Full Review: Microsoft Access 2002
By Jay Munro ZDNet Reviews
Nearly a decade after Microsoft first introduced its desktop database program, Access has come a long way. Moving more toward the Internet and deeper into the enterprise, Access 2002 offers more ways to create data driven Web-based applications. With the improved Data Access Page designer, non-programmers can quickly create Web pages linked to both Access and SQL Server databases. Users can now export reports, forms, tables or queries in XML format with or without XSL style sheets for presentation. For better data analysis, Microsoft has made it easier to generate Pivot Tables and charts, and save them browser-friendly Data Access Pages. By default, Access 2002 files are backward-compatible with Access 2000, but you can also choose to use a new file format that offers better security.
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Data Access Pages, first introduced with Access 2000, are HTML/XML versions of forms and reports, and they are central to many of the new features in this version. You can now save any form or report as a Data Access Page and instantly have a Web page, though only in Internet Explorer 5.0 and above. (Microsoft is targeting the corporate intranet, B2B or in-house applications with Access 2002's Web support. While Access pages can be deployed to an Internet site, it must have Remote Data Services configured.)
We found the new Data Access Page Designer is a cool way to quickly build data-based pages. If you are using IE 5.5 as your browser, the Data Access Page Designer now supports selecting multiple controls to move and align. We also liked the unlimited undo feature in the Designer. Data Access pages have a toolbar to let the user filter on the fly by selecting a field and clicking filter by selection. The toolbar always shows the table name, record number, and total records in the current set. We like what the Access team internally calls "stable cursors" that kept a filter active when updating records on a Data Access Page. With Access 2000 if you updated a field, the filter was discarded.
One of the goals for this version of Access was to make life easier for SQL Server users. If you are using SQL Server 2000, you can take advantage of Access's extended properties, like putting friendly captions on fields. Previously you would have to create field labels on every form that used a SQL table, but with extended properties, you only have set the caption once, and all forms or pages will have the new label. Linking tables to SQL Server 7.0 or SQL 2000 databases is easier with the improved Table Wizard. If you want to deploy to SQL Server directly, Access comes with the SQL Server 2000 desktop engine to make development of compatible databases easier.
For developers using Access as their data store, the word is XML. Access 2002 now supports XML import and export. Two companies can exchange data through XML format as long as both have Access 2002, a boon for B2B applications. Access 2002 adds the option to save the XML schema as a separate or embedded file, as well as saving presentation information for use in either client- (HTML) or server-based (ASP) applications. You can also link Data Access Pages to XML files, enabling users to work with data without being connected to the server. This can help reduce database and network traffic when using more static data, such as pricing tables or monthly reports. A developer can create a complete application with Data Access Pages that can use XML data in read-only mode on a disconnected machine using IE 5's offline browsing capabilities. Developers can also configure an application to use a local MSDE (Microsoft Date Engine) with IE 5 and Data Access pages that can merge and replicate with SQL Server. A complete data entry application can be created on a client machine using just IE 5 and the MSDE.
Creating Pivot tables to analyse and present data was a feature introduced with Access 2000, but it was too difficult for first-time users to find. With Access 2002, you can now view tables as PivotTables or PivotCharts as easily as design or datasheet views. To create the PivotChart or Table, just drag the fields you want to analyse to the designated areas. You can right click on data and set up grouping and filtering. Creating meaningful Pivot tables takes some practice, but we found it easy to experiment with the PivotTable and Chart view.
Under the hood, Access 2002 has added a number of events that script and application developers will appreciate. Developers can now gain greater control over data handling with events such as before and after delete, update and insert user actions. Deploying Data Access pages with Access has been simplified with the ConnectionFile property that can specify a common connection for all pages (we weren't able to test this feature).
Over the years, each new Access version brought a new file format, and Access 2002 is no different, except by default it still uses the Access 2000 .MDB file format. The newer format, which is optional, lets developers save as MDE or ADE files, which compiles any Visual Basic code, and removes source code in either an Access database file (.MDB) or Access Project file (.ADP) for better security. This also means an end user can't load a proprietary data file in Access and create their own reports and applications.
Overall Access 2002 provides a good collection of new features that will please both novice and professional users. We especially like the ease of connecting to a SQL data source and creating PivotTables and Charts. Add to this more developer friendly features, such as the new file format, new events, better SQL and XML support, and Access 2002 provides a powerful back end for almost any workgroup or enterprise application.
