ACC97: Where to Find Conversion Information for Microsoft Access 97

Microsoft Access 97 provides many new features not available in earlier versions. When you open a database from an earlier version in Microsoft Access 97, most of the time the database converts with no difficulty. However, there are circumstances where new features in Microsoft Access 97 may conflict with objects or code in the database you are converting.

Before you convert a database in Microsoft Access 97, review the available information about conversion and compatibility so you can be familiar with the issues that may arise. This article lists many of the available sources of information about conversion and compatibility issues.

Conversion White Paper

The most comprehensive single source of information about converting databases in Microsoft Access 97 is the Microsoft Access 97 Conversion White Paper. The white paper includes the following topics:

• Overview
• Microsoft Access Intrinsic Constants
• Microsoft Office for Windows 95 Automation Code
• Wizard-Generated Code
• DoCmd Statement
• SendKeys Statement and Macro Action
• ObjectName.FieldName Legacy Syntax
• Conflicts with Reserved Words
• Standard Module/Class Module Name Conflicts
• Module Name/Procedure Name Conflicts
• New Error Codes in Microsoft Access 97
• Code with Line-Continuation Characters
• Databases with Many Objects Increases in Size
• dbFailOnError Behavior in Microsoft Access 97
• Databases with Many Modules
• Macro-Defined System Menus
• Converted Toolbars Lose Button Images
• 16- and 32-Bit ActiveX Controls (OLE Custom Controls)
• 16- and 32-Bit API Calls
• 16-Bit ODBC Data Sources
• Microsoft Access Library Database References
• Object or Type Library References
• Converting Add-In Databases
• Report Margins Adjust to Default Print Region
• Forms or Reports with Many Controls
• ForceNewPage Property in Group Section
• Conversion Fails Without Default Printer
• Queries with Date Criteria Between 1900 and 1929
• MaxLocksPerFile Setting Restricts Transaction Size
• Converting Secured Databases
• Converting Replicated Databases
• INFPath Registry Setting for Xbase ISAM Drivers
• Tables with Many Indexes or Relationships

For more information about how to obtain the Microsoft Access 97 Conversion White Paper, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

151193  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/151193/EN-US/ ) ACC97: MS Access 97 Conversion White Paper Available in Download Center

Help Topics

Another good source of information for conversion and compatibility issues are the Microsoft Access 97 Help topics "Conversion and Compatibility Issues" and "Troubleshoot Converting a Previous-Version Database to Microsoft Access 97." You can find these topics by searching the Help Index for "converting databases."

The "Conversion and Compatibility Issues" Help topic contains the following links:

• Convert a Database
• Convert a Secured Database from a Previous Version of Microsoft Access
• Convert Library Databases and Add-ins
• What's New for Developer's: Overview
• Changed Property Names
• Changed and Removed Options in Microsoft Access 97
• Convert Access Basic Code to Visual Basic
• Convert Code That Calls a DLL
• Macro Actions and Methods of the DoCmd Object
• Convert SendKeys Key Combinations
• Style for Intrinsic Constants
• Scoping and Object-Naming Compatibility
• DAO Object Library Compatibility
• Examples of Converting DAO Code

The "Troubleshoot Converting a Previous-Version Database to Microsoft Access 97" Help topic contains the following links:

Converting any previous-version database

• An identifier causes an error.

Converting a Microsoft Access version 1.x or 2.0 database

• My converted Microsoft Access version 2.0 report has different margins.
• My code can't compile.
• A procedure causes an error.
• I receive an out-of-memory error when converting a large database.
• My 16-bit API calls do not convert.
• My custom controls do not convert.
• I receive an error that a table exceeds the limit of 32 indexes.
• I'm having conversion problems on Microsoft Windows NT Workstation.
• Time values in my query criteria return different results.
• I receive an ODBC error when opening a form or report in a converted database.

Microsoft Access 97 Readme File

Another good source of information is the Microsoft Access 97 Readme File (Acread80.wri). This file is installed by default in the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office folder. The Readme file contains the following topics related to conversion and compatibility:

• Converting Expressions in VBA That Use the Line Continuation Character
• Changes to Error Code Numbers
• Change in How You Create Custom Menu Bars
• Literal Dates Between the Years 1900 and 1929 May Cause Different Query Results

For more information about conversion issues in Microsoft Access 95 and 97, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

141296  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/141296/EN-US/ ) ACC: Troubleshooting Tips for Conversion Issues in 95 and 97

For more information about the "Conversion and Compatibility Issues Help Topic, or the "Troubleshoot converting a previous-version database to Microsoft Access 97" Help Topic, search the Help Index for "converting databases," and then view the available topics, or ask the Microsoft Access 97 Office Assistant.