Quick conversion to A2007 question

[Rick]

I'm still waiting for the corporate license, so I don't have it yet to try
this.

If you open a prior version database (2000 or later) do you get a
conversion prompt in Access 2007?

Thanks

 

[Maurice]

No you won't get prompted. Access will open the db in compatibility mode
(which you will see in the application title bar). You can choose to convert
it by clicking the office button and choose save as.

So you can try to open with without the risk of the db immediately being
converted.

 

[Paul Shapiro]

If you will have users who are opening the db with an older Access version,
it may cause problems to open the db in Access 2007. Access 2007 knows how
to update references from older Access versions, but once it does, the older
versions will probably not know how to revert the references to the older
version.

If you will have mixed Access versions being used, I would make a copy of
the db for each user. This requires you to split the db into a front-end and
a back-end, which is good practice for any multi-user db anyway. The backend
db stays in the older format, while each user has their own copy of the
frontend. The distribution version of the front end should be set for the
oldest Access version in use.

 

[Dominic Vella]

I've also found this applies to mixed operating systems. An Access2000
database could work in a WindowsVista OS but references could be lost if it
moves back to a WindowsXP OS.


Dom

 

[Paul Shapiro]

Good point. I've seen that too. So the correct environment for setting up
the "master" distribution frontend db is:
a) the oldest OS, with the lowest service pack level, that will exist for
any user
b) the oldest Access version that will exist for any user.

 

[Rick]

Good point. I've seen that too. So the correct environment for setting
up the "master" distribution frontend db is:
a) the oldest OS, with the lowest service pack level, that will exist
for any user
b) the oldest Access version that will exist for any user.

Good information, folks. Thanks. We are doing a massive organization-wide
upgrade and my nightmare scenario is multiple users who open a non-split DB
directly on a network drive and cause this scenario. I'm STRONLY
recommending any network DBs be split, but with more than 3000 databases
out there, I know this will come up. I've been doing analysis and was
stunned to find the number of Access 95/97 databases as well as even some
Access 2.0.