The MSADC service is a virtual directory that is created under your web site by your host. The virtual directory is then mapped back to the server's system MSADC folder, which contains the Microsoft Data Access Components that are used to control and provide database connectivity. This virtual directory provides a gateway of sorts for StoreFront 2000 and 5.0, enabling the applications to connect to the database in your web store via the development tools which are accessed through the StoreFront menu or toolbar of FrontPage, Dreamweaver, or Dreamweaver UltraDev. StoreFront 2000 and 5.0 users will not be able to connect to the database on a remote site without MSADC support from the host.
WORKAROUNDS:
If your host will not support the MSADC service, you can create a system DSN locally and map it to a local copy of the database from your live site. Be sure to use a copy of the live database rather than some other database, as uploading a copy of another database to your live site will overwrite the information in the web store's database and you will lose valuable customer, order, and configuration information. When you must make administrative changes to your site, make the changes in this database, then upload it to the site and overwrite the existing copy. Always download a new copy of the remote database when you need to make changes to ensure that you are not perpetually overwriting your store's database with an older copy.
Although this procedure is effective, StoreFront Support recommends against it. The Access database used by StoreFront can become corrupted during the download if the transfer is interrupted.
You can also purchase the Merchant Tools. These are a collection of ASP files that, when placed in your site's admin folder, will allow you to administer your store and make changes to the database through the browser. However, the StoreFront 2000 and StoreFront 5.0 Merchant Tools are somewhat limited in their functionality. They can not be used to create product pages, page links, or (in StoreFront 5.0) to modify the Theme that is being used by a site. Contact StoreFront Sales for more information about the Merchant Tools, or click here to demo the StoreFront 5.0 Merchant Tools.
Finally, the site can be moved to a host who will support the MSADC service. All the hosts listed at the StoreFront Web Hosts Partners Page offer full support for the StoreFront application.
