Well, first up, you STILL need and want to deploy the application part called the front end (FE) to each workstation.
So, after you migrate the data to MySQL, then of course you will use the access linked table manager, and now link the tables to MySQL. How this works is really much the same as you have now. The only difference is that you linked tables now point to the database server (MySQL). From the application point of view, it should work as before.
Like all applications, be it Outlook, Excel, accounting packages? You STILL deploy the application part to each workstation. So just because YOU are now developing and writing software with Access does not mean out of the blue that you now for some strange reason STOP deploying the FE part to each workstation. In fact, you should be deploying a compiled version of your application (a accDE).
A few more tips:
WHEN you link the FE, MAKE SURE you use a FILE dsn. The reason for this is Access converts the links to DSN-less for you. What this means is that once you link the tables, then you are free to deploy the FE to each workstation and it will retain the linked table information WITHOUT you having to setup a DSN connection on each workstation. You will also have to of course deploy the MySQL ODBC driver to each workstation as that is not part of Access nor it is part of your application.
So just because you are now developing software does not suggest nor get you off the hook of deploying that application to each workstation. So, your setup you have now with a FE on each workstation does NOT change one bit.
For the most part, after you migrate the data to MySQL, then likely setup your relationships (say with MySQL workbench) there are several other things you need to keep in mind.
All tables now need a primary key. You likely have this, but Access with a access back end did and could work on tables without a PK. However, for SQL server/MySQL etc., then all tables need that PK.
Next up:
If you have any true/false columns, you MUST set a default up for that column. If such true/false columns have a default value or allow nulls, this will confuse access - so ensure that true/false columns can't have nulls and have default (useally 0) setup on the server side.
Add a "rowversion" column. This is not to be confused with a datetime column. In SQL server this rowversion column is of timestamp data type (a poor name, since the column has zero to do with time - it is simply a column that "versions" the row. This will also eliminate many errors. I don't know what this type of column is called in MySQL, but all tables should have this column (there is zero need to see/use/look at this column on your forms - but it should be part of the table.
All of your forms, reports and code should work as before. For VBA recordset code, you need this:
dim rst DAO.Recordset
dim strSQL as string
strSQL = "SELECT * from tblHotels"
set rst = currentdb.OpenRecordSet(strSQL).
You likely in the past had lots of code as per above.
You now need:
Set rst = CurrentDb.OpenRecordset(strSQL, dbOpenDynaset, dbSeeChanges)
You can generaly do a search and replace (find each .OpenRecordSet, and add the dbOpen and dbSee to each line of code you find. (I put the dbOpenDynaset, dbSeeChanges in my paste buffer. And then do a system wide search. It takes a few minutes at most to find all .openRecordSets
At this point, 99% of your code, forms and everything should work.
The ONE got ya?
In access be it on a form or in VBA recordSet code? When you create a new row, or start typing on/in a form? Access with access back end would generate the PK at that point. There was/is no need to save the record to get the PK value. This need is rare, and in a large application I only had about 2 or 3 places where this occured.
So, if you have code like this:
dim rstRecords as RecordSet
dim lngPK as Long ' get PK value of new record
Set rstRecords = CurrentDb.OpenRecordset("tblHotels")
rstRecords.AddNew
' code here sets/ add data/ set values
rstRecords!HotelName = "Mount top Hotel"
rstRecords!City = "Jasper"
' get PK of this new record
lngPK = rstRecods!ID ' get PK
rstRecords.Update
So, in above code, I am grabbing the PK value. But with server systems, you can NOT get the PK value until AFTER the record been saved. So, you have to change above to
rstRecords.Update
rstRecords.Bookmark = rstRecords.LastModified
' get PK of this new record
lngPK = rstRecods!ID ' get PK
Note how we grab/get the PK AFTER we save.
The bookmark above simply re-sets the record pointer to the new record. This is a "quirk" of DAO, and WHEN adding new reocrds, a .Update command moves the record pointer, and thus you move it back with the above .LastModified. You ONLY need the .LastMOdifed trick for NEW reocords. For existing, you already have the PK - so it don't matter.
This type of code is quite rare, but sometimes in a form (and not VBA reocdset code), some form code we might use/need/get/grab the PK value. In a form, you can do this:
if me.dirty = true then me.dirty = false ' save reocod
lngPK = me.ID ' get PK
So, once again, in the above form code, I make sure the record is saved first, and THEN I grab the PK value as above. Of course this is ONLY a issue for NEW records. (and you don't have to use the bookmark trick - that's only for recrodsets - not bound forms.
So, just keep in mind in the few cases when you need the PK value of a NEW record, you have to do this AFTER you saved the recordset (update) or in the case of a form, after you forced a form record save. This requirement is only for new records and ALSO only when your code needs to get/grab the new PK value.
Other then the above two issues? All the rest of your existing code and forms should work as before.
