Access 2000 database and Office XP compatability?

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Richard Cleaveland - 02 Dec 2005 01:42 GMT

A client has just successfully upgraded from Access 97 to 2000. I don't
have Access 2000, but I do have Office XP. Can I successfully use my Access
on their database? They kind of did this behind my back, and I'm responsible
for the application maintenance...!

Dick

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Allen Browne - 02 Dec 2005 03:50 GMT

Access 2002 can natively use the Access 2000 format, so yes, you can
maintain the database in 2002. Naturally you need to avoid the things that
were new in 2002, such as OpenArgs for OpenReport.

Every version of Access uses a different binary for the compiled code. This
means you cannot release an MDE in A2002 if the file format is A2000.

It also means that after developing in A2002, an A2000 MDB will be
automatically recompiled into the A2000 binary format when run in that
version. Well, that's the theory anyway: in practice, this doesn't work
100%, and you can end up with weird and even intermittent errors that show
up on some machines and not on others. To avoid that, decompile your mdb
before giving it to the client. (Ideally you would recompile in A2000, but
you don't have that option.)

To decompile, make a copy of the database, and enter something like this at
the command prompt while Access is not running. It is all one line, and
include the quotes:
"c:\Program Files\Microsoft office\office\msaccess.exe" /decompile
"c:\MyPath\MyDatabase.mdb"
Then compact the database.

For a list of the kinds of issues you could strike when moving an A97 mdb to
a later version, see:
Converting from Access 97 to 2000, 2002 or 2003
at:
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-48.html

Signature

Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia.
Tips for Access users - http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps dot org.

>A client has just successfully upgraded from Access 97 to 2000. I don't
> have Access 2000, but I do have Office XP. Can I successfully use my
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> Dick

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Richard Cleaveland - 02 Dec 2005 15:28 GMT

I had a little trouble understanding some of your comments until I noted
that I didn't explain the situation fully. The database (tables) are kept
in one MDB with Access 2000 and the procedures are kept in another
(potentially using the Access that comes with office XP). I'd like to
maintain the procedures but don't expect to make table changes (except for
temporary (working) ones in the procedure MDB.

I presume from what you said that XP's access is Access 2002. Haven't loaded
it so don't know.

Thanks for the specific warning about the MDE incompatibility. The reference
to your web site (http://allenbrowne.com/ser-48.html) is invaluable!

Dick

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Allen Browne - 02 Dec 2005 16:26 GMT

Yes: Access 2002 is part of Office XP.

Your database is split? Great. The comments about the binary will apply only
to the front end, since your back end file probably won't have any code.

Internally, Access keeps 2 copies of the code in an MDB:
- the text version (what you see and edit), and
- the compiled version (the binary that actually executes.)
By comparsion, the MDE contains only the binary.

Every version of Access generates a different binary, even for the same
text. The point I was making was that if you edit the database in Access
2002, and then your client uses it in Access 2000, there can be an issue.
The decompile solves that issue. The issue only relates to changing the
code, not the tables. HTH.

Signature

Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia.
Tips for Access users - http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps dot org.

>I had a little trouble understanding some of your comments until I noted
> that I didn't explain the situation fully. The database (tables) are kept
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Dick

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