Can you upgrade Access 2.0 to Access 2000 or later Access project?

Question

Due to a merger, we have inherited a couple of legacy apps which run on Access 2.0. Ideally we would like to re-write them as intranet web apps but due to other priorities this is not going to happen anytime soon.

Our main concern is to get the data off of the client machines and preferably into SQL Server. Is there a way to upgrade 2.0 to an Access 2000 or later project?

Answer 1

Yes.

• Enabling a Previous-version Access Database in Access 2000

• About converting an Access file

Might be of use: Troubleshooting Your Upgrade to Access 2000

Answer 2

In addition to Mitch's links you will probably get one or two useless references when you convert the A2.0 to A2000 or newer. At the end you should only need the following four references.

Visual Basic For Applications 
     VBA - 4.0 C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VBA\VBA6\VBE6.DLL
Microsoft Access 9.0 Object Library 
     Access - 9.0 C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 2000\Office\msacc9.olb
OLE Automation 
     stdole - 2.0 C:\WINDOWS\system32\STDOLE2.TLB
Microsoft DAO 3.6 Object Library 
     DAO - 5.0 C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\DAO\dao360.dll

Sub ViewMoreReferenceDetails()

Dim refIDE As Object

    For Each refIDE In Access.Application.VBE.ActiveVBProject.References
        Debug.Print refIDE.Description & " " & _
            IIf(refIDE.IsBroken, "Broken", "") & vbCrLf & _
            "     " & refIDE.Name & " - " & refIDE.Major & "." & refIDE.Minor & " " & refIDE.FullPath
    Next refIDE

End Sub

Of course your version of the Microsoft Access Object library will vary depending on your version of Access. Even then the OLE reference isn't required much but you might as well leave it there.

The Compatibility Layer reference which Access might automatically add should definitely be removed if it even works. But it shouldn't take long to clean up the code that it attempts to fix.

As far as the conversion to ADPs, presumably that's what you meant when you state project, isn't recommended by Microsoft any more. It hasn't had any new features in the last several releases of Access. Instead just use linked tables to SQL Server.

See my Random Thoughts on SQL Server Upsizing from Microsoft Access Tips page at http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/sqlserverupsizing.htm

There is a tool from the SQL Server group. SQL Server Migration Assistant for Access (SSMA Access) http://www.microsoft.com/sql/solutions/migration/access/default.mspx