I support several Access applications for a company. The IT department
has just announced plans to upgrade from Office 2003 to either 2007 or
2010. They want my advice on migrating from Access 2003 to a newer
version.

Unfortunately, I've never used Access 2007 or 2010, so I'm not in a
good position to give advice on this particular question. I've done
some research by talking to friends and searching the web & usenet for
relevant information, and I've composed the following memo. I'd be
grateful if you folks would review to see if it is accurate and sound
advice.

-TC

----
My suggestion is that you leave the databases in the 2003 file format,
but use whichever version of Access you (or your IT staff) prefer.

With Access 2007, Microsoft changed the database file format. Instead
of mdb files, Access now produces accdb files. With a few exceptions,
Access 2007 and Access 2010 are supposed to support files in the 2003
mdb format. Those exceptions don't apply to us -- they concern things
like data access pages and user-level security, which we don't use.
Ostensibly, therefore, we should be able to open and use our databases
in Access 2007 or 2010 with no trouble. However, here are a few
important concerns.

First, Access developers have noticed some quirks in 2007 and 2010
which can cause Access 2003 programs to fail. Therefore, the unanimous
recommendation seems to be that customers should test their Access
2003 databases thoroughly in 2007 or 2010 before migrating.

Second, note that using 2003 mdb databases in 2007 or 2010 is
different from "upgrading" those databases to the new format. In your
case, there is no compelling reason to upgrade the file format; I
don't know of any new features in Access 2007 or 2010 that make
upgrading worthwhile. In the past, it was common to keep Access 97
databases in the 97 format while using Access 2000, and Access 2000
databases in the 2000 format while using Access 2003, so I suspect
that's what you will want to do here.

Third, regardless of the file format you use, you will have to
interact with the database in whatever version of Access you choose.
Be aware, therefore, that there is some debate about which version of
Access is best. I know one developer who refuses to migrate beyond
Access 2003 and another who adopted 2010 and now regrets doing so.
Their complaints mostly concern the usability of the user interface.
On the other hand, there seem to be plenty of developers who are
either happy with 2010 or who see it as the inevitable future. Just be
aware that migrating to Access 2007 or 2010 won't necessarily make it
easier to work with data, and might just make it harder.
----

TC <existential.philosophy (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote in
news:c2a92394-1ef2-4e36-b98e-c48714994371 (AT) z7g2000prh (DOT) googlegroups.com
:

Two comments:

1. I wouldn't class user-level security with DAPs. DAPs were
actually entirely removed from A2007, so are no longer supported in
the application. ULS, on the other hand, was just not implemented in
the new file format, but is still fully supported when you use MDB
format.

2. you don't say anything at all about the ribbon and
toolbars/menus, which is by far the biggest change that affects
users. I don't have any advice -- I haven't yet decided how to deal
with the issue. Fortunately, none of my apps that are running in
A2007/A2010 have custom menus/toolbar, so there are no significant
problems. But I do have a couple of apps that will need to have
something major done to them in order to be run in A2007/A2010.

Last of all, I see no reason to pay attention to anything but A2010.
It's got a lot more to offer than A2007 and is the current version.
However, I have many clients who have A2007 installed, so I have to
deal with it. But for a wholesale upgrade, I'd skip it entirely and
make sure everybody was on A2010.

--
David W. Fenton http://www.dfenton.com/
contact via website only http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/

"David-W-Fenton" <NoEmail (AT) SeeSignature (DOT) invalid> wrote


Add to that, the user interface in A2010 is more intelligent and easier to
use than A2007. Also be aware, that it is quite different than A2003 and
will take time and effort to get used to.
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP
http://www.datastrat.com
http://www.accessmvp.com
http://access.mvps.org
Co-author: "Access Solutions", published by Wiley

On Thu, 19 May 2011 01:03:29 -0400, "Arvin Meyer" <arvinm (AT) invalid (DOT) org>
wrote:

But that interface is basically used by developers and power users.
Not a factor for users unless the dev implements ribbons.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Tony's Main MS Access pages - http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/
For a convenient utility to keep your users FEs and other files
updated see http://www.autofeupdater.com/

On May 18, 10:21*pm, Tony Toews <tto... (AT) telusplanet (DOT) net> wrote:
Thanks for the replies, everyone. I sent my notes to the customer,
along with your advice regarding Access 2010.

-TC

DAP -totally- kick ass.

Sorry-- but Office Web Components was the best thing that ever
happened to MS Access






On May 18, 12:57*pm, "David-W-Fenton" <NoEm... (AT) SeeSignature (DOT) invalid>
wrote:

Tony Toews <ttoews (AT) telusplanet (DOT) net> wrote in
news:55a9t6dleo0nnjbo7hm9eo9a9ak197icp4 (AT) 4ax (DOT) com:

Depends. If you're depending on default toolbars for some functions
(as I do in many of my existing apps), little changes (like the
removal in A2007 of a DELETE button from the ribbon for form
editing) can cause issues. They aren't insurmountable, but you have
to look carefully at your app to figure out what's going to cause
problems and what's not.

--
David W. Fenton http://www.dfenton.com/
contact via website only http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/

"a a r o n . k e m p f @gmail.com [MCITP: DBA]" <aaron.kempf (AT) gmail (DOT) com>

Too bad, Mr. Kempf, that you are not only not marching in step with the rest
of the Access user community, but in a different direction. If DAPs had
been anywhere near as good as you claim, there'd have been enough users that
they'd still be included in Access.

Alas, I guess the vast majority of users didn't think so.

Don't you ever get tired of continually "swimming against the tide"?

--
Larry Linson, Microsoft Office Access MVP
Co-author: "Microsoft Access Small Business Solutions", published by Wiley
Access newsgroup support is alive and well in USENET
comp.databases.ms-access

"a a r o n . k e m p f @gmail.com [MCITP: DBA]"
<aaron.kempf (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote in
news:9de6df0f-75e2-4326-8f0b-a211f055d0e5 (AT) l2g2000prg (DOT) googlegroups.com
:

You're so totally hilarious.

The OWC was a bad concept poorly implemented. MS is now supporting
web standards, and it's what they should have been doing all along.

You obviously haven't a clue about any of that.

--
David W. Fenton http://www.dfenton.com/
contact via website only http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/