NEW Free Sample Date Picker for Access Databases

My latest free download is a versatile date-picker featuring Vista/Windows7 styling and functionality:



Download the Access 2000 sample database from aadconsulting.com

NEW Free Kiosk Dashboard Sample Access Database



My latest free mouse-driven full-screen modal kiosk dashboard for Access 2000 and later is available here.

NEW Super Dashboard Switchboard and Builder
for Microsoft© 2002/2003/2007

Easily build complex dashboard of multiple switchboards of different types:
classic list or nested treeview

The latest Access switchboard product from aadconsulting.com is the exciting Super Dashboard Switchboard and Builder.

Replace the native Access Switchboards with this superior dashboard of up to 8 switchboards, which uses native Access controls for the SideBar and the MSCOMCTL.OCX TreeView and ImageList controls for the treeview switchboard. Each switchboard can be either a classic items switchboard or a fully nested treeview switchboard. A treeview can contain up to 1,000 nodes, and a classic items list can contain up to 16 items.

Included is the advanced Dashboard Builder MDE which fully automates the creation and maintenance of the Dashboard and each switchboard.

Try it now

New Features in Access 2010

The Access Team Blog has provided details of some new feature in Access 2010:

• The new Getting Started window includes community templates.
  
  
• Integration with Office themes
  
  
• A new navigation control enables code-less web tab style navigation.
  
  
• A revamped macro designer makes it easier to "write more powerful, readable logic while IntelliSense speeds up development and reduces errors",
  
  
• Centralized business logic. Data macros to write logic behind tables similar to SQL triggers makes it easier to maintain applications by centralizing business logic:
  
  
  

• Landing pad for data. A new Web Browser control gives users the ability to create Web 2.0 mash-ups and display web content in the application.
  
  
• Integration with Business Connectivity Services (BCS) allows creation of read-only link tables to LOB web services, to enable users to make use of trusted and validated data.
  
  
• SharePoint performance and offline access. Access 2010 extends the ability of Access 2007 with improvements to the Sharepoint link table cache. In the new offline mode listst data is cached in local tables to improve large list performance. When server connectivity is lost, the database goes into offline mode. When connectivity is restored, Access automatically synchronizes data changes.
  
  
• Browser apps. Access 2010 will make it easier to share databases in the browser, and more information will be available after the SharePoint Developer Conference in October 2009.

Useful VBA Code for Office Applications

The following recent blog posts provide some very useful code:

• From VBA Tips & Tricks How to save a Word 2007 document as a PDF
  
  
• From Daily Access Tips A generic form data validation function. The sample code calls the function from the form's VBA module's OpenForm event. You could streamline the call by using a no-module form where the function is assigned to the OnOpen Event in the form's properties dialog: =SetValidatorEventHandlers(Me)

Office 2010 Limited Technical Test Build Out Today

Microsoft is today releasing a limited technical test build of Office 2010 PRO to a group of testers on the Connect download site.

The technical preview of the Office Web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote will be out in in August.

Source: TechRepublic.com

New Web 2.0 Switchboard for MS Access

I have just relased a great new Web 2.0 Switchboard for MS Access offering all the rich functionality of a Web 2.0 gui without OCXs or DLLs - using only native Access controls:

Check out the full demos here.

Latest Access KB Articles

Courtesy of KBAlertz.com:

Access 2000

971815 No Data Appears on Data Access Pages opened in Internet Explorer 8.0

Access 2002

969403 Description of the update for Access 2002 (Vbe6.msp): April 27, 2009

Access 2003

972557 Description of the Access 2003 hotfix package (Msaccess.msp): June 30, 2009

Access 2007

968245 Description of the Access 2007 hotfix package (Ace.msp, Mso.msp): February 24, 2009

970233 Description of the Access 2007 hotfix package (Access.msp): April 30, 2009

969406 Description of the Access 2007 hotfix package (Access-nl-nl.msp): April 30, 2009

970727 Not all 2007 Office SP1 .msp files in the MSE package are installed if you apply the package on a computer that has the February 2009, March 2009, or April 2009 public update or the February 2009 cumulative update installed

968861 Description of the Access 2007 hotfix package (Ace.msp): April 30, 2009

969613 MS09-027: Description of the security update for the 2007 Office system and for the Compatibility Pack for the 2007 Office system: June 9, 2009

971859 Description of the Access 2007 hotfix package (Ace.msp): June 30, 2009

972558 Performance is slow when you click fields, tab between fields, or scroll down through fields in Datasheet view in Access 2007

972570 Description of the Access 2007 hotfix package (Access.msp, Mso.msp): June 30, 2009

972347 Description of the Access 2007 hotfix package (Access.msp): June 30, 2009

New Access Query Tutorial Series on Office Online

This series is available for free on the Access 2007 training courses page on Office Online:

• Queries I: Get started with queries
• Queries II: Create basic select queries
• Queries III: Use expressions and other criteria
• Queries IV: Use functions and calculated fields in your queries
• Queries V: Use "And", "Or", and "In" to set multiple conditions
• Queries VI: Use wildcards in queries and parameters
• Queries VII: Query multiple sources for data
• Queries VIII: Dealing with ambiguous joins
  

Ezy SQL Editor and Builder New v1.4 The ultimate Access query assistant: font options, find and replace, keywords assistant, parameter wizard, SQL string parsing & formatting, table and field references, insert formatted SQL Strings into modules or copy to the Clipboard, preview action queries, and more...

Glenn Lloyd Access MVP Blogs

I have come across two blogs by Access MVP Glenn Lloyd, which offer very useful guidance on MS Office and Access:

1. Argee's Access Blog A new blog where Glenn is progressively building a sample Access database. This offers budding Access users and developers the opportunity to progressively follow an expert developer build a business application.
   
   
2. Argee's Office Help Blog In this blog, Glenn has since 2007 been posting a series of tips and tricks for Office users. The articles are comprehensive and fully supported with explanatory graphics.
   

New Version 1.4 of Ezy SQL Editor and Builder



I have just launched a major upgrade of my Ezy SQL Builder & Editor Add-In for Access 2000/2002/2003/2007. This new version offers a rich extension of functionality, including:

• Ezy SQL is now available both in the Access Database Window and the Office VBA Editor, so you can easily switch from one environment to the other and shuttle between each environment.
  
  
• The Ezy SQL Editor - Edit SQL and the Ezy SQL String Builder dialogs now work in partnership with the Ezy SQL VBA Plug-In dialog, which is available in any code module and allows you to easily edit a SQL string from a module.
  
  
• The Access SQL Help file is now directly accessible from within the Ezy SQL Builder.
  

Other features include:

• Font Name and Font Size Customization
• Find and Replace functionality
• SQL Keywords Assistant
• Parameter Wizard
• SQL String Parser/Formatter
• Easy insertion of table and field references
• Insert formatted SQL Strings into modules or copy to the Clipboard
• Preview action queries...

Check out the full functionality of Ezy SQL v1.4 here.

How to Build an Access 2007 Ribbon

Access MVP Garry Robinson has posted a useful article on building custom Access 2007 ribbons using the tool IDBE Ribbon Creator tool from http://www.ribboncreator.de/en/.

You should also checkout an article I wrote in December How Custom Access 2007 Ribbons Work.

I will take this opportunity to promote two free tools I have developed for reviewing custom ribbons that you can download from aadconsulting.com:

• Office 2007 Ribbon XML File Reviewer
• Access 2007 USysRibbons Reviewer Add-In
  

These tools providing advanced Office 2007 RibbonX review features. Open any Office 2007 Ribbon XML file in the XML File Reviewer to review an Office Ribbon's full menu hierarchy in a tree-view with all control attributes detailed in an adjacent panel.

The Access 2007 USysRibbons Add-In reviews and previews the custom Ribbons in the USysRibbons table of an Access 2007 database. Extensive reference resources are incorporated into the GUI of both products. Both tools require Access 2007.

The Access Ribbon Review in action (click on the image to enlarge):

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Books Online (May 2009)

Download the documentation and tutorials for Microsoft SQL Server 2008.

SQL Server 2008 Developer Training Kit

The SQL Server 2008 Developer Training Kit from Microsoft will help you understand how to build web applications using the rich data types, programming models and new development paradigms in SQL Server 2008.

Official Office 2010 Blog Launched

Yesterday at TechNet 2009, Microsoft announced that the limited Technical Preview program for Office 2010 will kick off in July. In tandem with this announcement, the Office 2010 Blog has been launched with the stated aim of helping "IT professionals and enthusiasts get a better idea of what we are building with Office 2010 and discuss the key issues that matter to you ".
A tie-in promotional video has also been produced.

A post on the Office 2010 Blog confirms that:

• Office 2010 will be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions
• Office 2010 will run on Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista, and Windows 7
• Hardware running Office 2007 will support Office 2010

VB 6 Security Fix

A security issue has been identified that could allow an attacker to compromise Windows-based systems running Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Service Pack 6. Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Service Pack 6 Cumulative Update ( 10mb 4May09) fixes this issue.

Free Access Tools from Access MVP Bob Larson

Check out Bob's web site for a cool collection of free Access tools and other useful Access tutorials and resources: btabdevelopment.com.

Access 2007 Runtime Service Pack 2 Now Available

Details: 957262 Description of the Microsoft Office Access 2007 Runtime Service Pack 2.

SP2 Downloads:

• Office 2007 SP2
• Update for Access Runtime and Data Connectivity 2007 SP2
• Download: Full Access SP2 Runtime
• More info
  

Update for Access 2007 Help - April 28, 2009

Microsoft has released updated Help (HxS) files for Microsoft Office Access 2007. This update contains the latest revisions and additions to Access Help and to Access Developer Help.

Office 2007 Service Pack 2 Out Now

Office 2007 SP2 can be downloaded from here.

SP2 includes two types of fixes:

• Previously unreleased fixes that were made specifically for the service pack, and in addition to general product fixes, improvements in stability, performance, and security. Product-specific changes are are set out in MS KB Article 953195.
  
  
• All hotfixes released through to February 2009.