ACC: Error Message "Can't open any more tables"

• Microsoft Access versions 2.0 7.0, 97

SYMPTOMS

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

When you try to open a table, query, form, or report, or when you try to execute Visual Basic for Applications code that uses recordsets, you may receive the following error.

In Microsoft Access 7.0 and 97

   Run-time error '2956':
   Can't open any more tables.

In Microsoft Access 2.0

   Run-time error '3037':
   Can't open any more tables or queries

CAUSE

You have exceeded the maximum number of open TableIDs allowed by the Microsoft Jet database engine.

RESOLUTION

Method 1

Obtain Jet35upd.exe from the Microsoft Web site; this file contains the updated version 3.51 of the Microsoft Jet Database Engine.

For information on how to obtain Microsoft Jet 3.51, please see the the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q172733
   TITLE     : ACC97: Updated Version of Microsoft Jet 3.5 Available on MSL

Method 2

Reduce the number of open recordsets, which includes the following:

• tables
• queries
• bound forms and reports
• combo boxes and list boxes whose RowSource is a table or query
• Data Access Objects (DAO) recordsets in code

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

The Microsoft Jet database engine versions 3.0 and 3.5 allow a maximum of 1024 open TableIDs at one time. Microsoft Jet version 3.51 allows a maximum of 2048 open TableIDs at one time. A TableID is a recordset pointer that the database engine uses, and which is not exposed to the user. The Jet database engine may open multiple TableIDs during the execution of a single query; however, there is no accurate method to estimate the number of TableIDs that the Jet database engine will use for any given operation.

For some operations, Microsoft Access 97 opens a few more TableIDs than do earlier versions of Microsoft Access. That is why you may encounter this error in a converted database that, for example, simultaneously opens multiple complex forms or reports. If you were already close to the TableID limit in Microsoft Access 2.0 or 7.0, the small amount of additional overhead in Microsoft Access 97 may be enough to exceed 1024 open TableIDs.