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| Microsoft Access 2003 [OLD VERSION] | ![Microsoft Access 2003 [OLD VERSION]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41GTKR0DCNL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | From: Microsoft Software
Category: Software
Buy New: $299.99
New (4) from $299.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 1506
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Windows 2000, Windows Xp
Media: CD-ROM
Edition: Full
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 11.2 x 9.8 x 2
MPN: 077-02870
Model: 077-02870
UPC: 080552930543
EAN: 0659556878818
ASIN: B0000AZJV4
Release Date: October 21, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 15 | | NEXT » |
 Microsoft Access 2003 (Old Version) July 7, 2008
The product was missing instructions, which since it was new should have been with it, when I complained to the company it was bought from they had a convoluted return policy. I kept the product only because I needed it. I would never do business with that company again.
 Insecurity March 3, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I am rating this as an Access developer, so if you are a stand alone user, or novice user, you will probably be wasting your time reading it. I have not used the prodcut enough to rate it as a standalone.
I have been an Access Developer since Access 1.0. (Yes, before Access 97 and Access 2.0). Access was a fine product until this release.
I had an Access XP database (originally developed in Access 2000) that always worked fine and was running in 10-15 restaurants under either Access 2000 or XP. If did not matter to me which version the customer had installed - until I ran into a site which had this brain-dead security-run-wild release Access 2003.
The key to my Access program is a VBA routine which imports DBF (DBASE) files from the restaurant Point-of-Sale (POS) system. It looks to the POS system (Digital Dining POS) which is always located on a MS Server. It then massages the files and sends a single summary file of all the POS transactions for the day to Quickbooks using Quickbooks Software Development Kit (SDK) which contains DLLs to allow a seemless interface - not an export/import but rather sending the data real-time - into Quickbooks while it is up and running.
Access 2003 would not let my VBA code import any files from the MS Server. Indeed, it said that the Directory/Path etc. did not exist.
I thought that I had misspelled the path, or had someother problem but nothing I did could get it to work. I then tried for about an hour to turn off security but since it was billable time for the customer, I was obliged to get it to work in short order.
I was not sure what was going on. In desperation, I removed Access 2003 and installed Access XP and everything immediately worked just fine.
Watch yourself if you are do anything in VBA that requries you to import files into Access or any type of file manipulation.
I did not try linking the files because it is a POS system with stanalone DBF files and it can hang the POS system.
I am also getting sick of seeing the same bugs follow every new version of Access. (Everyone who has run 2000 and XP will know what I am talking about.)
This could have been a great product, but Microsoft has ruined it with neglect - the way they have ruined Excel and Word which were once fine programs but are now littered with bugs. I once published a newsletter and used Word to mix the text and graphics with 3 columns etc. and it was fine, but try and do that with the XP version and you will likely fail or spend so much time trying work-arounds that it will not be worth the effort. It is a struggle to get the graphics to go where you want.
In Excel I have been running into a bug where you put the correct simple formula in a cell such as sum(c1:c3) and it sits there like there is no formula, even if you refresh it.
I hope that Google puts a big scare into Microsoft and adds a database development tool to their new online word processing and spreadsheet.
If I get a copy of 2003 and have a chance to test it I will update this review and hope that I can reveal the secret (if it is actually possible) to turning off the security.
 Reporting Simplification February 6, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
We purchased this product to simplify our church finance reporting; better integration of the different aspects of reporting and reduction of manual entry on different types of worksheets. We have successfully written reports for our purposes and so far, are very happy with our purchase.
Business is great January 9, 2007
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Access has allowed me to form a database that is now making work alot easier.
Excellent Information Managment Tool June 17, 2006
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
Although many users may be a bit intimidated at the look of Access, it is worth the many hours learning how to use this software.
This tool can be customized to fit any need of any business or organization. The key to success in using Access is two fold: 1. Ensure you understand the business process you want to automate with Access. Understand the business rules (conditions for collecting data) and the reporting requirements for data output.
2. Ensure that you map (on paper) your entire work flow prior to building anything in Access. Many beginers make the mistake of sitting down at a computer and trying to start from scratch. Spend some time on developing the structure of your data as well as the functionality you want in your database.
If you are a new or inexperienced user, do some research on identifying how to write the requirements for your database i.e. what do I want to ultimately do with this thing. Ensure you know the end user level of IT expertise. Build it so the dumbest computer guy in your shop can use it-least common denominator at the user end.
After identifying your data collecting and functionality requirements, build your database from back to front. Access forces you to think in a "reverse engineering" fashion. Once you understand this basic concept, the rest is just learning how to use the tools at hand.
If you want to venture into writing VBA, do so. It is very powerful and not that hard. Everything is logical...step 1 then 2 and so on. There are some good books out there that can help you if you are starting out.
When I started out, I was assigned as a database manager for a SyBase system and I took a basic Access class to learn the fundamentals of relational databases. Access was a great tool to help me in my understanding of bigger and more complex systems.
If you are an Access user on an enterprise network (military or government) be aware that in Access 2003, there is an additional security feature called "Sandbox Mode". This can potentially crash any access database that uses functions which are blocked.
There are three levels of Sandbox mode (1,2,3). With the Microsoft Jet database engine upgrade of Service Pack 8, Sandbox mode is automatically set to 2. Most Access applications will run although you will get a message asking you if you want to allow unsafe expressions. On our military network, we are moving to level 3. Be SURE you test, test and re-test, your database in both a single and multi-user environment prior to going into production. Otherwise, some action queries may fail. There is very little in the way of information on Sandbox mode so lots of research is necessary.
Overall, if you spend the time learning it and do proper planning prior to building your database, Access will rock. I equate it to Excel on steroids. Good luck.
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