Access 2013 Upgrade Rumors: Fact or Fiction?

[chrisk]

To All:



I have been hearing a lot of questionable "facts" being disseminated by IT teams to corporate managers with regard to upgrading to Access 2013. The most persistent are these.

1. Machines running Microsoft 2013 will automatically convert a 2007 database to 2013 immediately upon opening. This cannot be reversed.

2. Machines running Microsoft 2007 will be unable to open a database that has been converted to 2013.

Item 1 seems the most unbelievable - that Microsoft would simply perform an irreversible file format change upon opening an old Access DB in Access 2013.

Anyone have hands-on experience with opening Access 2000 through 2010 DBs (both MDB and ACCDB) in Access 2013?

Regards,


Chrisk

[June7]

1. Should get a prompt for conversion of mdb - I do with 2010 opening mdb. Conversion will create a new file. I don't think will be prompted if opening an accdb. However, review this discussion of a developer's experience opening 2003 file with 2013 http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/o...c-4b34909ca3b3

2. Access 2007/2010 should be able to open db developed in 2013 if there are no incompatible features utilized. Discussion of one developer experience: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/o...7-016d29471007

[chrisk]

June:

Thanks for the reply. Your second link debunked the notion that you cannot open a 2013 database with 2007 front end (with the exception of the empty cell issue). I am still unclear as to whether Access 2013 will "automatically" convert an older DB "upon opening" without user intervention. This just sounds crazy!

chrisk

[ItsMe]

Another thing to take into consideration is what you are opening, exactly. If you have a machine that has Access 20XX installed and open a file, that file will receive a JIT compilation. If you have several computers accessing the same file, make sure they have similar machines (hardware) and also are running the same Version of Access.

To avoid any issues with one version of Access vs. another version, provide FE files to the Users that only they will have access to. Also, understand that named and saved Macros are not always compatible across different versions of Access.

[Perceptus]

Recently I upgraded access 1995 to 2013. 2013 wouldn't open the 1995 file at all. I had to convert it to 2000, and then convert from mdb to accdb for 2007 to read the file. beyond that the conversion was pretty painless.

[DubCap01]

I built a (accdb) database in A2007, then work updated me (and subsequently my database) to A2010. At home I have A2013, and merrily make changes and creations to the original A2007 database using that version. Take it back to work and deploy back into the A2010 environment? No problems. Work A2010 recognises it as a 2003-2007 accdb
That's my experience mate

cheers
Pete

[June7]

If opening an mdb with 2013 should get a prompt. 2013 cannot open pre-2000 db (Access 97), must first be converted to mdb with Access 2003. If opening an accdb, there is no 'conversion' involved.