Access Developer's Edition Questions

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Tim Marshall - 28 Jan 2005 18:41 GMT

I use A2003, but I assume the following is similar for other versions.

I am getting pressure to distribute some apps to users who don't have MS
Access. If anyone would care to read, can I please present my
summarized understanding of what the Developer's Edition does?

I may well have some of my terms mixed up:

From what I've read here, it installs a stripped down version of Access
and the Jet database engine and this is what is called up when an
application is started.

Is that correct?

DOes the app Front and and Back End (if used) have the same format if
you use the run time versus against a full install of Access?

What about if a user already has Access installed? I know in A97 at
least another manager had purchased an application for tracking deferred
maintenance that was "run time" Access and it resulted in a total
screwing of the reference set up for his A97 on his machine (and my apps
using format, left, etc, would not work on his machine).

Thanks very much in advance for any comments.

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David Schofield - 28 Jan 2005 20:19 GMT

<snip>

> From what I've read here, it installs a stripped down version of Access
>and the Jet database engine and this is what is called up when an
>application is started.
>
>Is that correct?

Crippled rather than stripped down. Jet is the same.

>DOes the app Front and and Back End (if used) have the same format if
>you use the run time versus against a full install of Access?

Not sure what you mean

>What about if a user already has Access installed?

Can be bad news if it a later version, which is bound to happen
eventually. This can be the case even if it is a later version of
Office without Access. Also you need to be good with double negatives
to answer the install questions. But maybe this has improved.

The whole question of deploying Access is its Achilles heel in my
opinion.
David

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Trevor Best - 28 Jan 2005 21:10 GMT

> I use A2003, but I assume the following is similar for other versions.
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Is that correct?

Yes.

> DOes the app Front and and Back End (if used) have the same format if
> you use the run time versus against a full install of Access?

Yes.

> What about if a user already has Access installed? I know in A97 at
> least another manager had purchased an application for tracking deferred
> maintenance that was "run time" Access and it resulted in a total
> screwing of the reference set up for his A97 on his machine (and my apps
> using format, left, etc, would not work on his machine).

There's a few threads about having different versions of Access
installed, not sure if the same applies to the runtime.

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Scott Berry - 30 Jan 2005 07:59 GMT

>What about if a user already has Access installed? I know in A97 at
> least another manager had purchased an application for tracking deferred
> maintenance that was "run time" Access and it resulted in a total screwing
> of the reference set up for his A97 on his machine (and my apps using
> format, left, etc, would not work on his machine).

See the following link www.sagekey.com for a method of deploying run-time
access applications without affecting other versions of Access that may be
installed on the users machine. NOTE: it is not free, but IMHO well worth
the small investment.

>> I use A2003, but I assume the following is similar for other versions.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
> There's a few threads about having different versions of Access installed,
> not sure if the same applies to the runtime.

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Tim Marshall - 31 Jan 2005 01:01 GMT

> See the following link www.sagekey.com for a method of deploying run-time
> access applications without affecting other versions of Access that may be
> installed on the users machine. NOTE: it is not free, but IMHO well worth
> the small investment.

I'll look into this, Scott, thanks very much. As I mentioned, I've seen
how A97 on another manager's machine was wrecked by the installation of
a run time Access app and I'm very concerned about possibly doing the
same to others.

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Tim http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~tmarshal/
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Tony Toews - 31 Jan 2005 05:45 GMT

Do note that A2003 will only run on Win 2000 SP3 or Win XP or newer. So if your
target audience includes Win 98 or NT 4.0 you've got problems.

> From what I've read here, it installs a stripped down version of Access
>and the Jet database engine and this is what is called up when an
>application is started.
>
>Is that correct?

Correct.

>DOes the app Front and and Back End (if used) have the same format if
>you use the run time versus against a full install of Access?

Yes. Although you'd likely want to distribute an MDE.

>What about if a user already has Access installed? I know in A97 at
>least another manager had purchased an application for tracking deferred
>maintenance that was "run time" Access and it resulted in a total
>screwing of the reference set up for his A97 on his machine (and my apps
>using format, left, etc, would not work on his machine).

Royal pain. As others have suggested www.sagekey.com is an excellent solution.

Microsoft Access (Office) Developer Edition FAQ
http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/developereditionfaq.htm
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm

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David Schofield - 31 Jan 2005 13:19 GMT

Just to add, other respondents have perhaps assumed that the problem
is just in installing a run time app on machines with other versions
of Office. My warning is that there will be trouble ahead when users
install newer versions of Office and you are off the scene, You can't
be sure how they will manage the new installation.
David

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Tony Toews - 31 Jan 2005 17:23 GMT

>Just to add, other respondents have perhaps assumed that the problem
>is just in installing a run time app on machines with other versions
>of Office. My warning is that there will be trouble ahead when users
>install newer versions of Office and you are off the scene, You can't
>be sure how they will manage the new installation.

Good point. www.sagekey.com handles that.

I'd clarify that a bit to see if they install a newer version of Office Pro which
includes Access.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm

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