Multiple computers using Excellerate Desktop over your network

If you have the Excellerate Desktop solution, you can share your database from a server or “main” computer that’s always on.  You would need the multi-user network option for this. 

Each workstation would have the Excellerate program installed, but would open the database from the server or main computer.  For this solution, the computers would need to be connected to your church network – preferably a wired network. Wifi networks can drop out and cause database problems.

If you have really strong, reliable Wifi, and you don’t move your laptops while using Excellerate, you might be able to use wifi, but make sure you take frequent back ups just in case.

First, share your Excellerate folder from the main database computer over the network

Typically you should consult your IT person about sharing information across your network, but if you don’t have an IT person, here are the basic steps:

  • Share your c:\Excellerate folder on the main computer that holds the Excellerate database.  Here’s one how-to article:  https://pureinfotech.com/setup-network-file-sharing-windows-10/
  • Make sure users have full read,write,delete access to the c:\excellerate\ folder
  • Write down the address listed in the window, for example:     \\DESKTOP-VMN9GIN\Excellerate

Next, install Excellerate on your other computer

Tell the other computer to open the Excellerate database from the main computer share

  • Start Excellerate on the other computer, and if prompted, choose “Open other database” (If you don’t see that option, you can go to the File menu, and choose Open Database)
  • Now, you need to open the database from the main computer, so you should enter the full path to the main computer. For example: \\DESKTOP-VMN9GIN\Excellerate

(Note – if you get an error trying to access that folder, it means you don’t have sharing set up correctly, or you don’t have the correct user id & password to access the share. You will need to further investigate your steps for sharing.)

  • When you open that path, you should see your database file, possibly called “database” or “database.mdb”. Or you may have called the database something else when you created it.
  • Log into Excellerate, and answer YES to the prompt “Make this your default database?”

That’s it. Now both computers can access the same database.