Microsoft Access 2003
A First Look

By Larry Linson 
November 2003

There’s new functionality and new nomenclature, and the Office System designation has been extended to include other desktop software (such as Microsoft Project) and server software, too (such as Live Communications Server and SharePoint Portal Server).

Perhaps in an attempt to extend the user audience beyond the traditional knowledge workers, Office is available for corporate licensees in a great many combinations, and there are several editions available, described in detail at http://www.microsoft.com/office/editions/howtobuy/compare.mspx. Access is included in Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003, retail, volume license, or preinstalled.

Access has been, since late 1992, the database software component of Microsoft Office, which has over 90% of the office software market, according to knowledgeable sources. It is unquestionably the most widely used desktop database in history, and also has the capability of developing database applications for use by novice users. With Visual Studio Tools for Microsoft Office 2003, available separately, those applications can be distributed to and run by users who do not have Microsoft Access 2003 installed.

Microsoft Access is an easy-to-learn, easy-to-use desktop database product, based on a relational database. The default database engine installed with Access is the venerable Microsoft Jet database engine, which has been reported to be able to support over 100 concurrent users if all factors are near perfect. Access also provides the capability of developing applications, either in a multi-user Access environment or as a client to any server database that supports either the Open Database Connection (ODBC) or that has an ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) Data Provider. Also included, but not installed by default, is Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Edition (sometimes called the Microsoft Data Engine, MSDE), a capacity-limited version of Microsoft’s flagship server database, but without many of the excellent administrative tools of the full product. It is “optimized for 5 users,” but reports indicate that it can handle, at least, 25 concurrent users in a normal business environment. Finally, for users with Internet Explorer V 5.5 or later, it can produce Web applications called Data Access Pages.

Many of the new features of Access 2003 target the enterprise customer, to promote collaboration and application integration, and most are shared with the other Microsoft Office System 2003 applications. Additional features also benefit the individual user and small organizations.

Quoted items are Access enhancements and improvements listed the Access 2003 Beta Test 2 version Help (the unquoted comments on each are my own descriptions):

• “View Information on Object Dependencies” is useful but somewhat limited and it is not as extensive as third-party products.
   
• “Error Checking in Forms and Reports” finds and displays options for correcting common errors, e.g., two controls with same keyboard shortcut.
  
  
• “Propagating field properties” modifies the corresponding inherited properties in Forms and Controls when you modify the properties in the table where the field is defined.
  
  
• “Smart tags,” introduced in other Office software in Office XP, have been extended to Access. When a control contains one of many predefined words, an indicator is displayed, and clicking brings up a menu of optional actions. The common example is to check the market for a stock price when the stock symbol or company name is used.
  
  
• “Back up a database or project” is single-click backup with the database open.
  
  
• “Windows XP theme support” optionally applies the theme you choose in Windows XP to views, dialog boxes, and controls.
  
  
• “Improved sorting in controls” for List and Combo Box controls allows ascending or descending sort on up to four fields, with a wizard similar to sorting in the Report Wizard.
  
  
• “Autocorrect options” provides more control and an icon near the autocorrected text to allow you to undo the autocorrect.
  
  
• “Enhanced font capabilities in SQL views” allows you to set the font and size in which queries are shown in design view, similar to the existing feature in modules.
  
  
• “Context-based Help in SQL view” gives help on Jet SQL, similar to other in-context help when Function Key F1 is pressed.
  
  
• “Importing, exporting, and linking” adds SharePoint Services lists to the data types supported for these functions. Also allows creating a local table from a linked table instead of having to create a Make-Table Query.
  
  
• “XML support” supports transform files on import or export, allows including related lookup tables with export, and preserves a predefined filter or sort order on objects being exported.
  
  
• “Security enhancements” means macro security to set level of risk you allow, require signature certification, and block potentially unsafe functions from being used in expressions.
  
  
• More new features:
   
• “New look for Office” means Office has a different appearance and enhanced task panes.   
  
  
• “Tablet PC support” means exactly what it says, the chief feature being handwriting support.
  
  
• “Microsoft Office Online,” useful for all, but most useful for those with a high-speed Internet connection – training, documentation, hints, etc. at a Microsoft Web site.
  
  
• “Improving quality for the customer” allows Microsoft, at your option, to collect configuration information for future planning and for you to provide feedback to Microsoft on Office programs, help content, and Microsoft Online content.
  

The main Microsoft Office 2003 launch event was held in New York on October 21, 2003, and it appeared in computer stores the same day. Additional launch events were held in various locations during September.

Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 -- $499 new user*, $329 upgrade*

Microsoft Access 2003 (separate product), $299 new user*, $109 upgrade*

* The prices quoted are based on purchasing direct from Microsoft, and the street prices may vary.

© Copyright L. M. Linson, 2003 -- Permission granted to quote or reproduce with attribution to North Texas PC News and the author.

-- Larry Linson    
Microsoft Access MVP 2003        

Larry Linson is Co-Leader NTPCUG's Access SIG
.He may be contacted by e-mail: Click here to contact Larry Linson