How to Solve “Not a valid bookmark” Problem in MS Access

This is a brief explanation of what causes the “Not a valid bookmark” problem in MS Access and what you should do to fix the problem.

How to Solve “Not a valid bookmark” Problem in MS Access

MS Access databases provide a simple way to manage business records. The application is simple to learn, and therefore, users do not have to contend with a steep learning curve. An Access database can hold hundreds of records. Thus, retrieving records and reports can be a tedious endeavor, especially if you decide to do it manually. This is where VBA queries come in handy. The above error may occur when you try to look up information from your database.

What causes this error

Not a valid bookmark

You are likely to encounter this problem while searching for records in your database using a VBA query, and the Bookmark property returns an invalid value.  This can happen if the records are not assigned bookmark values during opening. If the bookmark property is not working as expected, there is a high probability that your file is corrupt. For instance, the relationships of your database objects could be messed up.

There are various reasons cause corrupted Access databases. For example, if your file is damaged by a computer virus it may not function normally. Moreover, Software and hardware conflicts on a machine can prevent your database from operating properly. Physical damage to the storage device where the database is stored can also corrupt the database.

A closer look at MS Access Bookmark property

The bookmark property in MS Access is a navigation method that allows you to access records in your database tables. It assigns unique identifiers to every record every time you access Record sets. This feature allows you to extract and manipulate records outside the database using VBA scripts.

The bookmark values are not permanent and are lost when you end a session. The next time you access the records, the Bookmark values will be unique. It is important to note that only records in tables that have the primary key feature can be bookmarked. Bookmarks offer users an efficient way of navigating through database records.

How to resolve this error

When you encounter this problem, you use manual approaches to fix the corrupt Access database. For instance, the compact and repair method can help you restore your database. Unfortunately, this works when you are dealing with minor corruption issues. If this method doesn’t work, consider restoring your database using a backup file. If the backup is up-to-date, you will have your database up and running in a few minutes. All you need to do is to replace the damaged file with a copy of the backup database.

Sometimes, the backup file might be damaged, deleted, or non-existent. Here, you will need to use a third-party recovery tool such as DataNumen Access Repair. This comes in handy in restoring your backup file. When selecting such a tool, it is wise to confirm how it compares with other applications in its class in terms of performance. Luckily, the DataNumen Access Repair tool stands out with a recovery rate of 93.34%. Once you recover your files, you can import them to a new file and restore your database.

DataNumen Access Repair

One response to “How to Solve “Not a valid bookmark” Problem in MS Access”

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