supported format check before upgrade

[theintern]

Julie already answered this for me, but I want someone to confirm this before
I go tell my boss he shouldn't upgrade everything to 2007. I trust Julie,
but this is a large decision and I'm an intern, so I really don't want to
screw this up. So...

Can project 2007 open a .accdb file? that is, an Access 2007 file? i want
to know before i consider upgrading from 2003. I know it can open a .mdb
file using the import map, but I need to know if it can open some type of
Access 2007 format using vba.

thanks
scott

 

[Jim Aksel]

This probably doesn't answer your question but you may want to try using an
ODBC Connection as a test.

Also, I tried creating a database in Access2007. In Project2007 I said
"File/Open..." and changed the file type to "All Files". When I selected the
Access2007 database it did not like the format but launched an import wizard
so I could make an import map.

My suggestion is to download a trial copy of Project2007 and Access2007.
Make yourself a database in Access with a couple of tasks in it. Then just
try it.

Personally, I would move more towards XML or an ODBC connection to the data.
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Jim

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[theintern]

couple questions:
1) if i download trial 07 is there any chance of that corrupting any of my
Project 03 files? any other risks?
2) What are XML and ODBC connections?

thanks
scott

 

[Jim Aksel]

The only risk I see is if you accidentally overwrite your files into the new
format. Then you would be forced to use the newer version and then save back
to 2003 format. You can configurre 2007 to save in the 2003 format:
Tools/Options/Save (tab) and change where is says *.mpp in the dropdown to
2000-2003 format.

XML is Xtensible Markup Language which is somewhat like HTML except you get
to invent your own tags. You can save to XML format from 2003 or 2007
version of Project. You may want to use a 2 or 3 line project and save it as
XML to see what the structure is like. You can open the file in a browser or
notepad. Make sure you have some resources assigned to the tasks and a
summary task so you can get the full impact. XML files tend to get large so
have a look see with a small file first. Doing things this way is perhaps
the most flexible, but probably also absolutely the most work.

ODBC is Open Database Connectivity which is a standard interface among many
database formats such as Oracle, Access, SQL, ACT, and a host of others.
Think of it as a service that does the translation for you. Data mapping
still required.

You can find more information about ODBC in the Windows Help. In XP you can
get to it from the contol panel. You may have to poke around a little bit
and look for either ODBC or "Data Connections" It has been awhile since
I've seen it (and this machine is Vista so God knows where it is hiding now).

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If this post was helpful, please consider rating it.

Jim

Check out my new blog for more information:
http://www.msprojectblog.com