Primary key loss after MDB database corruption

Microsoft Access is a relational database application built up with number of tables comprising of various constraints such as primary key, foreign keys and more. In order to extract records of one or more tables, you have to develop a relationship between these tables. These relationships and primary are damaged once the corruption in MS Access database occurs. In order to alleviate the damage, the best option is to restore the data from a valid and latest backup copy. However, if you do not have a valid backup of the required data, then you have to use the advanced compact access database tool.

Over here it is important to know that Access client might get disconnected unexpectedly, which might be a result of corruption in MDB file indicated with a ‘corruption flag’ in corrupt state. A user who tries to access the data within the database while the file is corrupt is more likely to receive error message depicting that the database needs to be repaired. If the user doesn’t have permission to perform the repair, or do not knows how to perform the repair, then it might take a lot of time before the database becomes accessible again. Often corruption results in extreme frustration amongst the users.

In a practical working scenario, you might try to modify a master table comprising of primary keys; the table doesn’t responds thereby resulting in inaccessibility of important data. There are two major reasons behind this absurd behavior of master table:

• Master table corruption

• Use of ‘Compact and Repair’ utility for repairing the Master table

At times, when we use ‘Compact and Repair’ tool for repairing the corrupt database component, it rebuilds all the indexes of the database. If the utility observes any violation, then it drops that particular index and all the relationship of table that are dependent on the index to maintain referential integrity. This might result in display of incorrect records.

Disadvantages of compact and repair tool: Compact and Repair tool is an inbuilt repair tool of MS Access database but it has the following disadvantages:

• The utility is able to repair only those databases which were corrupt due to internal reasons and not the ones corrupted due to external reasons.

• The tool is unable to repair large sized MDB databases.

In order to save your data from getting further corrupt with the use of Compact and Repair utility and to repair your database in both the above situations, you will need to opt for advanced compact access database applications. These compact Access database tools make use of high-end scanning algorithms to offer absolute repair and restoration of all Access database objects. These software recover and restore both (.accdb and .mdb) Access database files.