title: How to Continuously Develop and Deploy an Access 2010 Database Application
body: <p>I've been developing an Access 2010 Database Application, let's call it <code>Skill.accdb</code>.
  I'm at the stage where I want to start deploying it so users can start using it and continue developing at the same time.
  I've been reading </p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><a href="http://www.opengatesw.net/ms-access-tutorials/Access-Articles/MSAccess-Deployment-Best-Practices.htm" rel="noreferrer">MSAccess-Deployment-Best-Practices</a>,</li>
  <li><a href="https://support.office.com/en-ca/article/Deploy-an-Access-2007-application-7bb4f2ba-30ee-458c-a673-102dc34bf14f" rel="noreferrer">Deploy-an-Access-2007-application</a>, and</li>
  <li><a href="https://support.office.com/en-za/article/Ways-to-share-an-Access-database-b7f250cc-5413-4fc4-a54a-8e2b54db252c" rel="noreferrer">Ways-to-share-an-Access-database</a></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>which talk about splitting, compiling, installing, etc., but they're very short on actual procedural steps to follow.</p>
  
  <p>I have split my database application into a back-end and a front-end: <code>Skill_Back.accdb</code> and <code>Skill_Front.accdb</code>.
  The back-end is on a network shared drive and some users have copies of the front-end.
  So far so good, especially if I never have to do any more development.
  But I can't quite see how to now continue development on the front-end without disturbing the "live" back-end.</p>
  
  <p>How do I have a development version of the front-end pointing to a dummy version of the back-end so that I don't mess up the live version?
  And then, when I wish to release a new version of the front-end, how do I get it to point again to the live version of the back-end?</p>
  
  <p>If I re-split (ie, use the Move Data | Access Database tool again) to point to a not-yet-existing dummy back-end, I'm told all the tables are now empty -- not what I want.
  If I re-split to point to a copy of the live back-end, I'm asked if I want to replace it -- also not what I want. 
  If I do, again I'm told "There are no tables in this database. The back-end database will be empty." and yet I see that it (the front-end) is still pointing to the live back-end!</p>
  
  <p>What critical concept/tool/procedure am I missing?
  (I'm not asking about compiling or runtime or building an installer -- those are later problems.)</p>
  
  <p><strong>addendum</strong></p>
  
  <p>Further to following the advice in the fine answer below, I found a couple of other articles that <em>do</em> describe procedures:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><a href="http://www.fmsinc.com/microsoftaccess/databasesplitter/" rel="noreferrer">MS Access Split Database Architecture to Support Multiuser Environments, Improve Performance, and Simplify Maintainability</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://www.hitechcoach.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=35:split-your-access-database-into-application-anddata" rel="noreferrer">Splitting your Access database into application and data</a></li>
  </ul>