What else.......

[Cliff]

.....could possibly go wrong?

I'm getting the "Invalid Argument" error message. My 754 mb database blows up to 1.9 gb when I try to import the next months worth of data into the table. After review, it looks like I somehow lost all my primary keys.

All I did was upgrade from WinME to WinXP. Could that have ousted my keys? Is the table and database too big to go back and try to add them now?

Seems like I had this problem a long time ago and it was a pain in the a$$ to get corrected!

Thanks,
Cliff

[Rick]

For me, the easiest way to fix this is to make a copy of your present table without the records, create your primary key, and then append the records to your new table.

Then you can delete the old table.

You can try creating a primary key first. But if there are duplicate records in your table you will not be allowed to do so.

[Rick]

To make a copy of your present table without the data:

Open your database, open tables list, right click on your table name, right click in the white area away from any table names, click paste, the Paste Table As box opens, select Structure Only and enter a new name for your table. Click OK.

Also notice that one of the options is to Append Data to Existing Table. That means you can use this option to copy the records over to this new table after you have entered your primary key.

Open your new table in design mode. Select your fields for your Primary Key (hold down Alt Key) they should be something like Date, Track, Race, Program #. After you have the four fields highlighted click on the Primary Key icon. Save.

Now append the records from your old table to your new table. If you get a message box popping up, that should indicate that there are duplicates. Click OK or Yes cause you want the records that are not duplicates to be copied.

After you are done delete your old table and rename your new table to the name of your old table.

It never hurts to make a backup copy of your database before you do this just in case.

[Donnie]

No offense Cliff, but I had to chuckle when you said, "All I did was upgrade from ME to XP". That actually is quite an upgrade!! A lot of people don't realize what a real piece of sh*t ME was....Microsoft just did a paint job on 98 and added one or two things media-wise and pumped her out before the new millinium. Viaola! Instant cash flow! Kinda what you would do with an old car you wanted to get rid of...wash it, wax it, clean the windows and maybe the interior, where people look, but don't go under the hood!

One thing Cliff....make sure in all your databases that you go to Tools to Options to the General tab. Turn on the little checkbox that says Compact on Close. Access does not give free space back to the system when you delete objects and records out. In other words it "saves" the space once occupied by records that have been deleted. I worked on a database once that was 745 mbs big...after compacting turned out they had only 19 mbs of actual data in it!

If some of you others are having problems with the new HTR4MSA and Impact, it's because you will need to change a few of the field names in your existing tables, such as the old vF1 is now nFR1, or the nPROB% has lost the % sign....probably because it is an illegal character in Windows. After some tinkering with the VBA code I got myself back up and running again! Had an anxious moment or two in between tho!!

[Cliff]

Thanks Guys,

I'll work on it over the next few days!

Yeah, Donnie,......I was compacting the DB back to it's "regular" size after every attempt of manipulation. That's when I stumbled across the primary keys thing. Was taking about an hour to run every time. Jeez.

Will report back.

[tbrown]

What I did was open a file with the new program and import it into Excel, then opened my last "old" export in Excel. That way, I could put the two header rows directly under each other and see where I need to change names.

One thing that worries me is that the new one apparently dosen't take in finish position and fills in the winners price in for every horse. I am hoping I can make a relationship between the new HTRMSA and the HX4 tables to get around the lack of finish postions.
Haven;t looked at the new Impact export yet......

[Cliff]

Donnie,

I think MicroSoft has been selling me "lemons". I'm sure Tom would agree!

Cliff

[Cliff]

Guys,

Went back and added primary keys even though I'm not sure that was the problem (review of an old copy of those tables did not have them).

Tables for DOS Impact and MSAC are in another DB. As I update to them, they create an "Import Date".

My "Appended Table" is in a separate DB with an Append Query that keys on the Import Date to append the next month's data into one table. For some reason, when I run the Append Query is when the Appended Table blows up too big and runs out of room and I get the Invalid Argument error message. Never happened before and I even deleted some months from it just too make sure that wasn't the issue.

WinXP changed where my tables I'm linking to were, but, I think I corrected that C:\Documentsandsettings\etc\etc.

I know, I know, Windows exports will take care of all this but I need to add 2 more months to try to compare a few things.

Need more suggestions. Hope I've explained the dilema well enough. Late, tired, and the kiddo is rushing me off the computer.

Thanks,
Cliff