Operation must use an updatable query. (Error 3073

Question

On some Microsoft Access queries, I get the following message: Operation must use an updatable query. (Error 3073). I work around it by using temporary tables, but I'm wondering if there's a better way. All the tables involved have a primary key. Here's the code:

UPDATE CLOG SET CLOG.NEXTDUE = (
    SELECT H1.paidthru 
    FROM CTRHIST as H1
    WHERE H1.ACCT = clog.ACCT AND
    H1.SEQNO = (
        SELECT MAX(SEQNO) 
        FROM CTRHIST 
        WHERE CTRHIST.ACCT = Clog.ACCT AND 
        CTRHIST.AMTPAID > 0 AND
        CTRHIST.DATEPAID < CLOG.UPDATED_ON
    )
)
WHERE CLOG.NEXTDUE IS NULL;

Answer 1

MS Access - joining tables in an update query... how to make it updatable

1. Open the query in design view
2. Click once on the link b/w tables/view
3. In the “properties” window, change the value for “unique records” to “yes”
4. Save the query as an update query and run it.

Answer 2

Since Jet 4, all queries that have a join to a SQL statement that summarizes data will be non-updatable. You aren't using a JOIN, but the WHERE clause is exactly equivalent to a join, and thus, the Jet query optimizer treats it the same way it treats a join.

I'm afraid you're out of luck without a temp table, though maybe somebody with greater Jet SQL knowledge than I can come up with a workaround.

BTW, it might have been updatable in Jet 3.5 (Access 97), as a whole lot of queries were updatable then that became non-updatable when upgraded to Jet 4.

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Answer 3

I had the same issue.

My solution is to first create a table from the non updatable query and then do the update from table to table and it works.