Items missing when accessing list in Access database

Question

I have an Access database which stores its data in SharePoint lists. The .accdb file resides on the SharePoint site itself. The lists are meant to be accessed only via the Access database (I went for lists because these were essentially the only table-like client/server data storage mechanism available to me)—nobody is ever going to view or enter data directly in SharePoint.

Now I’m receiving reports from users that individual list items seem to be missing, causing aggregate functions to return incorrect results.

I took a closer look at it and noticed everything was there when I opened the database from the SharePoint site. When I made a local copy of the database, some items were missing (Access reported 1502 instead of 1639 items); refreshing the list in Access did not change that.

Going through the list properties, I noticed versioning was active for the list items—which I don’t need, so I turned it off. After doing this and refreshing the list in Access, the local version had the correct number of entries.

However, some of my users are still complaining about missing items.

I came across a post the other day, which seems to suggest that items may not be visible when they are checked out locked for editing.

• Does SharePoint have checkout logic for list items? Does SharePoint have any way to lock list items for editing?
• If so, how can I verify if an item is checked out locked? Can I check it back in unlock it? How?
• How do I ensure items get checked in as soon as they are created do not stay locked for an extended period of time (or, ideally, never get locked)? (Items in the list usually do not change once they are created.)
• If not, what else could be causing this behavior, and how do I get rid of it?

Answer 1

You can lock the items from being checked-out so that users no longer able to edit the file

It is possible to do this with workflow. I would likely set it up to a wait/delay until the completion date or look for a completed status and then change the permissions of the list item. Here is a step-by-step walk through for changing the permissions. http://spcycle.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-create-workflow-to-change-item.html

Does SharePoint have any way to lock list items for editing?

You can do so by editing the permission accordingly

If so, how can I verify if an item is checked out locked? Can I check it back in unlock it? How?

If you go into the list setings-> manage checked out files. Here you will get detailed info about the checked-out files.

Hope this helps.