Crystal Report will not get new data from Access db

[rorymo]

Hi,
I have an Access database that I am using as a data source for monthly reports.
The problem is that the report is using the prior month's data instead of the new data.
I am deleting the old table and importing the new month's
data into the db, using the same generic table and field names as before.
The path name is the same.
The field names in the report are the same.
The only thing that changes is the data in the table.
My report includes some bar charts, so every month I have to
completely delete the chart and re-create the report.
I want to be able to use the report as a "template" and just
plug in the new data.
I am using Crystal Reports 9.
Any ideas are welcome.
Thanks,
Rory

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
When the underlying data table changes in that way, you should do a 'Verify Database' before running the report..

If it says 'the data has changed, proceed to fix up the report' then you know that the method you choose to use to update the data will require this every month before running the report.

Surely Access has a method of updating the data without
dropping the entite table and its structure..

 

[synapsevampire]

I think that Turk nailed it here.

But as a general rule of thumb, try using a QUERY as the datasource instead of a table.

select * from table would suffice, though I use explicit field names.

I don't allow developers to use tables for any reports, they use either Views or in Access, a Query. Even if the underlying table structures change, you can alter them back in the View and all processes (not just reports) will hum along happily unaware.

-k

 

[rorymo]

Hi,
It says "the database is up to date" when I do a verify,
yet it still shows the july data. (I recreated the table
with august data).
The path to the db is the same.
I tried the "create a new connection" and tried to do the "update", but since all the file names are the same it didn't do anything (that I could tell).
I don't know very much at all about Access, this isn't the db that we use for the majority of our reports.
Thanks,
Rory

 

[rorymo]

Thanks synapsevampire,
I will try that method.
Rory