Jon,

I have NOT tried linking ODBCLink/SE to a DBE with "hundreds" of tables,
but I have with LINKWAY.

What I can tell you is that ACCESS has a 255 limit... 255 tables & 255
columns.

Having all tables available will have other drawbacks.

Many PC applicatitions interrogate the CATALOG for the metadata which
describes   the remote database so having all of the information available
can cause an overhead.

Unfortunately IMAGE/SQL gives you all or nothing for an IMAGE database.

The best way around this (if you need to see odd bits from each IMAGE DB
attached) is to attach them then REVOKE SELECT from the users for each of
the tables which are not needed. It may be quicker to revoke select from
all then GRANT SELECT etc. on all of those needed.

If you are a little more proficient you might create views then grant
select just to the views.

The time-out sounds odd though ??

At 14:32 02/02/98 -0500, Jon Diercks wrote:
>Having recently installed Express3, I'm playing with ODBCLink/SE.  This is
>also my first serious venture into IMAGE/SQL, since before ODBC we had
>little need to look beyond native TurboIMAGE.  Since the SE ODBC only allows
>access to one DBE at a time, my natural inclination is to attach all our
>production databases (20 DB's, several hundred datasets) to one DBE.  I have
>done that in a test account, and now when MS Access tries to bring up a list
>of available tables for linking, the ODBC call times out after 10 seconds,
>presumeably because the list of tables is too big (my more contained test
>scenarios have worked fine).
>
>I guess I need some guidance and direction in overall strategy here.  Is it
>foolish to try to attach so many databases to one DBE?  Is there a way to
>make such a model workable?
>
>________________________________________________________
>Jon Diercks * Systems Manager         Computing Services
>[log in to unmask] (PGP available)     Anderson University
>http://rowlf.csv.anderson.edu/        1100 East Fifth St
>(765)641-4305 * FAX (765)641-3851     Anderson, IN 46012
>
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