For Visual InterDev to work properly, you need to duplicate the data source names (DSNs). The trouble is that, in Visual InterDev 1.0 (VID), the workstation and the Web server need different paths to the same database, but the global.asa file offers only one or the other.
Rather than fuss with File DSNs, this trick uses system DSNs on networked client and server machines to point to the same database. First, on the client machine, map the Web server as a network drive. For instance, in my case, the Drive on the client is H: and the Path is \p75c$ (you need administrator rights on the Web server to do this). Second, go to the Web server and using the ODBC icon in Control Panel, create a system DSN that points to the database. My system DSN is “dsndemo” and the database is “c:inetpubwwwrootdsndemosampledb.mdb”. Third, go back to the client machine (which runs VID) and create a machine (system) DSN with the same name as on the server (“dsndemo”) and point it to the database on the Web server using the network drive. In my case, the path is “H:inetpubwwwrootdsndemosampledb.mdb”. Fourth, in VID, add a data connection that uses the system DSN you created. Finally, edit your global.asa file from within VID. The line you need to edit should look something like this:
Session("DataConn_ConnectionString") ="DSN=dsndemo;DBQ=H:Inetpubwwwrootdsndemosampledb.mdb;DriverId=25;FIL=MS Access;MaxBufferSize=512;PageTimeout=5;". Cut out DBQ=H:Inetpubwwwrootdsndemosampledb.mdb; and leave the rest. When you save and close the global.asa file, you are using a system DSN that points to the database on the server. You should be able to work in VID 1.0’s Data View while the Web server has access to the same database.
