I need to run a MS Access job as an automated task. I know Access isn't really built for this type of task, but I have MOST of it working except for one, critical part. In short, this is what it's supposed to do:
Generate a PDF report for a user
Generate an email for the user
Attach the PDF to the email
Send the email via SMTP
It works if a user is logged into a desktop session. The process needs to run as an automated process, without requiring a user to be logged in. Using Powershell and the built-in Task Scheduler (Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit), I'm able to get it running on schedule. But the Access code fails when it tries to save the PDF. Through experimentation, I learned that I need to save to the "My Documents" folder, and I have the process running as "me", but I keep getting the same error message:
8/18/2014 4:00:17 PM Report Error in <method name>
2302
-1
0
<project name> can't save the output data to the file you've selected.
MTS
So I suspect that if I select the correct location to save the PDF, it will work. Is there a special location that the system and/or Task Scheduler (TS) can save to? Is there a special way to share a folder that it will allow TS to write to it (without requiring a user to be logged in)?
I personally usually save all these types of files/reports into the %TEMP% folder, which seems appropriate for this application since it is only to store it until it is emailed.
I haven't had any permission issues saving into this folder yet.
If you're unfamiliar with %TEMP% you can search for Environ variables and there are usually different useful file paths to common folders used by the system e.g. %APPDATA%,%USERPROFILE%` etc
Thanks for all the input. After exhaustive testing--based on the response from ashareef above--I've demonstrated that it can't be done. I tried saving to the following environment variable locations:
TEMP
APPDATA
LOCALAPPDATA
PUBLIC
USERPROFILE
I also tried:
C:\Users
C:\Temp
C:\Users\<my user name>\Documents
And none of those worked if I set the task to run whether I was logged in or not:
One location does work, but only if I'm logged in and I set the task to run only when I'm logged in:
C:\Users\<my user name>\Documents
To sum up:
Saving a file from Access
Running as a Scheduled Task
Whether you're logged in or not
Is not possible! So here at work, we're going with Plan B. Thanks for your help!
Related
Do not seem to be able to find any place in the portal or Report Builder where I can actually edit the connect string & creds.
Report Manager shows the XML, but that really is it.
Disk files (from the looks of it) are no longer present in high versions (using SQL 2016/2017).
Is there a known location anywhere in GUI, or maybe direct edits in the SQL Server repository?
I can't even delete a shared source anymore, only view or test the connection.
If anybody could post a screenshot, it'll be highly appreciated.
EDIT: Just found out - when I create a new Data Source, it's editable; the imported data sources are not.
There are two ways of doing this. You can set the 'overwrite datasource' option in the project properties.
Or, you can got to the report portal , show hidden items in the view menu and there is a folder called "data sources". Open this and you will see all data sources, from there you can edit and save changes. All reports that use that datasource will be affected.
Even though I'm new to access, things were progressing well, but I've hit the wall with a few issues. I've inherited a split database with four pieces, a backend version, frontend version and two user versions in accde form. The users wanted some changes, so I needed to add a few forms, modify a few forms, add a table and come up with the queries for the changes. That work is complete and I was able to convert the new frontend accdb version to the user accde versions. Some of the users are able to open the database, but some of the users are getting a Macro Single Step message with the following information;
Macro Name: AutoExec
Action Name: RunCode
Error Number: 3270
There's also a message about the backend location not being a valid path, but of course it is.
I'm wondering what the differences would be between the users who are able to get in and those that aren't. I've added the location to their trusted sites and I've changed their macro settings with no success.
Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks, Bill
i have a hyperlink in one of the columns (in tablix) in an ssrs report which points to some server where a dump of documents reside..the hyperlink is appended with a doc_id which helps locate that doc and to invoke it from that server..now this works fine if the ssrs report runs with the current windows logged in user and when the same logged in user is also set up beforehand on that document server where the ssrs hyperlink points to..and this was in dev env..
going ahead in a controlled env, there would only be one system a/c which will be set up on that doc server and regardless of who the logged in windows user is who runs the report; access to the docs on that doc server will only be given to that sys a/c..so i passed this same sys a/c (which is set up on that doc server) in the data source in report mgr --> credentials stored securely in report server..and thought that these credentials will be
picked while navigating to that doc server and the doc would be opened..but this doesn't seem to happen and it doesn't invoke the document...says invalid credentials..so i think it's picking my logged in credentials here and not the ones of the sys a/c that i entered in data source...(pls note here, the doc server url doesn't contain the report server / report manager url components..it's a different url and is used to only open the doc..so i don't think i can pass user credentials to that url like &dsu:Datasourcename=username&dsp:Datasourcename=password..may be i am wrong and i can pass? but don't think that's secure even if it's an option?)
alternatively, i thought this could be achieved by changing the execution account to this system a/c, under reporting services config mgr..but then we only have ssrs client tools installed..so can't change server settings..and just for this one requirement, nobody would accept my request to change the execution account...also don't know if changing exec account is even a solution for this?
i hope the question is clear..please give some work arounds..i'm stumped and not getting required help anywhere..
note: as another work around, i asked if a group can be set up on that doc server..and when all the users accessing the report are added to the group, they can open the doc after navigating from ssrs report...but the idea giving access to a group was rejected...they can only give access to this sys a/c...
I have the following set up on a server
Two MS-Access queries
Exported the data from the queries and saved the export steps
Created a macro to run these export steps then exit MS-Access
Created a batch file to open ms-access and run the macro
This works fine and dandy if I log into the server and double click the batch file, but if I set up a scheduled task to "run even if not logged in" then the ms-access macro doesn't seem to run....so it seems like access is never ran.
Does anyone have any ideas? Can you do this sort of process when "not logged in"? Is there something else I need to do? I am really stuck and need to have this automated.
Thanks!
My best guess is that you are trying to access a mapped network location that is not available.
Many networks have logon scripts that map network drives to local drive letters. These logon scripts are not run when you set up a scheduled task to "run even if not logged on."
So if you either:
A) are exporting your query results to a file on a mapped network drive (ie, N:\MyExport.txt) or,
B) have one or more tables in the source of your query that are linked to .mdb's on mapped network drives (ie, CurrentDb.Tables("MyTable").Connect = "N:\MyBackend.mdb")
then the process will fail.
If you are expecting to see an error message when you log on, you won't see one because the Access process is not visible when run through a scheduled task. However, if you go to Task Manager you should see an MSACCESS.EXE process listed.
If this is the problem there are two possible workarounds:
Use UNC paths (ie, \\fileserver\folder\MyExport.txt instead of N:\MyExport.txt)
Set up your scheduled task to run a batch file that:
maps the network drives using NET USE commands
opens your MS Access program with the appropriate command line arguments
I'm trying to open a form from an url. This ms access database will be hosted on a shared folder in an network, and the costumer has asked me if it's possible to open an database form (i'll have to pass an ID).
If this were in web environment i would do this without any problem, but honestly in ms access i have no idea how to do this.
Can someone help me?
Have a look at Register protocol and Registering an Application to a URL Protocol. They have a example registry file on how to register a protocol:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\foo]
#="URL:foo Protocol"
"URL Protocol"=""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\foo\shell]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\foo\shell\open]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\foo\shell\open\command]
#="\"C:\\Program Files\\Application\\program.exe\" \"%1\""
You can change the last line to something like:
#="\"C:\\Program Files\\Office\\access.exe\" \"C:\\path\\to\\your\\db.mdb\" /cmd \"%1\""
If you URL is foo:241245, the following command is called:
"C:\Program Files\Office\access.exe" "C:\path\to\your\db.mdb" /cmd "241245"
In Access, the commandline arguments are returned by the Command function:
In the direct window:
?Command
241245
The database can be opened from a URL like any other file:
file://server/share/path/database.mdb
This won't work if the database has user-level security on it though. I've only ever done that by using a windows shortcut.
If you're not using user-level security and the URL works, you can set the desired form to open automatically on load by going to the Access Options screen and the Current Database tab, then selecting the desired form from the Display Form drop-down list.
Oops - I just noticed that you said you'd need to pass an ID. I don't know if that's possible using a URL.
Open your Access database from the network location (i.e., with a UNC path, not from a drive letter, or locally).
Navigate so you can see the form listed in your database.
Drag the form to your desktop. A shortcut directly to the form will be created there.
I don't think this is a good idea, though. It's a substitute for a user interface in your Access application. Additionally, your description of the problem sounds like you're intending to have multiple people opening the same database file. This is a really bad practice -- best practice is for the database to be split (back end with data tables only on the server, and individual copy of the front end with forms/reports/etc. on each user's workstation), and more than one user should never be opening the same front end at the same time.