Distributing MDE Front-End / Access 2007

[ErikFM]

Hello,

I've been a user of these forums for a long time, and it is by far the #1
Access resource on the web. I would like to ask a question about dealing with
some conversion and distribution issues.

Basically, I designed a complete database in Access 2007 (.accdb), and then
converted it (using Save As) to an Access 2003 version (.mdb).

Next I opened up this .mdb file, and used the options available in the Ribbon
to split the database into a Front-end and Back-end.

I then converted the Front-end database (.mdb) into a .mde file for
distribution across our company's WAN. Users will copy the .mde file from a
shared network folder onto their desktop, and then double-click on that file
to access the database.

There's only one problem... those users in our company who have Access 2003
are receiving the 'Database in Unrecognizable Format' error, telling them to
upgrade to Access 2007.

Any thoughts on how I could get around this? Was the fact that I used the
Ribbon to split the database an influence on anything? Should I check my VBA
code for any 2007-only references?

Hopefully I will not have to completely redesign the database from scratch
using Access 2003.

Thanks!

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

Hum, I don't know how you created an mde using access 2007, it not possible.

You an ONLY create an mde in the SAME version of ms-access.

If you MUST distribute mde's to the 2003 users, you need access 2003 to
create that mde.

From day one, you always had to use the SAME version of ms-access to create
an mde.

(perhaps you changed the file extension, but that will not actually create
an mde).

So, you can most certainly use the save-as feature to create an 2003
database, but you can't create an 2003 mde using access 2007.

Some suggestions:

use the free 2007 runtime, and distribute and 2007 mde (which will actually
be an accDE file).

use the save-as to create the 2003 mdb file, and then on a machine with
access 2003, create the mde file.

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

Hum, I don't know how you created an mde using access 2007, it not possible.

Sure you can create an MDE in A2007.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Tony's Main MS Access pages - http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/
For a convenient utility to keep your users FEs and other files
updated see http://www.autofeupdater.com/
Granite Fleet Manager http://www.granitefleet.com/

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

Sure you can create an MDE in A2007.

Tony
--

Ok.

I thought 2007 only creates accDE, not mde...

 

[ErikFM via AccessMonster.com]

Thanks everyone. That solution was the fix.

Here's what I had to do:

In Access 2007:

1. Save as 2002-2003 database.


Then I borrowed a coworker's PC which still had Access 2003 on it.

In Access 2003:

1. Split database (using Network Places to navigate to the folder)
2. Convert the .mdb front end into an MDE file.

Worked like a charm!

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

Ok.

I thought 2007 only creates accDE, not mde...

Trust me. It does. I figured I'd better not look like a fool so I made
a one form MDB in A2007 and made an MDE out of it. <smile>

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Tony's Main MS Access pages - http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/
For a convenient utility to keep your users FEs and other files
updated see http://www.autofeupdater.com/
Granite Fleet Manager http://www.granitefleet.com/

 

[David W. Fenton]

Ok.

I thought 2007 only creates accDE, not mde...

MDB is a native format for A2007.

I keep saying this over and over and over and over again, but people
don't seem to want to believe it.

Microsoft seems to have discovered a great way to kill MDB format,
by making people think it's outdated.

IT ISN'T OUTDATED.

 

[David W. Fenton]

Then I borrowed a coworker's PC which still had Access 2003 on it.

There was no need for this -- you could have done all you needed to
do in A2007.

MDB is a NATIVE FORMAT in A2007. It is fully usable in A2007 and is
not superseded by ACCDB.

 

[David W. Fenton]

Trust me. It does. I figured I'd better not look like a fool so I
made a one form MDB in A2007 and made an MDE out of it. <smile>

I was going to test, but then I realized I'd have to go through the
damned reconfiguration rigamarole, so read ahead and saw that you'd
done it already!

 

[ErikFM via AccessMonster.com]

Hi David,

I'm not certain about that. I tried doing everything in 2007 the first time
and users were getting an error, but when I made the MDE using 2003 there
were no issues. I know that Access 2007 can open MDBs and make MDEs, but for
some reason an error was being thrown when users tried to open the MDE made
with Acess 2007. See my original post for a recap of the issue.

Thanks for everyone's advice!

 

[David W. Fenton]

I'm not certain about that. I tried doing everything in 2007 the
first time and users were getting an error, but when I made the
MDE using 2003 there were no issues. I know that Access 2007 can
open MDBs and make MDEs, but for some reason an error was being
thrown when users tried to open the MDE made with Acess 2007. See
my original post for a recap of the issue.

My mistake -- I missed the MDE conversion.

Yes, MDEs have to be made in the lowest version in use. A2003 can
run only A2003 MDEs and earlier (well, it can't run an A97 MDE, but
it can run A2000 and A2002 MDEs). A2007 can run an A2003-compiled
MDE.

 

[ErikFM via AccessMonster.com]

Now I know why I had this issue in the first place.

Thanks, David!

[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]

thrown when users tried to open the MDE made with Acess 2007. See
my original post for a recap of the issue.

My mistake -- I missed the MDE conversion.

Yes, MDEs have to be made in the lowest version in use. A2003 can
run only A2003 MDEs and earlier (well, it can't run an A97 MDE, but
it can run A2000 and A2002 MDEs). A2007 can run an A2003-compiled
MDE.

 

[Guest]

Hello,

I've been a user of these forums for a long time, and it is by far the #1
Access resource on the web. I would like to ask a question about dealing
with
some conversion and distribution issues.

Basically, I designed a complete database in Access 2007 (.accdb), and
then
converted it (using Save As) to an Access 2003 version
Next I opened up this .mdb file, and used the options available in the
Ribbon
to split the database into a Front-end and Back-end.

I then converted the Front-end database (.mdb) into a .mde file for
distribution across our company's WAN. Users will copy the .mde file from
a
shared network folder onto their desktop, and then double-click on that
file
to access the database.

There's only one problem... those users in our company who have Access
2003
are receiving the 'Database in Unrecognizable Format' error, telling them
to
upgrade to Access 2007.

Any thoughts on how I could get around this? Was the fact that I used the
Ribbon to split the database an influence on anything? Should I check my
VBA
code for any 2007-only references?

Hopefully I will not have to completely redesign the database from scratch
using Access 2003.

Thanks!