Saving Access 2003 file for use on computer with no MS Access

K

KevinR

I have a friend who cannot buy MS Office but wants a database to enter his
20,000 books into. After I have created a database in MS Access 2003 for
him, can I save it in a format that he can put on his computer and run and
enter data and print reports without having Access on his computer? I know
Powerpoint has a way to publish a presentation that others can use, who don't
have powerpoint, is it possible with Access?
 
R

Rick Brandt

KevinR said:
I have a friend who cannot buy MS Office but wants a database to
enter his 20,000 books into. After I have created a database in MS
Access 2003 for him, can I save it in a format that he can put on his
computer and run and enter data and print reports without having
Access on his computer? I know Powerpoint has a way to publish a
presentation that others can use, who don't have powerpoint, is it
possible with Access?
Click to expand...

There is a way, but *you* would have to purchase a product that would cost more
than just buying your friend a copy of Access (seel below).


a.. Microsoft Office Access 2003 Developer Extensions. The Access 2003 Developer
Extensions provide the tools and resources developers need to more quickly and
easily create, test and deploy sophisticated Access solutions. The Developer
Extensions include a royalty-free Access Runtime enabling distribution of Access
solutions. The Developer Extensions also include tools, with source code, for
creating professional setup routines, globally searching solutions for custom
strings and creating solutions that have been stripped of all source code.
 
R

Ralph

-----Original Message-----


There is a way, but *you* would have to purchase a product that would cost more
than just buying your friend a copy of Access (seel below).


a.. Microsoft Office Access 2003 Developer Extensions. The Access 2003 Developer
Extensions provide the tools and resources developers need to more quickly and
easily create, test and deploy sophisticated Access solutions. The Developer
Extensions include a royalty-free Access Runtime
Click to expand...
enabling distribution of Access
solutions. The Developer Extensions also include tools, with source code, for
creating professional setup routines, globally searching solutions for custom
strings and creating solutions that have been stripped of all source code.
Click to expand...

Rick,

I went and confused myself while checking out the Access
Developer site. With Access 2000 I have the "Office
Developer's Kit" - which allowed me to create 'stand
alone' applications. So do to do the same with ACC2003 I
now will have to get the "Developer Extensions"? Correct?

-ralph
 
T

TB

Design all your forms as web pages (using ASP/ASP.NET). In that way the
user(s) will be able to view and manipulate data via an internet browser.

If you need any help send me a private message to: [email protected]

TB
 
G

G. Vaught

Well that would be all well and good, but then the database would have to
reside on a web server. I bet he doesn't have a web server or site that
supports Access databases. So he/she is back at square one.
 
K

KevinR

Ralph said:
enabling distribution of Access

Rick,

I went and confused myself while checking out the Access
Developer site. With Access 2000 I have the "Office
Developer's Kit" - which allowed me to create 'stand
alone' applications. So do to do the same with ACC2003 I
now will have to get the "Developer Extensions"? Correct?

-ralph
Click to expand...
Does that mean MS Access in Office Professional 2000 will allow me to do
that? I have that version on my laptop.
 
T

TB

It really depends on the number of SIMULTANEOUS users KevinR expect to have.
As long as that number is relatively low (3-4), then he can use the IIS web
server the comes with Windows XP Pro. Activate IIS, create a virtual
directory, pop the ASP files in that directory, the MDB file outside (for
security reasons), and voila everybody on your LAN can access the
application via a browser.

Trym Bagger
www.lacanela.com
 
R

Ralph

-----Original Message-----



Does that mean MS Access in Office Professional 2000 will allow me to do
that? I have that version on my laptop.
.
Click to expand...


I don't know. But I am replying in hopes that someone
else will come in here and set me straight. (Nothing does
that faster than saying something stupid or incorrect.
<g>)

With MSAccess 97/98/2000/XP there is a thing called the
MOD (Microsoft Office Developer Kit) - it came with
various versions of 'Office' (developer and premium), but
you could download it for free. It contained tools
for 'easier' development such as P&D, VB ActiveX
Components etc., but was not absolutely needed because
all you did was redistribute the MSACCESS.EXE. Or
whatever version the P&D and picked up. When you
installed msaccess.exe on the target machine - the
registry was checked to see if MSAccess was licensed - if
not then a "runtime" version was all that was allowed.
Nothing could be easier.

So to answer your question - Yes I think you can. Just
download the kit.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?
FamilyID=5018e6ff-21f6-448f-861e-
bca4ec2a5795&DisplayLang=en

I was curious about 2003. The website makes it sounds
like a separate developer's kit is absolutely needed at
extra expense. If so, it might impact my desire to
upgrade at the moment. I am still reading, but hoping
some guru would come back and explain the difference
before I spend the money.

-ralph
 
R

Rick Brandt

Ralph said:
I don't know. But I am replying in hopes that someone
else will come in here and set me straight. (Nothing does
that faster than saying something stupid or incorrect.
<g>)

With MSAccess 97/98/2000/XP there is a thing called the
MOD (Microsoft Office Developer Kit) - it came with
various versions of 'Office' (developer and premium), but
you could download it for free.
Click to expand...

In ALL versions of Access you not only need the Runtime but you also need
the *License to Distribute* it and that only comes with BUYING the
appropriate developer's kit. If you have downloaded and distributed the
Runtime in the past without purchasing the appropriate developer's tools
then you were doing so illegally.

MS keeps changing the name of these kits which has added to the confusion,
so I can only suggest that you research on their web site to see what is
actually required for Access 2003. My understanding is that you need two
purchase two pieces of software to create and distribute Access runtime
applications for the 2003 version.
 
R

Ralph

-----Original Message-----


In ALL versions of Access you not only need the Runtime but you also need
the *License to Distribute* it and that only comes with BUYING the
appropriate developer's kit. If you have downloaded and distributed the
Runtime in the past without purchasing the appropriate developer's tools
then you were doing so illegally.

MS keeps changing the name of these kits which has added to the confusion,
so I can only suggest that you research on their web site to see what is
actually required for Access 2003. My understanding is that you need two
purchase two pieces of software to create and distribute Access runtime
applications for the 2003 version.
Click to expand...

Wow. That was what I was afraid of. I have bought a 'kit'
on occasions - so I have apparently been alternately
legally and ilegally distributing Access applications for
many years now.

I guess this means I only get to wear the eye-patch on
alternate days. <g>

-ralph
 
R

Ralph

So far in my development experience "ASP" has remained a
three letter word for venomous snake.

I am assuming you were talking about something else. <g>

-ralph
 
B

Brendan Reynolds

The answer is no, Kevin, you'd need the Office 2000 Developer Edition. It's
not cheap, and the 2000 version may be difficult to find now. Developing an
ASP application is also an expensive proposition if you place any kind of
realistic value on your time. If your friend can't afford Office, perhaps
this program might meet his/her needs -

http://www.azzcardfile.com/
 
T

TB

I don't get your point (perhaps due to my limited grasp of English). ASP and
ASP.NET are time-proven and widely used technologies. Of course, then there
ideologues who prefer PHP, but I would assume that the participants in this
Access news group generally do not have this slant.

Cheers,

TB
www.lacanela.com
 
T

TB

With all due respect, an ASP application does not have to be a costly
investment, particularly if you are only interested in functionality and not
design, or if you already have a static web site, which you can "upgrade".

Options:
1) Contract somebody to do the programming (can be done for a couple of
hundred dollars).
2) Buy one of those small applications which can generate ASP/VBS code (less
than 100 dollars) - requires some programming skills in case you need to
tweak the resulting code.
3) Learn programming. If you already know some Visual Basic, it is not that
hard. Otherwise you need to invest some time, the cost of which depends on
whether you are involved in a one-off project or not.

Cheers,

TB
www.lacanela.com
 
B

Brendan Reynolds

The original poster in this thread, TB, appears, as far as I can tell, to be
doing an unpaid favour for a friend. If you are in the habit of hiring
programmers to do favours for your friends - well, can I be your friend,
please! :)

Most of the suggestions made in this thread have at least some merit - I
just don't think they are appropriate in this specific context. On the
information available, this appears to be a one-off project for a single
user. That means, in my opinion, that anything that costs more than a copy
of Office Pro, or a stand-alone copy of Access, is inappropriate in this
context.

Of course, if Kevin thinks he can sell the app to others, or that developing
the app will be a career-enhancing learning exercise, then some of the other
suggestions may be more appropriate. But he has not said so.

It all depends on what the goal is. Develop a commercial app? Learn a new
skill? Or just get a friend's book collection catalogue up and running
quickly, and in a way that will allow said friend to maintain it themselves?

As usual, it comes down to choosing the right tool for the job at hand.
 
R

Rick Brandt

TB said:
With all due respect, an ASP application does not have to be a costly
investment, particularly if you are only interested in functionality
and not design, or if you already have a static web site, which you
can "upgrade".
Options:
1) Contract somebody to do the programming (can be done for a couple
of hundred dollars).
2) Buy one of those small applications which can generate ASP/VBS
code (less than 100 dollars) - requires some programming skills in
case you need to tweak the resulting code.
3) Learn programming. If you already know some Visual Basic, it is
not that hard. Otherwise you need to invest some time, the cost of
which depends on whether you are involved in a one-off project or not.
Click to expand...

In general perhaps, but the OP was talking about wanting to give a single copy
of his app to a friend who doesn't have a licensed copy of Access. Are you
suggesting that learning an entirely new technology and creating the app all
over again is worthwhile versus just buying another copy of Access?
 
T

TB

Fair enough and my fault: I sometimes get carried away when - in a business
context - somebody proposes installing multiple copies of Access to allow
different users to view and modify a single table. But, as you point out,
this is not the case here.

TB
www.lacanela.com
 
T

TB

Fair enough and my fault: I sometimes get carried away when - in a business
context - somebody proposes installing multiple copies of Access to allow
different users to view and modify a single table. But, as you point out,
this is not the case here.

TB
www.lacanela.com
 
K

KevinR

Thanks Brenden, You are correct. Question, does that program you earlier
directed me to work as a database? Can it have forms that my friend could
fill in? I am trying to produce something simple as my friend is near 70 and
got a computer for the first time about 2 weeks ago. Needless to say, I've
been spending a lot of time there just teaching him the basics of Win XP Pro
and Internet. I need something that is easy for him to work with. I've
tried downloading a couple programs off the internet on trial basis (such as
collectorz and bookcat) but they are more complex than he wants and he has
difficulty navigating them. You can see my dilemma. And yes, I'm using my
free time do a favor. I was spending some time learning Access as it seemed
a good solution. But now it is not looking that way.
 
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