Sharing Application Files
For Access applications designed to support multi-user scenarios, it is usually recommended that a front-end database file be installed on each user's local machine and that data be linked to a back-end ACCDB/MDB file stored on the network location. Access does support opening ACCDB/MDB files over the network, and applications are often shared in this manner from a central network location. Sharing ACCDB/MDB files over the network usually works well when only a small number of users are working with the database and they are not using it simultaneously. This greatly reduces the complexity added when creating an application that has both a front-end and back-end database. This functionality is made possible through the use of the ACE and Jet database engines, which can issue commands that are accepted by network file storage interfaces.
Because ADP files don't use the ACE or Jet engines, the same instance of an ADP file cannot be opened by multiple users over a network. You can work around this limitation by flagging the ADP file as read only, but that it is neither recommended nor supported by Microsoft and can potentially corrupt or cause problems with your ADP file. A copy of the master ADP files should always be used locally and never shared across a network.
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