# Likely cause of Access Error? -- attempting to update Table A from corresponding Table B value

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-cause-of-access-error-attempting-to-update-table-a-from-corresponding-table-b-value/985525>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 14, 2023, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-cause-of-access-error-attempting-to-update-table-a-from-corresponding-table-b-value/985525 "2023-06-14T21:13:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-cause-of-access-error-attempting-to-update-table-a-from-corresponding-table-b-value/985525/21 "2023-06-15T20:15:54Z")

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I think I need to wait for internal help from someone who knows WTF they’re doing. I wasn’t hired to be an Access developer.

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**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2023, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-cause-of-access-error-attempting-to-update-table-a-from-corresponding-table-b-value/985525/22 "2023-06-15T20:31:40Z")

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> [@TroutMan](#):
>
> If I understand correctly, you imported the CSV but as a linked table? Is there a reason you don’t want to load that data into Access. Typically a linked table is used where you have an active external table in something like SQL Server or MySQL. I haven’t used linked tables for text files, and I wonder if Access isn’t handling that well.

Yeah, this.  
Import into a non-linked table.  
You can always export that as a .csv if you need to.

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**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2023, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-cause-of-access-error-attempting-to-update-table-a-from-corresponding-table-b-value/985525/23 "2023-06-15T20:43:53Z")

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FWIW, I tried the following SQL in a trimmed-down mimic of your tables, and it updated the appropriate rows.

```auto
UPDATE 
    GoatOutPrograms 
    INNER JOIN Programs 
        ON GoatOutPrograms.Program_IDx = Programs.Program_ID 
SET 
    Programs.Latitude = [GoatOutPrograms].[Latitude], 
    Programs.Longitude = [GoatOutPrograms].[Longitude];

```

I think the issue is either the linked table or expecting NULL values in the Programs table.

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**Author:** ![hostility](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hostility](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hostility)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-cause-of-access-error-attempting-to-update-table-a-from-corresponding-table-b-value/985525/24 "2023-06-15T22:11:21Z")

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> [@TroutMan](#):
>
> I think the issue is either the linked table or expecting NULL values in the Programs table.

I agree. I asked OP to check the actual values in `Programs.Latitude` to make sure they’re truly NULL for the records OP’s expecting to be updated. Maybe Access is “hiding” zero-values in those columns? Just a blind guess.

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2023, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-cause-of-access-error-attempting-to-update-table-a-from-corresponding-table-b-value/985525/25 "2023-06-15T23:02:49Z")

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Nope. I exported the Access table to CSV and converted it to FileMaker, isolated the records empty on the coordinate fields, populated them by a script that scraped a web site, then exported them back out.

**MY** guess is that they gave me more limited editing powers than they think they did, or the table is protected from being overwritten in any way aside from manual entry or some such thing.

The simple update query (the one that doesn’t make any reference whatsoever to the new GoatOut table and just tries to UPDATE a Programs record without refence to whether or not any column value is NULL or not) fails. It shouldn’t, I think, and the fact that it does makes me uninclined to futz with it further until someone with Access chops in our company investigates.

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**Author:** ![hostility](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hostility](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hostility)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2023, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-cause-of-access-error-attempting-to-update-table-a-from-corresponding-table-b-value/985525/26 "2023-06-15T23:10:11Z")

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> [@AHunter3](#):
>
> **MY** guess is that they gave me more limited editing powers than they think they did

My guess too…

> [@hostility](#):
>
> Any possibility of a permissions problem on the Programs table?

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