. Each module uses one TableID, and saving the database as an MDE involves the Visual Basic for Applications project of the database as well as the project of the MDE. As a result, if your database contains 500 forms, and each form's HasModule property is set to Yes, you may use as many as 1000 TableIDs when saving the database as an MDE.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Start Microsoft Access 97 and open a database containing a total of more than 700 forms and reports whose HasModule properties are set to Yes.

2. On the Tools menu, point to Database Utilities and click Make MDE file.

3. In the Save MDE As dialog box, click Save.

   Note that Microsoft Access tries to complete the process of saving the database as an MDE, but eventually you receive the error messages described in the "Symptoms" section.

REFERENCES

For more information about TableIDs, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q165272
   TITLE     : ACC: Error Message "Can't open any more tables"