Creating self executing files and FM Pro compatibility

[DrMacintosh]

I am running MS Access 2007 from MS Office Enterprise 2007. I would like to
find out how to create self running/executable files. My other questions
relate to converting/migrating created databases over to FileMaker Pro 9/10
Advanced on a Macintosh computer. Answers much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[John W. Vinson]

I am running MS Access 2007 from MS Office Enterprise 2007. I would like to
find out how to create self running/executable files.

You cannot. An Access database is not, and cannot be converted into, an
executable. You can obtain the Access2007 Runtime edition to provide the user
with a royalty-free executable which will let them use (but not modify the
structure) your database.

My other questions
relate to converting/migrating created databases over to FileMaker Pro 9/10
Advanced on a Macintosh computer. Answers much appreciated. Thanks.

You can (probably with some difficulty) import the data, but the application -
the forms, reports, and especially VBA code - will have to be redesigned from
scratch. They are utterly different in structure and even concept.

Sorry to bear bad news!

 

[DrMacintosh]

You cannot. An Access database is not, and cannot be converted into, an
executable. You can obtain the Access2007 Runtime edition to provide the user
with a royalty-free executable which will let them use (but not modify the
structure) your database.


You can (probably with some difficulty) import the data, but the application -
the forms, reports, and especially VBA code - will have to be redesigned from
scratch. They are utterly different in structure and even concept.

Sorry to bear bad news!

Thanks for the information. Let me ask this then, since I have been told by
you that I can not easily convert MS Access into FM Pro then are there ways
to incorporate MS Access databases into a Macintosh environment. If so, how
and if not, then are there other solutions/work around. My next question is
not so much a question but some clarification. Do I understand you correctly
in that one needs to have Access installed to run the created database if the
Run-Time is not installed or must the Run-Time be installed. MS Access costs
$300-$400 and that is expensive to purchase for running. How much does the
Run Time cost and how does it get installed for an individual or multiple
users. Thanks again.

getting my Access creations to be stand-alone you mention that I must use
Access 2007 Runtime

 

[John W. Vinson]

Thanks for the information. Let me ask this then, since I have been told by
you that I can not easily convert MS Access into FM Pro then are there ways
to incorporate MS Access databases into a Macintosh environment.

Only by running Windows on the Mac hardware. I'm not a Mac user so I don't
know what the options are, but it seems that you can now run Windows "under"
the Mac OS; a friend of mine just bought a new Mac notebook and was installing
Windows on it last night.

If so, how
and if not, then are there other solutions/work around. My next question is
not so much a question but some clarification. Do I understand you correctly
in that one needs to have Access installed to run the created database if the
Run-Time is not installed or must the Run-Time be installed. MS Access costs
$300-$400 and that is expensive to purchase for running.

You need (at least) one copy of retail Access to do design work on the
database: creating and revising forms and reports, creating tables and
relationships, etc. But you do NOT need a copy for each user; individual users
can use the runtime.

How much does the
Run Time cost and how does it get installed for an individual or multiple
users. Thanks again.

Under 2007 the runtime is free; under older versions you must purchase a
variously-named "developer's edition", but that purchase allows you to create
as many runtimes as you need. See

http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/developereditionversions.htm

for thorough coverage.

getting my Access creations to be stand-alone you mention that I must use
Access 2007 Runtime

That's the *free* option. See Tony's website for the other (not terribly
expensive) choices.

 

[DrMacintosh]

In regards to the answer that you have given me where the older versions
require a purchase of the Developer's Edition that contains the Run-Time, my
question is this. I am running MS Access 2007 and how would I know if I need
the Run-Time for older versions of Access. If the person/company is running
an older copy of Office without Access can I create the database in Access
2007 and then distribute the 2007 Run-Time along with the file? What
situations would warrant the need for an older version of the Run-Time? Can
older Access versions be readable in the Run-Time 2007 or not?

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

As long as the computer is capable of running Office 2007 (Microsoft Windows
XP SP 2, Windows Server 2003 SP1, or later operating system), you can deploy
the Access 2007 run-time regardless of what version of Office they have (or
even if they don't have Office).

If they don't meet the system requirements, you'd have to find (and
purchase) the appropriate run-time that does.

 

[John W. Vinson]

I am running MS Access 2007 and how would I know if I need
the Run-Time for older versions of Access.
No.

If the person/company is running
an older copy of Office without Access can I create the database in Access
2007 and then distribute the 2007 Run-Time along with the file?

Yes, you can.

What
situations would warrant the need for an older version of the Run-Time?

None that I can imagine.

Can older Access versions be readable in the Run-Time 2007 or not?

Irrelevant, since you'll be creating the database in 2007... but yes, 2007 can
use databases created in Access95, and (with some tweaking) in Access 1.0.

 

[Larry Linson]

It was not clear to me from reading this thread that DrMacintosh understood
that the Access runtime is also a Windows program and will require running
Windows on the Mac.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Office Access MVP

 

[John W. Vinson]

It was not clear to me from reading this thread that DrMacintosh understood
that the Access runtime is also a Windows program and will require running
Windows on the Mac.

Thanks, Larry - good point. DrMac?

 

[Arturo]

I'm not sure of everything that is being said here. So, I am asking this
question. If I create a runtime version using Access 2007 in Microsoft
Windows XP Pro, will it run on a Mac?

Thank you.

 

[Banana]

I'm not sure of everything that is being said here. So, I am asking this

question. If I create a runtime version using Access 2007 in Microsoft
Windows XP Pro, will it run on a Mac?

No. Runtime version as well the full version still have Windows
dependencies and thus are not cross platform. If you need to run Access
on Mac, then if it's an Intel Mac, get a virtualization software (either
Parallels or VMWare Fusion). If it's PowerPC Mac, get an emulator (but
I'd really rather not...)

 

[Arturo]

Thank you.

No. Runtime version as well the full version still have Windows
dependencies and thus are not cross platform. If you need to run Access
on Mac, then if it's an Intel Mac, get a virtualization software (either
Parallels or VMWare Fusion). If it's PowerPC Mac, get an emulator (but
I'd really rather not...)

 

[Arturo]

Then again, why not?

No. Runtime version as well the full version still have Windows
dependencies and thus are not cross platform. If you need to run Access
on Mac, then if it's an Intel Mac, get a virtualization software (either
Parallels or VMWare Fusion). If it's PowerPC Mac, get an emulator (but
I'd really rather not...)

 

[Banana]

Then again, why not?

Why not what? The bit about running emulator on PowerPC Macs? Only
because an emulator is a serious performance hog that it'd just kill
productivity both on the host and guest OS. The difference between an
emulator and a virtualiation is that emulator has to emulate both the
software *and* the hardware, whereas virtualization merely have to
provide the binding to the actual hardware and allow the guest OS to
access those directly.

FWIW, I develop full-time on a Mac running Windows in a virtual machine
and this does work pretty well. I wouldn't have had seriously considered
using a PowerPC Mac to develop Windows application.

 

[Arturo]

Thanks. I will be installing an Access program on about 200 plus computers
worldwide. I just realized that some of these people would be using Macs.
That may be a temporary situation. It may be permanent. Any suggestions other
than programming in a different language?

 

[Banana]

Given that the computers are scattered worldwide, I presume you will be
of course using something like Windows Terminal Server or Citrix or so, yes?

If so, I can tell you that for Citrix, you can just run the VPN client
directly in a Mac so there's no problem there. I do believe there exist
a Mac client for Remote Desktop but I could be wrong.

If it's a case of Access database with ODBC backend that you intend to
connect directly to the backend, then you may want to consider providing
WTS/Citrix (there are other similar software as well) for the Mac
clients to log into a "Windows" machine and interact with the Access there.

Otherwise, virtualization software for each Mac client may be necessary.

HTH.

 

[John W. Vinson]

If I create a runtime version using Access 2007 in Microsoft
Windows XP Pro, will it run on a Mac?

Only if you are running a Windows emulator on the Mac. There is NO version -
retail or runtime - of Access which runs on a Mac operating system.