RemoteApp and Microsoft Access Database Applications

FMS President Luke Chung was a presenter at the Virtual Microsoft Access DevCon 2020 in Vienna, Austria on April 23, 2020. He gave a presentation called "Remote access to Access", which is available for everyone to watch.

Remote Desktop and RemoteApp let your users run Access applications without having to installing anything on their local machine. That includes Access, the database, and any related programs. It lets users run the program across the network or Internet, from their PC or even a Mac. There are different approaches depending on whether the host is internal or in the cloud, and for backend databases in Access and SQL Server.

Special thanks to Microsoft Access MVP Karl Donaubauer, who hosted the fourth annual Access DevCon, with German Access MVP Peter Doering, to made it an online event during the COVID-19 lockdown.

There are also links to other presentations. We'd recommend watching Kevin Bell's talk about Temporal Tables in SQL Server (not to be confused with temporary tables), and Davide La Mantia's presentation showing his Access application as a kiosk in an Italian Hospital integrating barcode readers, printer, and voice announcements.

Have any suggestions or comments? Head to our blog post Video: Remote access to Microsoft Access from DevCon Austria and leave us your feedback!

SQL Server Express 2019 is Available

We've updated our Microsoft SQL Express page with information on SQL Server Express 2019! For local PC, small databases, and less critical situations, Microsoft offers a limited version of SQL Server called SQL Server Express. SQL Server Express can be downloaded for free and installed on your local PC.

Our page shows the Microsoft SQL Express versions, when they were released, and the Operating Systems they explicitly support. Links are provided for downloading your own free copy of SQL Server Express and the related SQL Server Management Studio when it's not included in the main download.

For more information, visit Microsoft SQL Server Express: Version Comparison Matrix and Free Downloads.

Access does not recognize the Identity Column in a linked SQL Server Table

An issue was released in the current Monthly Channel build (16.0.12325) of Version 1912 for Office 365 and Office 2016/2019.

Identity Columns were not correctly identified and would instead be recognized only as a Number. This would happen when creating new links through the user interface or through code, but only for new links. Existing links would not be affected unless the link is refreshed.

Microsoft released an update on January 23, 2020, that requires an manual update to fix the issue. For more information, visit Access does not recognize the Identity Column in a linked SQL Server table.

Breaking ACE Out of the Bubble

An important announcement from the Microsoft Access Team to address the problems with connecting to Access ACCDB databases from other programs.

DAO is part of Windows and connects to MDB databases. Installing Access 2007 and 2010 included ACE that supported connections to ACCDBs but later Access versions sandboxed ACE so only Office could use it. Turns out that was a bad idea because even Microsoft programs such as PowerBI and the SQL Sever Migration Assistant couldn't use it. Now it's installed with Access!

FMS President Luke Chung has written a blog post about this exciting announcement, check out Breaking ACE out of the Bubble! for more details.

Feast your Eyes on our Access Query Improvements!

One of Access’s most powerful capabilities is querying, which pulls information from many tables to assemble and connect data points that can then be arranged into a form or report.

The Microsoft Access team is proud to announce new enhancements to the Querying user experience!

Visit the Microsoft Access Team Blog for more information!

Denver Area Access Users Group

July 16, 2020

6:30 PM (Mountain Time Zone)

FMS President Luke Chung has been invited by the Denver Area Access Users Group to give an online presentation on "Access Remote App".

Remote Desktop and RemoteApp let your users run Access applications without having to installing anything on their local machine. That includes Access, the database, and any related programs. It lets users run the program across the network or Internet, from their PC or even a Mac. Luke Chung will demonstrate different approaches depending on whether the host is internal or in the cloud, and for backend databases in Access and SQL Server.

To find out more, visit the Denver Area Access Users Group website.

Portland Access User Group Conference

October 10 - 12, 2020, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

The Portland Access User Group Conference remains scheduled is return to the Conference Center at Silver Falls. The peaceful, natural setting of Silver Falls State Park lends itself to a climate that fosters learning and creativity.

The weekend event brings together some of the top Microsoft Access developers, enthusiasts, and Access development team members.

Registration begins in June 2020. To find out more, check out the Portland Access User Group website.