Software Purchase

[Guest]

I am developing Access databases using (office XP) for many different
versions of access throughout our agency. (2000 & 98) using other parts of
the office applications as part of the db's also(Word documents, Excel
Spreadsheets, and hopefully Outlook messages) What development tool do I
need to produce these applications so that they will work across all these
versions. In addition my coworker is producing an ASP.net application on SQL
Server using Crystal Reports. Do we need to buy two software packages of
Visual Basic , should I use Office Developer Tools? Will this work with the
older versions of Access?

 

[Tim Ferguson]

many different
versions of access throughout our agency. (2000 & 98)

I don't think there ever was a version Access 98.

What

development tool do I need to produce these applications so that they
will work across all these versions.

Assuming you mean Access 97, you have a problem. There is no easy way to
covert A2000 applications to A97; and upgrading A97 to A2000 does not
alway go well either.

producing an ASP.net application on SQL Server using Crystal Reports.
Do we need to buy two software packages of Visual Basic , should I use
Office Developer Tools?

If you can use VB or VBdotNet, then you are probably better off sticking
to that. All the Office applications can be OLE-automated just as easily
from VB as from another VBA platform. In addition, you can use the hugely
more powerful (if somewhat off-putting) ADOdotNet to get at the mdb data.
The framework can be loaded on even moderately competent hardware so it's
probably more portable than a particular version of Office.

Learn about late binding!

Hope that helps


Tim F

 

[Guest]

Thankyou Tim,
dmc

I don't think there ever was a version Access 98.

What

Assuming you mean Access 97, you have a problem. There is no easy way to
covert A2000 applications to A97; and upgrading A97 to A2000 does not
alway go well either.


If you can use VB or VBdotNet, then you are probably better off sticking
to that. All the Office applications can be OLE-automated just as easily
from VB as from another VBA platform. In addition, you can use the hugely
more powerful (if somewhat off-putting) ADOdotNet to get at the mdb data.
The framework can be loaded on even moderately competent hardware so it's
probably more portable than a particular version of Office.

Learn about late binding!

Hope that helps


Tim F