Microsoft® Access® 2010 Programmer's Reference

Chapter 3. Upgrading and Converting to Access 2010

WHAT'S IN THIS CHAPTER?

• Considerations for upgrading

• Working with earlier versions of database file format

• Converting databases from earlier versions

• Working with 32-bit and 64-bit platforms.

With the most dramatic addition of features and power in more than a decade, Access 2010 is designed to appeal to a wide spectrum of users and developers, and it is moving full speed to bring Access's rapid application development to the Internet. As you learned from Chapter 2, the user interface (UI) is even more intuitive, and it offers many of the features and functionality that previously either required programming or weren't practical to accommodate.

The new features empower users to easily gather and analyze data from multiple sources, including SQL Server, Excel, e-mail, and websites. They make it easier for developers to automate processes and to provide unprecedented flexibility for user-customized reports. It is now feasible to include attachments in the database, and the new file format (ACCDB) offers security through encryption of the data file. One of the greatest extensions is the reach to the Web. Not only can you distribute an Access database to the Web using SharePoint 2010, you can also use Access Services to publish Web forms and reports. You can now offer Web solutions that do not require the user to have Access or even Office.

In the past, it was easier to be a slow adapter because the advantages of upgrading might not have compelled ...