Need to Move Database

[Bonnie F.]

We use Access for a membership database. My organization
has been using a version of Access that is at least 5 yrs
old (Access 2.0??) & now wants this put on another
computer (not networked), Access 2002 onboard, where
internet access is available. I have attempted to copy to
file several times without success. Any tips,
suggestions, or hints? I really do not want to have to
enter over 20,000 records manually. What problems should
I anticipate jumping so many versions?

 

[John Vinson]

We use Access for a membership database. My organization
has been using a version of Access that is at least 5 yrs
old (Access 2.0??) & now wants this put on another
computer (not networked), Access 2002 onboard, where
internet access is available. I have attempted to copy to
file several times without success. Any tips,
suggestions, or hints? I really do not want to have to
enter over 20,000 records manually. What problems should
I anticipate jumping so many versions?

You may need an intermediate version to "relay".

I'd suggest copying the 2.0 database (KEEPING A BACKUP OF COURSE!!)
onto the new computer, as is; then create a new, empty 2002 database.
Use File... Get External Data... Import to see if you can import the
tables (first). If you succeed in doing that, try importing the
queries, forms, and reports. If your 2.0 database contains any Access
Basic code it will need to be converted to Visual Basic for
Applications - a nontrivial but doable task.

If you can't get even the tables, post back - I've got every version
except the late unlamented A95 installed on my machine, and should be
able to get at least your data (upgrading VBA code would be on a
for-fee basis though).

 

[Arvin Meyer]

We use Access for a membership database. My organization
has been using a version of Access that is at least 5 yrs
old (Access 2.0??) & now wants this put on another
computer (not networked), Access 2002 onboard, where
internet access is available. I have attempted to copy to
file several times without success. Any tips,
suggestions, or hints? I really do not want to have to
enter over 20,000 records manually. What problems should
I anticipate jumping so many versions?

Access 2.0 is 11 years old and the next version is 8.5 years old. Still it's
a good database and can be converted with Access 97. The data may be
readable by Access 2002 Front-end.

If you can't find someone with a copy of Access 97 who can do the conversion
for you. (Hint: you should because there are lots of people still using it.)
You can open the database in Access 2.0 and export everything as text, then
import it into your current version.
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP
Microsoft Access
Free Access downloads:
http://www.datastrat.com
http://www.mvps.org/access

 

[Bonnie F.]

Thank you so much for your attempts to help, but I'm
terribly UNknowledgable with regard to Access. I am the
person who enters the new members into an established
database & makes mailing labels (that's it). My saving
grace is that I am a whiz at Excel & Word, that helps
minimally with Access. This problem has me stymied! I've
attempted to copy the database but Access 2000 (I
mistakenly posted that it was 2002) will not accept the
data -- it gives me an error code. Copying takes several
floppies. We do not have network, ability to HD swap, or
zip drives. There is no intermediate version available.
The version 2.0 shows "copyright 1989-1994"... wow!

What I need is baby steps. A 1-2-3 approach to completing
the task. As for sending the database out, that would not
be allowed.

 

[John Vinson]

Copying takes several floppies.

A database is a unitary object, and splitting it across disks WILL
break it!

Some suggestions:

- Open the database on the source machine, and select Tools...
Database Utilities... Compact. (If it's not there in the 2.0 menu,
click Help and search for Compact). This will shrink the database,
possibly enough to fit on a floppy.

- See if you have a copy of "PKZIP.EXE" on your computer. If not, it
can be downloaded, free of charge, from many places on the Web. It can
compress most files (including .mdb files) to much smaller size, and
most versions will let you compress onto multiple floppy disks. You'll
need the program on both computers in order to be able to uncompress
it at the other end.

- If this doesn't work, or doesn't get the database small enough, is
it at ALL possible to physically move the two computers into
proximity? If so, you can get a serial port cable and connect them and
transfer the file using the direct connection.

 

[GVaught]

I don't think that Access 2000 can convert Access 2.0 files directly. You
may need to find someone with Access 97 to convert the 2.0 files. Then you
can convert the 97 files to 2000. Access database files will rarely fit on a
floppy and if it does it won't be for very long. You should never operate
the database from a floppy even if it does fit. Access mdb files are not
like Word or Excel a stay small. Access will grow exponentially as data is
entered, deleted and/or form, report, queries etc are created.

Whomever, you are working for will need to invest in the proper hardware to
support the Access database. Until they are willing to do this, you are
'dead in the water'.

I would suggest that you start reading up on Access or buy a book for the
version you will be working with.

 

[John Vinson]

What I need is baby steps. A 1-2-3 approach to completing
the task. As for sending the database out, that would not
be allowed.

On further thinking about it... I think your best choice (of some bad
ones) is to salvage the *data* in the database by exporting it to a
Text file. You can import the data into a new A2000 database; you'll
need to (and have the opportunity to) create new forms and reports
that take advantage of the improvements in the software over versions.

To export the data from 2.0:

Open the database; find the "Export" button on the toolbar (looks like
two datasheets with an up-pointing triangle), and click it.

On the "Data Destination" choose Text... Delimited.

Select the table you want to export (you must do each table
separately).

Select a filename and path (it will default to the name of the table
with a .txt extension, which is fine).

Click OK and check the "include field names in first row" checkbox.
Click OK again.

Repeat for each table.

You can then copy these files to diskette, and use File... Import in
A2000 to import them; just follow the prompts.