We are putting together a database using Access for our group to use at work. I have been told by IT there is a way to "compile" frontends, and distribute to some of the systems, as long as we have some machines running Access. One book I have on Access '97 talks about being able to create runtime versions using (Office?) ODE. We are using Access 2000. (We want to stay with 2000 because we have already invested in the licenses and we need to be able to get in and support the database with them.)

Does anyone know how this can be done with Access 2000? (Can I get the current "ODE" and use it on an older version of Access? Does Microsoft still provide the "ODE" for 2000?
Thank you,

There is no way to "compile" or "build" (via a VBA or Access "compiler") an Access project into a standard Win32 PE (portable executable) file, i.e. your standard executable file that a machine running 32-bit Windows would be able to load and do something with.

You can however, "package" an Access application (usually in .mde file format) along with a copy of the Access Runtime version. Being able to distribute the "Access Runtime" simply means that you have a license to distirbute the the MSACCESS.EXE file, which is the exact same engine you use to build your Access application using your full version of Access. However, when you distribute the MSACCESS.EXE with a copy of your application (via the Package and Deployment Wizard), some of the features of the Access engine a simply disabled on the end-user's machine.

During deployment, a copy of MSACCESS.EXE gets placed on the end-user's machine. Then the Windows Registry licensing key gets checked to see if the user has a copy of Access installed. If they don't, the licensing key gets updated to indicate that the user will be running MSACCESS.EXE in run-time mode (certain windows, toolbars, menu items and keys are hidden or disabled). This means that if the Access application you distribute with the "run-time version" of Access isn't secured, and the end-user installs a full-version of Access on the machine, they will be able to modify your data and application objects. Nothing about your application is modified by "packaging" it. So the "run-time version" of Access that ships with ODE is really only a "run-time license" to distribute Access with certain features enabled/disabled.

The Access developer tools change their name pretty much with each new version of Access:

A2K - Microsoft Office 2000 Developer Edition (ODE)
A2k2 - Microsoft Office Developer (MOD) 2002
A2K3 - Access 2003 Developer Extensions (part of the new Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System software package).

None of these tools are free or cheap. They all have to be purchased. In the case of the Access Run-time Version "tool", you're purchasing the run-time license.

Regarding the ODE version, Microsoft has this to say:

"The Microsoft Office 2000 Developer Edition (ODE) version 1.5 CD and the Microsoft Office 2000 Developer Service Release 1 (MOD SR-1) Fulfillment CD are no longer available through the Microsoft Order Desk as of January 1, 2004."

All of these tools, however, do pop-up on e-bay from time to time.

HTH,

Bob

Hi Loralee,

Of course, if your users already have a full copy of Access installed on their machines, and you want to distribute a secured version of your application to them, there is no need for the Access runtime version at all. Simply create an MDE file version of your application. Creating an MDE version of your MDB file actually DOES compile (emit machine code) your VBA modules ONLY, and removes all the human-readable, editable source code from them.

To create an MDE file, you don't need a developer tools package. Simply select Tools --> Database Utilities --> Make MDE File. Be sure and backup you're MDB file first. There is now way to restore an MDE file to an MDB file. With an MDE your code will still run in its compiled state, but end users won't be able to access or modify it.

In addition to creating an MDE, you'll still need to implement user-level security to grant specific permissions on other objects (tables, queries, forms, reports, etc.) to users and groups in your workgroup.

HTH,

Bob

Finally,

Syllogistically speaking...

MAJOR PREMISE:

The default file format of an Access 2K3 database is Access 2000.

  (See Tools --> Option --> Advanced --> Default File Format = Access 2000)

MINOR PREMISE:

An Access 2K3 database will run in the Access 2K3 Runtime

  (which is really Access 2K3 with a few features diable)

ERGO:

An Access 2000 database will run in the Access2K3 Runtime.



I havn't tested this logic, but it seems...logical.


Just bear in mind that the Access 2K3 Runtime will run you about M$500.

see http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/howtobuy/officetools/

HTH,

Bob

Or just convert your Access 2000 database to Access 2003. The conversion would probably occur explicitly anyway.

Bob

But then you would need at least one copy of A2K3 in order to use the A2K3 Developer extensions (the "current ODE"), in which case you'd probably want to just convert your A2K database to A2K3 anayway. Then you could distribute an A2K3 database running in the A2K3 runtime.

Anyway, I'll go away now...

Bob

Bob,

Thank you for your all information. I was able to order ODE from EBay and will be working with it this weekend. Thanks to you we should be close to up and running. (I couldn't figure out how to reply so sorry this is delayed)
Loralee