I am a PC Tech at a local computer shop. Recently we have had need to expand our database we use to keep track of service records, customer info, etc. I have some (read: very little) experience with Access and apparently that's a little more than anyone else in the office, so I have been given the project. Theoretically, this is a simple process. I need to add a table for Onsite Service Records and create a new form to interface with that table. The records will need to indexed by customer's phone number and so will need to tie into our customer info table; not a problem. My question follows: I have created new Access databases in the past with some measure of success. However, I have never attempted to modify or expand an existing one and am not sure how to begin. My thought is simply to copy the database off the server and open it up in Access, make my alterations and additions, and overwrite the existing database on the server with the newer one. Will there be a possibility of data loss with this approach? If so, how may I overcome that problem? Is there a better way to do it? Anything else I should know? Thanks a lot, I really appreciate any and all help/advice I can get.

no your approach seems quite sound, copy the database modify it, trial it and hopefully replace the old one. If you called your new database a slightly different name then you wouldn't need to overwrite your original. While you are working on your new one your old one will still get things added to it, your new one will then get out of date. If you can just copy the table(s) from the old one, you can then just bring in newer copies of the table later on Techy n Welsh