Updating Access. Yes or no?

[oleBucky]

I have the occasion of get an updated version of Access. Is there a consensus among active users regarding the relative utility of the latest version (whatever that is) and my current version (Access 2003, v 11.0). I've kinda gotten used to the ol' girl... makes changing kinda painful.

[alansidman]

I switched about a year ago to 2007 and in the beginning I found it frustrating to not be able to find things quickly. After a while it became second nature. I now switch back and forth between two machines -- one with 2002 and the other with 2007. I see very little difference in the functionality of the two. There is one item in 2007 I find annoying. If I use a wizard to create a command button for a simple task such as Run Query or Close Form, Access runs the commands as Macros and not VBA which then requires me to convert them using the convert wizard . I can then edit the VBA as necessary.

Just my 2 cents.

Alan

[nicknameoscar]

Just like Alan I found 2007 to be frustrating at first. There are still times when I have to Google to find out how to do something. I go back and forth from 2000 and 2007 now without much problem. I find myself wishing 2000 had certain 2007 features and vice versa.

I seem to have noticed that 2000 runs a mdb database considerably faster than 2007. I think I have read that is to be expected. I haven't tried converting to accdb to see if that makes a difference.

[byterbit]

I use both professionally , have been programming in Access since '95
What happened here is that MS made counterproductive cosmetic changes for the sake of change; not something a good engineering firm would do; they have forgotten what made them a success.
Consider it analogous to Vista/7, and if you’re like me you avoided Vista. I plead with my clients stay with Access 2002.
(note how incredibly counterproductive the Ribbon is, and more: consider the hubris in not giving users a choice ! (something that would have been very easy); can you imagine treating your users in this way ????? "Hi folks, I just changed all your menus in my app, and no, you cant have a switch for the old ones too. So what if you cant work as fast." )
The whole interface seems unproductive. Am I wrong here folks ? I think we need more mouse movements and keys hit to get the same work done.

[oleBucky]

The whole interface seems unproductive. Am I wrong here folks ? I think we need more mouse movements and keys hit to get the same work done.

I obviously cannot speak to Access, but when it comes to the "ribbon" versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, I could not agree more... more clicks for the same work.

An addendum: How do the later versions of Access perform in the 64 bit environment? It is likely my new computer must run 64 bit Windows 7 to be compatible with all of my technical applications.

[NTC]

okay - well my take differs:

1. in 07 or later: If you'd prefer having VBA over macros, click on the round Office button, choose Access Options, then look on the Object Designers tab. Under Forms/Reports, there's a check box "Always use event procedures". Select it to get VBA instead of embedded macros.

2. the ribbon is all Office products, not just Access - - and is initially a huge productivity killer because things have moved....sort of like rearranging the dashboard of a car. Once you know where everything is - productivity returns to normal.

3. 07: the embedded tab layout (rather than overlapping windows) is a huge productivity enhancement for the designer. big time. get to know it. you can now have a form, report, another form, table, query - - all opened side by side in design view even...its great. really great. can't emphasize this enough....

4. I see no evidence that prior versions are inherently faster than 07/10

5. A designer must design in the lowest version of the product; nothing has ever been backward compatible. So if you go exclusively 07 - it is dicey as to whether a new db you design would work for an 03,02,00 user... fyi

6. There is today, no compelling reason to go to 64 bit of Office, even if they have Windows7-64; except for very high power big record size excel users. If your user buys/installs a pure 64 environment (and what they do is of course outside our control....)- the 32 app will work within vanilla access - but not system calls that are no longer valid. It really isn't an access thing per se - but more vba/system syntax - - but since you'll find it in access it can be perceived as an access issue.

7. If you are at all thinking of making Web Forms and going Sharepoint hosting - you need to step up to Access2010.

Overall - a Windows7 & Access2007/10 is sweet. Part of the reason of course is usually these pcs are newer and have like 4G RAM typically. Going back to XP/Access03 just isn't fun any more. I did go thru the pain y'all express, and I grumbled about it too....but the new stuff is really pretty nice. the basic off the shelf PC from Best Buy today has so much horse power - its really nice to step up to the latest software.....

[alansidman]

1. in 07 or later: If you'd prefer having VBA over macros, click on the round Office button, choose Access Options, then look on the Object Designers tab. Under Forms/Reports, there's a check box "Always use event procedures". Select it to get VBA instead of embedded macros.

Thanks. I wish I knew that six months ago.

Alan

[byterbit]

I couldn’t disagree more; every change made here was counterproductive; I would bet you that no in house productivity studies drove any of it; I see this across their entire line of products, and as a general consultant I use 10 + every week. From Vista/7 to the phone system to the SQL Server install process to the browser; they have become a danger to productivity.
I have to warn my clients not to use them, and but for Access (they’re letting FoxPro die, sadly) I’d take all my clients to Ubuntu ( have you used it ? such sweet, productive, rational engineering). I can only imagine that the income stream from Windows insulates them from the idiocy that lets them think that adding fins to a Cadillac makes for a better car. At least in the car they didn’t get in the way. This is clearly a management failure of the first order; note how they now lose in every market they have competition in - NTC I say this out of a desire to see them succeed; I have 20 + years invested in learning their systems ! I can only hope enough critical feedback will prevent them from going the way of Ashton Tate Or Novell.
I’d like to reply to your technical points, and might later, but I have to code (VBA thankfully and not VB.NET, so I’ll be productive) , and then work on several websites.

[NTC]

I consider the discussion to be in the context of older version(s) of Access vs new version(s) of Access. And stand by my posted opinion.

Going to ubuntu operating system?.....not part of the discussion for the Access user community.

As for the general rant against Microsoft. Yes, they are a very bureacratic organization. But so is IBM, and so are all organizations that are large and managing complex systems. It is almost inherent. Not an excuse, and it is frustrating.

But back to the old pre-Access2007 die hards. I was there. When you know the environment like the back of your hand - it is tough to change. but 07 & beyond are good and if you add that tab visibility to multiple objects opened at the same time - - it is a better developer experience in the end.