Running MS Access database on the Mac

[Andy Morris]

With the forthcoming Office 204 Pro and Virtual PC 7, will it be
possible to run and transfer an Access database back and forth between
a G5 and a PC running Win. XP?

I would like to change over to the Mac but need to know whether this
can be achieved.

 

[JE McGimpsey]

With the forthcoming Office 204 Pro and Virtual PC 7, will it be
possible to run and transfer an Access database back and forth between
a G5 and a PC running Win. XP?

I would like to change over to the Mac but need to know whether this
can be achieved.

Yes, you'll be able to run Access in VPC 7. I run Access in VPC 6.1 on
my G4 PB with no problem (it's not a speed demon, but it beats having to
use a separate Win machine).

 

[Andy Morris]

Yes, you'll be able to run Access in VPC 7. I run Access in VPC 6.1 on
my G4 PB with no problem (it's not a speed demon, but it beats having to
use a separate Win machine).

Thanks very much. I may be being a bit thick here, but what I need to
know is, can I save the database at work on Win XP, bring it home and
work on it on the Mac, and then take it back to work and re-load the
updated database back in to Win XP? I need to do this on a weekly
basis, and can't afford any errors creeping in from cross-platform
glitches.

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Thanks very much. I may be being a bit thick here, but what I need to
know is, can I save the database at work on Win XP, bring it home and
work on it on the Mac, and then take it back to work and re-load the
updated database back in to Win XP? I need to do this on a weekly
basis, and can't afford any errors creeping in from cross-platform
glitches.

There won't be any cross-platform issues, since you'll be running Access
under Windows on the Mac. You'll need to make sure that you save the db
using the same format on both machines.

I would also investigate whether you can use an external drive (even a
thumb drive, depending on the size of your database) as your primary
storage - that way you won't have to load or reload it. I've not
verified it, but I believe that you can share an external drive in VPC7.
(If you do this, though, be sure to back it up regularly.)

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi Andy,

If you have network access from home to your computer at work and you have
Windows XP or some other compatible version of windows you could run your
work computer from at home and not even have to make a copy of your mdb file
or move it around.

Check out Remote Desktop Client
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx?pid=download&location=/mac/DOWN
LOAD/MISC/RDC.xml&secid=80&ssid=9&flgnosysreq=False>

It's incredibly easy to set up. In Win XP just go to the System control
panel and click on the Remote tab. Check the box to allow remote access and
apply the change. While you're there visit the properties of the TCP/IP
connection and get the IP address of your work computer.

Install Remote Desktop Client on your home Mac and enter the IP address of
your work computer. You'll be able to run your computer just fine over the
network (assuming you have broadband at home).

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are not Microsoft Employees
MVP info

 

[Andy Morris]

Thanks Jim

This would certainly be the ideal way to go. Unfortunately for some
reason my organisation has decided that we can not access the drive
that the database resides on remotely. Hopefully things will change
and I'll be able to follow your guidance at a later date.

Anyhow, thanks to you & Mr. McGimpsey, my concerns have been addressed
and I shall be moving over to a Mac G5 at home, with Office
Professional, soon.

Just one last question. Is there any reason why there is not an MS
Access for the Mac? Anything to do with Visual Basic, perhaps.

Andy Morris

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Just one last question. Is there any reason why there is not an MS
Access for the Mac? Anything to do with Visual Basic, perhaps.

Probably nothing to do with VB. Access comprises millions of lines of
code, which would take a substantial amount of labor to port. It would
probably take an organization the size of MacBU a couple of years to do
so.

Given that the Mac database market is fairly small, and that FileMaker
and 4D are already well established, the likelihood that MS would come
close to recovering its investment, much less making a profit, is
miniscule.