MS Access Platform Tutorial

Our LIMS solution are MS Access based application. You may get the problem with MS Access platform or stuck on an Access LIMS software programming? Don't know how to update the new database software? Hope this tutorials page will give you some hints that you need. Also you can find more useful information about our LIMS software by click More About Simple LIMS Software

What are some of the reasons why I might want to use Microsoft Access?

Microsoft Access provides many advantages for organizing and managing information. Some of the most common reasons for using Microsoft Access include:

Centralizing data spread across multiple Excel worksheets or workbooks, or other file types
Creating custom data entry forms with lookups, checkboxes, listboxes, and textboxes that can be filtered easily
You find yourself doing many and complex lookups across numerous Excel worksheets and/or workbooks
The ability to allow multiple users to access and edit data simultaeously
Custom and standardized reports that can be emailed, faxed, printed, exported to Excel, exported to Microsoft Word, linked to a SharePoint list, or outputted to other formats
Integrating data with other software programs including accounting software (e.g. QuickBooks, etc.), Customer Relationship Management software (CRM), or other third-party software.

Can multiple users open and use a Microsoft Access database at the same time?

Yes, Microsoft Access is a multi user application and supports multiple users working with a database at the same time.

The same file can be shared by multiple users giving them access to the forms, reports and data. This is one of the great advantages of Microsoft Access versus single user applications. By placing the Access database on a share network drive, multiple users can gain access to and change the data and print reports.

What is the maximize size of an Access database and what options do I have if I reach this limit?

The maximum size of an Access database depends on the version of Access you are using. In Access 2003 and earlier, the maximum size for a database file is 2 GB. In Access 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016, the maximum size for a database file is 2 GB, but the maximum size for an ACCDB file is 2 terabytes. In Access 2019 and later, the maximum size for an ACCDB file is 2 terabytes.

If you reach the maximum size limit for your Access database, there are a few options you can consider:

Compact and Repair the database to reduce its size.
Split the database into multiple smaller databases.
Move some of the data to a separate table or tables and link them to the main database.
Migrate the data to a more powerful database management system such as SQL Server or MySQL
Consider using cloud-based database solutions such as Azure SQL or Amazon RDS.

It is also important to note that even if your database is below the maximum size limit, performance can also start to degrade as the database grows larger. So it is important to keep an eye on the size and performance of your database regularly.

Can I integrate Microsoft Access with other Microsoft Office applications including Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Word?

Yes. Yes, Microsoft Access can be integrated with other Microsoft Office applications such as Excel, Outlook, and Word. Access can import, export, and link data between these applications, and also leverage the functionality of these applications within Access through the use of macros, VBA code, and Microsoft Office Automation. This allows you to create complex and robust business solutions by utilizing the features and capabilities of multiple Office applications.

Can I integrate a Microsoft Access database with third-party software applications such as QuickBooks accounting software?

Yes, it is possible to integrate a Microsoft Access database with third-party software applications such as QuickBooks. There are various ways to do this, including exporting data from Access to a format that can be imported into QuickBooks, using APIs or web services to transfer data between the two systems, or using third-party software tools specifically designed for this integration. The specific method used will depend on the requirements of the integration and the capabilities of both Access and QuickBooks.

Can I migrate data from other database software (Lotus Approach, Dbase, Paradox, etc.) to a Microsoft Access database?

Yes, it is possible to migrate data from other database software, such as Lotus Approach, Dbase, Paradox, etc., to a Microsoft Access database. Access has several built-in import wizards that can be used to import data from these and other types of databases into an Access database. If the source database has a different structure or uses a different data format, you may need to use custom scripts, macros, or third-party tools to perform the data migration. The specific method used will depend on the size and complexity of the source data, as well as the desired structure and format of the target Access database.

Can I use Microsoft Access to create reports using data from other databases?

Yes, you can use Microsoft Access to create reports using data from other databases. Access provides a variety of reporting tools and features that make it easy to create detailed and professional-looking reports. You can use Access to link to data in other databases, such as SQL Server, Oracle, or other Access databases, and then use that linked data as the basis for reports. Access also provides tools for filtering, grouping, and summarizing data, as well as for formatting reports to meet specific requirements. Additionally, Access provides a rich set of visual and layout options for creating reports, making it a powerful and flexible tool for reporting on data from a variety of sources.

What are some things I can do when my Access database corrupts?

If your Access database becomes corrupted, there are a few things you can try to recover the data:

Try using the built-in "Compact and Repair" tool to fix the database. This can be found in the "Database Tools" tab in Access 2007 and later, or in the "Tools" menu in Access 2003 and earlier.
Make a copy of the corrupt database file and try to open it in the Access "Safe Mode" by holding down the shift key while opening the database file.
Try importing the objects (tables, queries, forms, etc.) from the corrupt database into a new, blank database.
If you have a backup of the database, restore it from the backup.
Try using a third-party Access recovery tool to repair the database.
If the above steps don't work, you may need to try to recover the data using a data recovery service.

It's important to note that it's always a good idea to have a recent backup of your database. And in addition, regularly compact and repair your database to avoid corruption in the first place.

Why Use Microsoft Access Solution?

Microsoft Access is a popular database management system that is used for a variety of purposes, including:

Data storage: Access allows users to store, organize, and manage large amounts of data in a structured and efficient way.
Data analysis: Access includes built-in tools for querying and analyzing data, making it easy to extract insights from the data.
Reporting: Access has a powerful reporting feature that allows users to create professional-looking reports and forms.
Automation: Access allows users to automate repetitive tasks, such as data entry and data validation, which can save time and reduce errors.
Integration: Access can be integrated with other Microsoft products, such as Excel and Outlook, which allows for seamless data sharing and collaboration.
User-friendly: Access is relatively easy to use, even for users with little or no programming experience.
Flexibility: Access is a flexible solution that can be used to create a wide range of applications,from simple data collection forms to complex inventory management systems.
Cost-effective: Access is a cost-effective solution for small-to-medium businesses and organizations that need a powerful database system but don't have the resources for a more expensive enterprise-level solution.
Familiarity: Access is a widely used software, so many people are familiar with it, which can make it easier to find people with the skills to maintain and develop the solution.

Overall, Microsoft Access is a powerful and versatile solution that can be used to create a wide range of database applications, and is especially useful for small-to-medium businesses and organizations.

Limitation for Access Solution

While Microsoft Access is a powerful and versatile database management system, it does have some limitations. Some of the main limitations of Access include:

Limited scalability: Access is not designed to handle large amounts of concurrent users or large amounts of data. It is primarily intended for small-to-medium databases and is not suitable for large-scale enterprise applications.
Limited security: Access does not have built-in security features to protect against unauthorized access or data breaches.
Performance limitations: Access can start to experience performance issues as the database grows larger and the number of concurrent users increases.
Limited platform support: Access is primarily designed to work with Windows and is not available for other platforms, such as Mac or Linux.
Limited programming capabilities: Access does not have the same programming capabilities as other database management systems, such as SQL Server or Oracle.
Limited Web capabilities: Access has limited web capabilities and it is not designed to be used as a web-based application.
Limited data types: Access only supports a limited set of data types compared to other database management systems.
Limited backup options: Access has a limited backup options, especially when compared to other database management systems.

Due to these limitation, Access is best suited for small-to-medium-sized projects with a small number of concurrent users and a limited amount of data. If you need a more powerful, scalable and secure solution for large enterprise-level projects, you may want to consider using a more robust database management system such as SQL Server or MySQL.

Why Our LIMS Solution Using MS Access Platform Compare MS Access vs MS Dynamic NAV

Based on the www.g2.com results, comparison of MS Access vs. MS Dynamics NAV based on data from user reviews. MS Access rates 4.0/5 stars with 634 reviews. MS Dynamics NAV rates 3.7/5 stars with 120 reviews. Each product's score is calculated by real-time data from verified user reviews.

Our Simple LIMS Software solution is targeting small laboratories with less 50 employees, so we think MS Access platform will more suitable for us.

Platform Name	MS Access (4.0 out of 5.0)	MS Dynamics NAV (3.7 out of 5.0)
Customer case/order data management	8.4 out of 10	7.6 out of 10
Ease of Use	7.7 out of 10	7.2 out of 10
Ease of Setup	7.9 out of 10	6.4 out of 10
Ease of Amin	8.0 out of 10	6.8 out of 10
Quality of Support	7.8 out of 10	7.4 out of 10
Ease of Doing Business with	7.8 out of 10	7.2 out of 10
Small Business (1-50 employee)	32.8%	16.9%
Mid Market (51-1000 employee)	31.0%	64.4%
Enterprise	36.2%	18.6%

What is the difference between Access templates and databases application?

There is no difference in between them. All our Access templates are databases applications but don't have your data in it yet.

Pivot table and Pivot chart on Access 2013 Microsoft has removed Pivot table and Pivot chart feature from the upcoming Access 2013. Please check on the following web for more update features list on Access 2013.

How to localization my software user interface? You can start a DIY project for our software user interface localization. You can modify all our software UI into your local language as long as Microsoft Windows support your local language. Please open your forms on design mode and change all the UI items label to your own language and save the change.

MS Access Users menu. If you don't know how to use MS Access tools, please check the following link for Microsoft Access User's Menu.

How to import Excel data to Access Database? Please make sure the you Microsoft Excel data is in right format. Each column has a label in the first row and contains similar facts, and there are no blank rows or columns within the list. then close the Excel work book who contain the data you want to import to Access database. Open the Access database and click Import from Get External Data under File menu. In the Import dialog box, click Microsoft Excel in the Files of type box. find the file you want to import, and then double-click the file. Then Follow the directions in the Import Spreadsheet Wizard.

How to collecting Information for an Access Database by E-mail Access 2007 makes it easy to gather data from people who are located anywhere on the globe, such as members of your team, or your contacts. Office Access 2007 works with Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 to help you to generate and send an e-mail message that includes a data entry form. When the recipients fill out the forms and send them back to you, the replies are processed according to your specifications. For example, if you choose to have the replies automatically processed, the contents of the form are added to the appropriate table in your database as soon as the reply reaches your inbox. This new feature, the Collect data through e-mail messages Wizard, can save you hours that you might have otherwise spent entering data on behalf of your users. Please visit Microsoft Office website for More detail

How to compact and repair your Access Database From time been, Access databases grow in size and unnecessarily use disk space. Additionally, repeated modifications to the database file may result in data corruption. This risk increases for databases shared by multiple users over a network. It's a good idea to periodically run the compact and repair database tool to ensure the consistency of your data.

Instruct other users to close the database. You must be the only user with the database open in order to run the tool.
Click the Microsoft Office button, from the menu, choose "Manage", then "Compact and Repair Database"
Access will present the "Database to Compact From" dialog box. Navigate to the database you wish to compact and repair and then click the Compact button
Provide a new name for the compacted database in the "Compact Database Into" dialog box, then click the Save button.
After verifying that the compacted database works properly, delete the original database and rename the compacted database with the original database's name.

Cannot open Access 2010/2013 application on Access 2007 platform.

Microsoft Access 2010 introduces features that are not supported in Microsoft Office Access 2007. Access 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) will not open databases containing these features; Access 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2) will in some cases offer limited viewing and designing capabilities. Therefore, installing SP2 will help you access more applications created in Access 2010. More detail

Convert a database to the Access 2007 file format

You can convert a database that was created by using Microsoft Access 2003, Access 2002, Access 2000, or Access 97 to the new Microsoft Office Access 2007 file format. You should use the new file format whenever possible because it supports new features, such as multivalued fields and attachments. But database in the new Access 2007 file format (.accedb) cannot be opened or linked to with earlier versions of Access, also the new format no longer supports replication or user-level security. If you need to use your Access 2007 database with earlier versions of Access, or if you need to use replication or user-level security, you MUST use a file format from an earlier version.

Why I cannot open my Access software?

You cannot use Access 2003 platform open Access 2007 templates, since the file format are different, the better way to fix this problem are convert Access 2007 application to Access 2003 format or update your MS Office Access platform to Access 2007.

Why all the buttons on my main page are not working?

This kind of problem may cause by your Access platform version missed matching, please make sure all your MS Office software is at same version before you start debugging on your Access application.

Can I use Google Doc open my MS Access applications?

Not yet!

How to transfer the data over to my new updated Access database software? When you get the new version of your Access database software, you need to transfer your old data to the new update software. First, you need to export the data from your database to a .XML file, then open your new updated software and import the data from that .XML file. Please click the following link and find out more detail from Microsoft's tip.

Importing and Exporting XML Data Using Microsoft Access

Can Microsoft Access application work on Mac platform?

No. On the Mac OS, Microsoft Office offered several versions of Outlook in the late 1990s, but only for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook..... Microsoft does not include its Access database application in Office for Mac.

Can I use Microsoft Access on a Windows Mobile or Windows Phone device?

There is no version of Microsoft Access for Windows Mobile and Windows Phone devices. But can find third party software which allows to access Microsoft Access databases application on mobile phone or tablet devicese.

MS Access 2010 with "Function 'DATE' in expression" Error As we know, MS Access 2010 date functions not working after migrating from MS Access 2003, please check the following link for more detail: Date() function at MS Access 2010

Can't run login processIn order to run the login process, you need to let your computer set to trust this MS Access application. please check the following link for more detail

MS Access "Unrecognized Database Format" issues fixed.

If you are experiencing an "Unrecognized Database Format" error in Microsoft Access, it means that Access is unable to open the database file because it is in an unsupported format or has become damaged. To fix this problem, you can try the following steps:

Make sure you are using the correct version of Microsoft Access to open the database file. The database file may be incompatible with an older version of Access.
Check the file extension of the database file. The file extension should be ".accdb" for an Access 2007 or later database file, or ".mdb" for an Access 2000-2003 database file. If the file extension is incorrect, try renaming the file with the correct extension.
If the file extension is correct, try repairing the database file. To do this, open Microsoft Access and select the "File" menu. Choose "Open," and then select the database file. In the "Open" dialog box, click the "Open" dropdown arrow and select "Open Exclusive." This will open the database file in exclusive mode, which may help to repair any damage to the file.
If the database file is still not opening, try compacting and repairing the database. To do this, open Microsoft Access and select the "Database Tools" tab. Click the "Compact and Repair Database" button.
If none of these steps work, you may need to try creating a new database file and importing the data from the old file. To do this, open Microsoft Access and create a new blank database. Then, select the "External Data" tab and click the "Import" button. Follow the prompts to import the data from the old database file into the new file.

I hope these steps help fix the "Unrecognized Database Format" error in your Microsoft Access database. If you are still experiencing issues, you may need to seek additional assistance.

Missing or Broken Reference Issues Discussion

Missing or broken reference to file MSCAL.OCX

The "Missing or broken reference to file MSCAL.OCX" error in Microsoft Access typically occurs when the MSCAL.OCX file, which is used by Access to display calendars, is missing or damaged. Here are some steps that you can try to resolve this issue:

Re-register the MSCAL.OCX file: Try re-registering the MSCAL.OCX file on the computer. To do this, open a Command Prompt as administrator and run the following command: "regsvr32 %systemroot%\system32\MSCAL.OCX".
Replace the MSCAL.OCX file: If the file is missing or damaged, try replacing it with a new copy of the file.
Repair or reinstall Access: If the above steps do not resolve the issue, try repairing or reinstalling Microsoft Access.
Check for compatibility: If you have recently upgraded to a newer version of Windows, check if the MSCAL.OCX file is compatible with the new operating system.

If you continue to experience issues, it is recommended to consult a Microsoft Access specialist or seek technical support from Microsoft.

Microsoft Access database or project contains a missing or broken reference to the file

The error message "Microsoft Access database or project contains a missing or broken reference to the file" indicates that Access is unable to locate a specific file or library that it needs in order to run correctly. Here are some steps that you can try to resolve this issue:

Check the references: Go to the "References" section in the VBA Editor and make sure that all of the references are marked with a checkmark. If any of the references are missing or marked with a broken icon, try re-establishing the reference.
Update the references: Make sure that the references are up-to-date and match the version of Access you are using.
Replace missing files: If a specific file is missing, try replacing it with a new copy of the file.
Remove and re-add references: If the above steps do not resolve the issue, try removing the reference and then re-adding it.
Repair or reinstall Access: If the above steps do not resolve the issue, try repairing or reinstalling Microsoft Access.
More detail

If you continue to experience issues, it is recommended to consult a Microsoft Access specialist or seek technical support from Microsoft.

MS Access Runtime Platform Discussion

How to handle MS Access "Execution of this application has stopped due to a run-time error"

The "Execution of this application has stopped due to a run-time error" error message in Microsoft Access indicates that the application has encountered an unexpected issue or error. Here are some steps that you can try to resolve this issue:

For solving this issue, in particular the following steps may help:

Debug the code: If the error occurs in a VBA module, you can debug the code by pressing the "Debug" button on the error message to identify the line of code that is causing the issue.
Check for corruption: Check if the Access database is corrupt and repair or recover it if necessary. You can use the "Compact and Repair Database" option in Access to repair the database.
Update Access: Make sure you have the latest updates and service packs installed for Microsoft Access.
Disable Add-ins: If the error occurs when using a specific add-in, try disabling the add-in to determine if it is causing the issue.
Replace the Reference Libraries: If the error is related to a specific reference library, you can try replacing the reference library with a new one.
Check for Conflicts with Other Applications: Conflicts with other applications or antivirus software can cause Access to stop working. Try disabling these applications temporarily to see if they are causing the issue.
Reinstall Microsoft Access: If the above steps do not resolve the issue, you may need to reinstall Microsoft Access.

If you continue to experience issues, it is recommended to consult a Microsoft Access specialist or seek technical support from Microsoft.

MS Access Run-time error '3044'

The Microsoft Access run-time error 3044 is a file not found error, which occurs when the database is unable to locate the specified backend database. Here are some steps that you can try to resolve this issue:

Verify the path of the backend database: Check the path of the backend database in the Access front-end and ensure that it is correct and accessible.
Check the network connection: If the backend database is located on a network server, ensure that the network connection is stable and the server is available.
Compact and Repair the database: If the path and network connection are okay, try compacting and repairing the Access database.
Copy the backend database to a local drive: If you continue to experience issues, try copying the backend database to a local drive and linking to it from the front-end.
Update the database links: If you have moved the backend database to a new location, make sure to update the links in the front-end to the new location.

If the above steps do not resolve the issue, it is recommended to consult a Microsoft Access specialist or seek technical support from Microsoft.

Please check the following link and try to download the runtime error 3044 MS Access repair tool

MS Access Platform Tutorial

MS Access Platform Basic

MS Access Error Message Handling

Platform compares

MS Access Menu and Version Issues

System Compatibility Issues

Data Input/Output, Update/Repair Issues

Missing or Broken Reference Issues Discussion

MS Access Runtime Platform Discussion