Access 2007 V Access 2003

[Tony Williams]

I have designed a training module on Queries and Reports in Access 2000 for
a client. They now tell me that they have just installed Access 2007. I
don't have that yet (too expensive!) so I need to know whether the Design
View and Wizard screens are much different between the two versions. Can
anyone help? I don't really want to invest in 2007 just for one client at
the moment.
Thanks
Tony

 

[Stefan Hoffmann]

hi Tony,

I have designed a training module on Queries and Reports in Access 2000 for
a client. They now tell me that they have just installed Access 2007. I
don't have that yet (too expensive!) so I need to know whether the Design
View and Wizard screens are much different between the two versions.

I would say: the GUI has totally changed.

Even this is not quite correct, but there are major changes in almost
all areas of the user interface.


mfG
--> stefan <--

 

[Carl Grundling]

Hi Tony,

Microsoft Office Access 2007 has many added benefits to Microsoft Office
Access 2000, however you may still design your databases in Microsoft Office
Access 2000 and open them in Microsoft Office Access 2007 without too many
issues.

Best regards,
Carl

 

[Tony Williams]

Thanks Carl I was just wondering how different the design view and wizard
screens were? Will they be able to follow my training manual which shows the
2003 Version if they use 2007?
Thanks
Tony

 

[Tony Williams]

Thanks Stefan I was just wondering how different the design view and wizard
screens were? Will they be able to follow my training manual which shows the
2003 Version if they use 2007?
Thanks
Tony

 

[Stefan Hoffmann]

hi Tony,

Thanks Stefan I was just wondering how different the design view and wizard
screens were? Will they be able to follow my training manual which shows the
2003 Version if they use 2007?

In my opinion the are not that different, but the ribbon and the new
task pane make it difficult to find the appropriate functions. You
should really take a look at it. It's hard to explain.


mfG
--> stefan <--

 

[Tony Williams]

Thanks Stefan I will.
Tony

hi Tony,


In my opinion the are not that different, but the ribbon and the new task
pane make it difficult to find the appropriate functions. You should
really take a look at it. It's hard to explain.


mfG
--> stefan <--

 

[Allen Browne]

The biggest issue is that the menus and toolbars are gone (replaced by the
ribbon), and so is the Database Window (replaced by the Navigation Pane.)

So if you have written a basic training manual that starts out with, say:
Click the Queries tab of the Database Window
your novice users are lost at step 1.

Similarly, if you say:
Click the Find icon on the toolbar, or choose Find on the Edit menu
again, they are lost, since there is no toolbar, and no Edit menu.

Several of the Wizard screens look really different too. To be honest, I
don't know how many are different, as I rarely use them, but some (such as
the import/export wizards) look very different.

In summary, if it's a basic manual, you've got some re-writing to do.

If you want a way to see what the new interface looks like, follow some of
the links on this page
http://blogs.msdn.com/access/archive/tags/User+Interface/default.aspx

If you want to know how to describe things in the ribbon instead of the
menus/toolbars, see:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HA102388991033.aspx
or:
http://office.microsoft.com/search/redir.aspx?AssetID=AM101757761033&CTT=5&Origin=HA101666061033

BTW, make sure your client has installed SP1 for Office 2007. It's deadly
without it.

 

[Tony Williams]

One other thought if I migrate, if I create in 2007 is it backward
compatible? Most of my clients still have 2003.
Thanks
Tony

 

[Tony Williams]

Thanks Allen, really useful. The problem I have is most of my clients still
have 2003 apart from this one client. If I move to 2007 will the database be
backward compatible ie if I create in 2007, will 2003 open it?
Thanks
Tony

 

[Stefan Hoffmann]

hi Tony,

One other thought if I migrate, if I create in 2007 is it backward
compatible? Most of my clients still have 2003.

Yes, you can create databases in the Access 2003 format.


mfG
--> stefan <--

 

[Allen Browne]

Access 2007 can create and maintain MDBs in Access 2000 format, and Access
2002/3 format, as well as the new Access 2007 format (ACCDB.) It takes a bit
of getting used to the new interface, but you can certainly use it to create
and maintain existing databases.

If you do a custom install, you can keep your previous versions when you
install Access 2007. That's useful for things like:
a) creating MDE files that work with the old versions;
b) designing custom menus and toolbars;
c) security permissions (MDW)
d) replication
e) Data Access Pages
Other than that, you can use the new version for 'most everything.

More info on adapting to the new version:
http://allenbrowne.com/Access2007.html

If you don't have the new version yet, you might want to use this utility on
your existing databases:
Prevent Access 2007 users modifying existing databases
at:
http://allenbrowne.com/ser-69.html
It runs under Access 2000 - 2003, and sets the properties so your database
behaves the way you want when opened in A2007.

 

[Tony Williams]

Thanks Allen again and as usual, really helpful
Happy New Year!
Tony

 

[David W. Fenton]

If you do a custom install, you can keep your previous versions
when you install Access 2007. That's useful for things like:
a) creating MDE files that work with the old versions;
b) designing custom menus and toolbars;
c) security permissions (MDW)
d) replication
e) Data Access Pages
Other than that, you can use the new version for 'most everything.

You can also use the new version for Replication and ULS if you have
an MDB open, no? And you can create an MDB and make it replicated
and apply ULS in A2K7, no?

 

[Allen Browne]

Programmatically, yes you can.

I don't think it's in the ribbon, but you can get at the interface with:
RunCommand acCmdUserAndGroupPermissions

 

[Janis in Minnesota]

Allen - we are having one heck of a time getting our 2003 application to run
on 2007. We are running our application on a windows XP xeon 3.00 ghz with
2 gig memory. Once we move our app to this platform using 2007, our
application becomes slow. When we try to click on a field or even click the
ribbon, we see a 'not responding' on the top and a few seconds later it goes
away and we can continue working. Going to design view takes seconds for
the properties to pull up.

Our 2003 application runs fast, but when we move to 2007, and we have
converted the database to 2007 (no changes), we continue to run slow. We are
unsure where to go next. We have tried many of the solutions you have
provided in other posts, to no avail.

We have many installs coming up in the near future but we are unable to get
2003 versions anymore. We NEED to get our application working under 2007.

Any advice is GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks!

Janis in Minnesota

 

[David W. Fenton]

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We NEED to get our application working under 2007.

Why? Why not stick with 2003?

 

[Janis in Minnesota]

We would like to utilize the new features 2007 has, plus we are unable to
purchase anymore access 2003s.

 

[Allen Browne]

Wow, this is a big question, Janis.

It will be a matter of tracking down *what* is slow, and addressing that.

A2007 is slower, as new versions usually are. But it should not be
impossibly slower.

You've been posting here for a while, so you probably know about Tony's
performance FAQ for Access:
http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/performancefaq.htm
There's lots of important info there: name autocorrect, subdatasheets,
length of path names, and so on. You probably also have the database split
so each user has their own front end on the local hard disk. And presumably
this is in a trusted location.

To track down why it's slow, you might start wtih a simple, new, codeless
form, bound to a table/query that runs well, so the form opens almost
instantaneously. Then start adding suspect stuff to see what slows it down.
Divide'n'conquor, i.e. take half the stuff and figure out if that's the fast
half or the slow half; repeat until you pin the culprit(s) down.

Presumably you do have SP1 applied:
http://office.microsoft.com/search/redir.aspx?AssetID=DC102486291033&Origin=HH102511011033&CTT=5

It is possible to get A2007 running well. Just tested, and it takes less
than 2 seconds to load a form with 12 subforms and 26 combo/list boxes
(including those in the subforms.)

Can understand your frustration when you have lots of apps to test. It will
need some dedicated time to pin down the bottlenecks and find alternatives
for those things.

--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia

Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps dot org.

message
news:[email protected]...

 

[David W. Fenton]

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We would like to utilize the new features 2007 has,

Which ones, specifically?

plus we are unable to
purchase anymore access 2003s.

That shouldn't be true. You should have no trouble buying 2007
licenses and asking MS for the "downgrade" to 2003.