Our company has an Excel Database ("Database File") on the server. There is
a second Excel file ("User File") on the server that both accesses and
updates the Database File. There are 3 people on the network with more to
come. I have two questions regarding this:

1) The User File needs to be able to support "Multiple, Simultaneous Users".
What is the best way to accomplish this with out using Microsoft's Shared
Workbook as I have heard there is a loss of functionality. One option I
thought of is when Person "A" opens the User File it automatically saves it
as a new file so that Person "B" could open the User File with out it being
'read only'. Would this work? Is there a better way?

2) It seems to me that the Database File would have to be closed for
multiple users to access it as the same time. What is the best way to Read
from & Write to the Closed Database File?