Windows 7 64bit 
Access 2010 64bit
Hi all,
So as this is my first post, I'll include a little background about me, and my stupidity!
I've been a developer for 13 years, starting with Access 97, VBA, VB6.0. I moved into .NET tech for a couple of years (VB + C#) before getting involved with framework software for energy trading and risk management (called Endur) which uses its own noddy prop language called AVS. This is what I've been developing with for the last six years.
Last year, my fiancee started a business providing independent careers advice to a number of schools in the area. The business is doing well and expanding, but with expansion has to come the standardisation and sharing of processes and data. The existing plethora of spreadsheets had to go in favour of a shared database app. Its quite simple, just gathering and reporting of client data and contact history in a basic RDB structure, no complex routines or links to external data.
So, I picked up a copy of Access 2010, and merrily began producing a web database with tables, forms, queries and reports.
Here is my stupidity: I committed the cardinal sin of failing to read up on enough background info before ploughing ahead with my build. How different could it be? I thought... duuuh.
I thought that by selecting a 'web database', the objects that I produced would implicitly become web-compatible. I certainly noticed the missing options such as VBA macros which led me to believe that Access 2010 was preventing me from building things that wont work on the web. WRONG!!
I've now attempted to publish the DB via Access Services, and ran the database compatibility checker. I literally received HUNDREDS of warnings, some were so basic (like not being able to bind a report to a query!!) that I wondered if I'd been sold beta version by mistake!! NOOB.
Anyway, rather than resolving each and every issue from the compatability checker (which would basically mean redesigning the entire database), I thought I'd explore other options.
I dont need to host the front end on a web server - having a fat client run under an Access Runtime installation is more than acceptable for each user that requires use of the tool. So I was delighted to read that Access 2007 provides the ability to publish JUST the back end to a document library on an "Office Live Small Business" site, and to utilise Linked Tables to join the front and back ends, leaving the client with all the forms, reports, logic etc. Perfect! Surely this can be achieved in Access 2010?
However, I cant seem to find any discussions on this subject that dont completely disagree with each other?
At the moment, it seems like my best option is to buy a copy of Access 2007 (if I can find one?), create a copy of my 2010 DB by removing 2010 features that arent 2007 compatible (such as data macros) and opening in 2007. I'd then need to rebuild my macros in 2007 and split the database, then publish the back end to the OLSB site.
UNLESS any of you good folk here know of a way to achieve what I'm trying to simply by using 2010?
To recap: I've been stupid and built a web database that is non-web compatible. I need to share the data in the database, but I'm not constrained by having to serve up the GUI via a browser. Can anyone help me by explaining how I can leverage the Access 2007 functionality to share JUST the back end but by using Access 2010? Or are my only options to convert to 2007, or start from scratch?
Any help greatly appreciated!
thanks in advance,
papski
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