Microsoft Support for Microsoft Access and ADP's

[Guy Horton]

Hi All,



I have been hearing rumours, from Microsoft Product Support Technicians,
that Microsoft's enthusiasm in general for Microsoft Access, and in
particular .adp projects and SQL Server Client Data Manager Interface (CDM
OLE DB Service Provider) is on the wane; preferring instead, perhaps
understandably, to focus on the .NET family of products.



(Hence the reason that many of the major bugs identified a number of years
ago by contributors to this site and others, and I assume subsequently
logged through Microsoft Support are still unresolved)



Has anyone else heard similar rumours? Can anyone confirm Microsoft's
position in regard to continuing support for Microsoft Access and SQL Server
projects?



Cheers

Guy

 

[Brendan Reynolds]

They will continue to be supported. That's about all that can be said at
this stage. Keep an eye on the resources at the URLs below, I expect news
will show up in one or both of these resources as and when it becomes
available ...

http://blogs.msdn.com/access/

http://www.vb123.com/toolshed/news/toc.htm

 

[David Portas]

Hi All,



I have been hearing rumours, from Microsoft Product Support Technicians,
that Microsoft's enthusiasm in general for Microsoft Access, and in
particular .adp projects and SQL Server Client Data Manager Interface (CDM
OLE DB Service Provider) is on the wane; preferring instead, perhaps
understandably, to focus on the .NET family of products.



(Hence the reason that many of the major bugs identified a number of years
ago by contributors to this site and others, and I assume subsequently
logged through Microsoft Support are still unresolved)



Has anyone else heard similar rumours? Can anyone confirm Microsoft's
position in regard to continuing support for Microsoft Access and SQL Server
projects?



Cheers

Guy

The Access team is recommending using linked table techniques for all
*new* applications--they are not going to yank support for existing
ones. For best results, and this goes for both SQLS 2000 and 2005--use
the Developer edition of SQLS to create and secure the back end
database. The licensing agreement prevents it from being used for
deployed apps or as a production server, but it has all of the tools
of the Enterprise edition, which neither Access nor VS possess. The
$49 price is hard to beat.

http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.access.adp.sqlserver/msg/13f77520583aecfd

If you're looking to the future, then an investment in .NET is where
you want to be. Access is an old technology at this point. Your choice
really depends on the specifications for your application. Access is
fine for small applications with few users, but it doesn't scale. If
you're looking at an ADP, I'd suggest an mdb with linked tables
instead. That is what the Access team is recommending these days
because it's more flexible (local storage, etc).

http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.vb/msg/910182c1cb326298

--
David Portas, SQL Server MVP

Whenever possible please post enough code to reproduce your problem.
Including CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements usually helps.
State what version of SQL Server you are using and specify the content
of any error messages.

SQL Server Books Online:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/library/ms130214(en-US,SQL.90).aspx
--

 

[aaron.kempf]

David;

I'm not sure that I believe you when you say that.

MDB are for sissys.


I would much rather someone use a real database and a crap language
then a crap language AND a crap database.

 

[aaron.kempf]

most importantly

ADP is 'basically unchanged' in Access 12.

I will find the link and send it to you soon.

ADP friggin rock and you MDB sissies need to wake up, smell the coffee
and learn TSQL.

 

[David Portas]

David;

I'm not sure that I believe you when you say that.

They are not my words. Mary Chipman of Microsoft said it. (check out
the links)

--
David Portas, SQL Server MVP

Whenever possible please post enough code to reproduce your problem.
Including CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements usually helps.
State what version of SQL Server you are using and specify the content
of any error messages.

SQL Server Books Online:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/library/ms130214(en-US,SQL.90).aspx
--

 

[aaron.kempf]

i believe that she is biased and an MDB sissy.

LONG LIVE ADP

More importantly; i dont know if i believe that
(e-mail address removed) is really a valid real microsoft address.

Additionally 'That is what the Access team is recommending these days
because it's more flexible (local storage, etc).'

This constitutes HERESAY-- she heard someone who said that their uncle
reccomends that.

I would gladly challenge anyone on the access team at Microsoft to a
good old-fashioned fist-fight

they just are too much of a wimp to learn TSQL.

TSQL is the only way-- the best language in the world.

Anyone that reccomends anything in MDB ever is obsolete and should be
waiting in line at the unemployment center.

Can you TRACE using an MDB file? (sure you can ODBC trace using windows
but mdb on mdb uses oledb right?)

Can you RUN a sproc in an MDB?

not really.

How easy is it it take a sproc with parameters and bind it to a form in
mdb? it takes about 20 lines of code and a bunch of ugly DAO crap

in ADP? if you have a sproc that looks for a parameter named @txtPLU
it will automatically negotiate this to a control named txtPLU

i claim that anyone that still uses MDB hasn't used this functionality
in ADP; because this is the only reason that anyone would use mdb--
because they dont understand how to bind sprocs to forms and reports.

Sure, microsoft has done a crappy crappy job of showing that feature to
people.
Is that my fault?

Is it my fault that MIcrosoft is run by a bunch of C++ and Excel
idiots?

Aren't you dipshits tired of rebooting your fileservers in order to get
people out of your LDB files?

Arent' you guys tired of compact and repair?

Aren't you guys tired of crappy ETL?

SQL Server has about a billion ways to import text files into a
database.

It is just flat out more powerful; any way you look at it.

And no-- it really isn't any more complex than MDB.

Aren't you guys tired of refreshing and relinking and recreating linked
tables?

Aren't you guys tired of INDEXING?

SQL Server automates all of this stuff

I mean come on--- get real.

Any litttle sissy that sits there and claims that MDB is the future?

I challenge you to a good old-fashioned fist-fight. Any time; you name
it. I will throw down and break your friggin nose, mofos. You are
destroying the lives of countless developers by encouraging the misuse
of MDB.

Any use of MDB in the year 2006 is MISUSE. Completely unacceptable
ANYWHERE for ANY REASON.

Shit; if i wasn't a convict (grass back in college), i would challenge
you to a real duel - like with pistols-- - for you MDB wimps spew
BLASPHEMY and you are destroying the lives of countless developers by
espousing the virtues of a crappy obsolete interface.

HOW MANY MDB SISSIES HAVE YOU MET? It makes me want to cry; seeing
people with real skills that haven't introduced themselves to the
higher level of db programming.

MDB developers are a sad sad folk.

Aren't you guys tired of copying frontends and copying crap around??

Keep all your queries on the db server; they run FASTER. They are more
POWERFUL. And you can debug them and get real, intelligent error
messages.

SQL -- aka ADP-- is just a vastly superior product than these silly
little MDB files.

-Aaron

 

[Guy Horton]

Thanks Brendan will keep an eye on the resources mentioned below.

 

[Sylvain Lafontaine]

It will take some time before the .NET technologies become fully mature; at
least three or four more years; so Microsoft shouldn't deprecate ADP soon.

However, event it they won't deprecate it, you must understand that its
support will be probably kept at its minimum possible and that most of the
bugs (including those who are already known) won't be corrected unless they
are about security and excerpt for the change in color for the menus,
probably that there won't be any new real feature for ADP in Access 2007.

Finally, don't expect any official statement from MS about this until
Office 2007 if officially out.

 

[Guy Horton]

Thanks for your input Sylvain.

It will take some time before the .NET technologies become fully mature;
at least three or four more years; so Microsoft shouldn't deprecate ADP
soon.

However, event it they won't deprecate it, you must understand that its
support will be probably kept at its minimum possible and that most of the
bugs (including those who are already known) won't be corrected unless
they are about security and excerpt for the change in color for the menus,
probably that there won't be any new real feature for ADP in Access 2007.

Finally, don't expect any official statement from MS about this until
Office 2007 if officially out.

 

[aaron.kempf]

we dont need to get 'new features'
we would like to have simple simple data entry apps without all the
..NET bullshit.

ADP are the best platform anywhere and anyone that tells you otherwise
is trying to sell you on something; trying to sell you virtual-pc or
something lol

MDB is a joke. Anyone that uses it should be fired immediatley;
including the whole access 12 team that is building new features in
jet.


**** JET IN THE MOUTH

They will come to their senses and understand that ADP is a vastly
superior platform

aren't you tired of linking, refreshing, updating, indexing??

with mdb you can't run a job once an hour.

with ADP it is easy to do this.

MDB is for sissies