Aug 24

Total Access Analyzer 2010, 2007 and 2003 Updates Ship

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Total Access AnalyzerIn conjunction with the release of Total Access Analyzer for Microsoft Access 2013, FMS is pleased to release updates for earlier versions of MS Access:

Click on the links for detailed information on the new features.

Background

Total Access Analyzer is the most popular Microsoft Access add-in of all time. It provides detailed documentation and analysis of your MS Access databases to help you better understand how your objects work together, detect problems, improve your designs, and enhance performance.

This update is part of the 10th major release of Total Access Analyzer since its debut in 1993.

Free Demo

A demo is available for you to see the types of documentation it generates using the sample Northwind database. Look at the results, filter and search it, and see the reports it generates: Demo Download

Existing Customers

Customers on an annual support contract for Total Access Analyzer or the suites it’s in receive the new versions for free:

Other Total Access Analyzer customers can upgrade for a discounted price.

Aug 03

Appearance on FOX Business News for Tom Brady’s Destroyed Text Messages

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cavutoOn Wednesday, I was invited for a live interview with Neil Cavuto on his FOX Business News show Coast-to-Coast.

The primary issue was NFL quarterback Tom Brady’s destruction of his cellphone surrounding the Inflate-gate controversy and his recent suspension.

Prior to his hearing before the NFL, Brady physically destroyed his cellphone and was able to avoid disclosing his text messages which were suspected to contain incriminating information. The question was whether that really destroyed his text messages.

luke-fms-crop

It’s a rather interesting question because people don’t often think about how different types of communications are stored whether it’s email, text or instant messages. With our concerns over security, hacking, and privacy, it’s important to better understand how these platforms work to address the risks we face.

How Emails are Stored

Emails are always stored on a server which retains the emails even if the device that received or read the emails is destroyed. This is how emails can be retrieved from multiple devices simultaneously. Depending on the mail server’s rules, old emails generally remain available until they are permanently deleted. They also exist on the sender’s email box and any of the Cc and Bcc recipients.

3-computer-it-expert2

How Text Messages are Stored

Text Messages do not have the same permanence as emails. They exist on the sending and receiving devices until they are deleted. The phone company that transmits the text message also retains the message. At a minimum, they need to retain it until they successfully transmit it since the receiving device may be unavailable. It can take multiple attempts and multiple days before the message is transmitted.

After that, the phone company has no requirement to retain the message. The text message only exists on the sending and receiving devices.

However, some phone companies, like Verizon, offer text messages that can be read online. The messages are available online even after the message is received by the phone. That means the phone company is playing the role of a text message server. They may exist there for months, which means it remains a repository if the device is destroyed.

So if you think your text messages only exist on yours and the other party’s device, you may want to check your mobile phone provider (and that of the other party) to understand their policies.

Unfortunately, Fox did not release an online copy of the interview, so we can’t share it.

Jul 07

Total Access Analyzer Ships for Microsoft Access 2013

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Microsoft Access 2013FMS is pleased to announce the release of Total Access Analyzer, version 15, for Microsoft Access 2013. Total Access Analyzer 2013 is our 10th major release of this product since its debut with Access 1.1 in 1993.

Total Access Analyzer provides detailed documentation and analysis of your MS Access databases to help you better understand how your objects work together, detect problems, improve your designs, and enhance performance.

Over 300 Types of Issues are Detected

Total Access Analyzer examines all your database objects in detail to find 300+ types of issues including errors that crash your application, unused objects and VBA code, design inconsistencies, and other best practices to maximize your investment in your Access applications.

390 + Professional Quality Reports

Over 390 filterable and customizable reports are available to document your applications and help you develop more efficiently. Reports include table/field dictionary reports, object cross-reference lists, module printouts, application flow diagrams, field and SQL consistency reports, and much more.

Discover why so many Microsoft Access enthusiasts made Total Access Analyzer the most popular Microsoft Access add-in of all time and the winner of every Best Access Add-in Award for decades.

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New Features

Total Access Analyzer is now available for Microsoft Access 2013 with many new features:

  • Total Access AnalyzerSupports Microsoft Access 2013, 32 and 64-bit versions
  • New documentation of Conditional Formatting
  • Documentation of Navigation Control and Buttons
  • Documentation of Web Controls
  • New Control Type Reports
  • Support Procedure Calls to Libraries
  • 3 New Module VBA Coding Suggestions
  • Enhanced VBA Module Parser for Compiler Conditionals
  • New Search Bar for Selecting Objects
  • Improved Open Documentation Form
  • Report Filter Shows Count of Issues
  • New Treeview with 64-bit support
  • New user manual and help file
  • and more!

Here’s a complete list of new features.

Free Demo

A demo is available for you to see the types of documentation it generates using the sample Northwind database. Look at the results, filter and search it, and see the reports it generates: Demo Download

Existing Customers

Existing Total Access Analyzer customers can upgrade for a discounted price.

Jun 01

Total Access Admin 2003, Version 11.6 Ships

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adminThe release of Total Access Admin 2013 added many new features. Due to customer demand, we’ve updated Total Access Admin 2003 from version 11.5 to 11.6 to include the new features.

The primary difference between the 2003 and 2013 version is that the 2003 version doesn’t require installing Access 2007 or later on the machine in order to support the ACCDB database format. It supports Access databases in MDB formats and does not require Access to be installed on the PC.

Many New Features

Total Access Admin 2003 version 11.6 includes these enhancements:

  • Maintain a list to translate computer names to more friendly user names
  • Manage up to 100 database in one screen (up from 50)
  • Specify a time to close the program
  • More command line parameters
  • New forms to view the activity log, and more.

Read our New Features page for details.

Free Trial

Download the free, fully-functional Trial Version to see how helpful Total Access Admin can be for you.

Supports All Microsoft Access Versions

Total Access Admin 2003 supports MDB databases created in any version of Microsoft Access. Existing customers can upgrade at a discounted price.

May 15

Windows 8.1 PCs Connect to the Network but not the Internet

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windows81This past Tuesday night, Microsoft released a security patch. On Wednesday morning, we and some of our customers encountered problems with connectivity that were quite unusual and different from past security updates. The update required servers to reboot which triggered some issues, but manageable. What was particularly troubling were multiple reports of problems with PCs using Windows 8.1.

The PCs could still connect to the network and see all the network resources, but they could not get on the Internet. Using different logins including Administrator logins didn’t make a difference. Other PCs using Windows 7 or older O/S were able to connect successfully even with the same cable as the Windows 8.1 PCs that couldn’t connect.

What Could be Wrong?

We struggled trying to see if there were issues with:

  • Hardware on the PC, network card, cable or switch
  • Software issues with the automatic Windows patches, DHCP network settings, IP addresses, Firewall, antivirus, etc.
  • Login rights and permissions

We couldn’t determine the problem or find a solution. Since the user could log into the network, permissions seemed sufficient.

From the Windows command prompt (Run cmd), we used the ipconfig command with the release and renew command lines to see if that would reset the IP address, but that didn’t make a difference either:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

Solution: Flush DNS

Finally, I posted a message to the Microsoft Access MVP group, which I’m honored to be a part of. Long time colleague, Tom Wickerath suggested flushing the DNS (Domain Name System) cache by using:

C:\> ipconfig /flushdns

We weren’t familiar with that command line option as it doesn’t appear when you enter

ipconfig ?

Well, it worked! We may never know whether the problem was caused by the Windows security patch or if it was just a coincidence. Regardless, the flushdns command reset the PCs that were affected by this problem.

Thanks for sharing your insight Tom!

Apr 24

Total Access Admin 2013 Ships

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adminTotal Access Admin lets you monitor users going in and out of your databases in real-time. See who’s currently in your database and who recently exited, create a log of connections and disconnects, compact the database after everyone exits, etc. Monitor all the databases across your network from one installation of Total Access Admin.

Many New Features
Total Access Admin 2013 includes many new features. You can now:

  • Maintain a list to translate computer names to more friendly user names
  • Manage up to 100 database in one screen (up from 50)
  • Specify a time to close the program
  • More command line parameters
  • New forms to view the activity log, and more.

Read our New Features page for details.

main-menu-new

Free Trial

Download the free, fully-functional Trial Version to see how helpful Total Access Admin can be for you.

Supports All Microsoft Access Versions

Total Access Admin 2013 supports ACCDB databases created in Microsoft Access 2013, 2010 and 2007, plus MDB databases created in any version of Access. Existing customers can upgrade at a discounted price.

Apr 16

Total Access Detective Review by Daniel Pineault

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MVPLogo[1]Microsoft Access MVP, Daniel Pineault, wrote a very nice review of our Total Access Detective program recently. Total Access Detective is a Microsoft Access add-in program that finds all the differences between two Access databases or two objects in one database. Changes with table and query structures, field properties, form and report controls and properties, macros, module VBA procedures and lines of code, and even data are detected.

Daniel found Total Access Detective very helpful when confronted with the challenge of determining exactly what changed between two Microsoft Access databases. Rather than manually and tediously trying to determine what changed, he used Total Access Detective to quickly generate a comprehensive comparison to find objects in one database and not the other, and a detailed comparison of objects with the same name. With Total Access Detective, he was able to pinpoint all the differences and make the necessary adjustments.

We were pleased he concluded with this:

Microsoft Access Difference DetectorFinal Verdict
“I am once again quite confident in putting my stamp of approval on this tool. If you are in a situation in which you quickly need to identify all the differences between multiple databases, FMS’ Total Access Detective will make short work of the job at hand! …
A very nice, easy to use and most importantly, effective and thorough tool!”

To learn more about what Daniel discovered and his experience, read his full Total Access Detective Review.

Thanks Daniel!

Feb 13

New Microsoft Access to SQL Server Upsizing Resource Center

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Microsoft Access to SQL Server Upsizing CenterWe’ve completely revamped our Microsoft Access to SQL Server Upsizing Resource Center. Find links to all our related white papers and Microsoft resources to help you with the SQL Server upsizing process, from deciding why and which Microsoft Access databases to upsize, the different options, and using SQL Server Express.

We have several new and updated resources:

  • Microsoft SQL Server Express: Version Comparison Matrix and Free Downloads
    For the first time, all the different versions of SQL Server Express from 2005 to 2014 are shown, compared, and referenced with download links. This content required extensive research to document the details of which operating system each SQL Server version supports. Just because Microsoft web pages list the versions they support doesn’t necessarily mean it works when you actually try to install it.
  • Automating the Backup of Your Microsoft SQL Server Express Databases
    If you’re using SQL Server Express, you still need to create backups of the database. Here’s how to automate it.
  • When and How to Upsize Microsoft Access Databases to SQL Server
    The original version of this was written for Microsoft when they selected us for a joint national campaign a decade ago to promote Microsoft Access to SQL Server Upsizing. We’ve updated it to better explain why and why not people should upsize their Access databases and an overview of what the options are and what to do.

Hope this helps!

Nov 05

Total Visual SourceBook 2013 Ships

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Total Visual SourceBook Total Visual SourceBook

We are delighted to announce the release of Total Visual SourceBook 2013. Total Visual SourceBook is our royalty-free source code library for Microsoft Access/Office VBA developers and Visual Basic 6 (VB6) developers.

code-explorer-web

The new 2013 version is an upgrade to our Total Visual SourceBook 2007 version. The new version is especially designed for the new features introduced in Microsoft Access/Office/VBA 2013 and 2010. It can also run in Access/Office 2007 and older versions through Access/Office 2000.

New Features

Total Visual SourceBook 2013 includes 35 new modules, 25,000+ more lines of code, enhancements to existing modules including VBA code that’s compatible with 32 and 64-bit versions of Office.

The user code database can now be upsized to SQL Server to simplify sharing code among your developer team. The new version also includes many enhancements to the code browser to simplify your experience in viewing, searching, adding, editing, and applying different error handlers to the source code.

For a complete list of enhancements, visit our New Features page.

Additional Resources

Oct 29

Microsoft OneDrive Offers Unlimited Cloud Storage for Office 365 Subscribers

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Wow! It was only a matter of time, but Microsoft has completely commoditized cloud storage by offering unlimited amounts of storage with their OneDrive service. It’s not even a separate purchase, but part of what’s included in Office 365 for consumer and business customers. It’s not available yet, but will be soon (details).

Wouldn’t Want to be Box or DropBox

This is very bad news for the smaller players in the market such as Box and DropBox who introduced the idea of backing up files to the cloud, sharing files across devices, and sharing files publicly or with specified individuals.

“Free” with an Office365 Subscription

OneDrive now offers this as part of its Office365 subscription at a fraction of the cost of other providers. The previous 1 TB storage limit was already quite generous, but making it unlimited drives the cost to practically $0. It’s clear that Microsoft intends to dominate this space and are giving it away as part of their Office subscription. Very powerful. Competitors such as Google Drive will need to respond. Google has deep pockets, but Box and DropBox do not. Hard to compete against $0.

How OneDrive Works

Simply install OneDrive on your PC and store your files in the OneDrive folder. You can create subfolders and treat it just like any other folder on your device. Those files are automatically backed up to the cloud in the background. There’s no excuse for losing data should your device be stolen or hard disk die.

With OneDrive, you can also share files in individual folders with other people by setting the permissions on the folder. Folders can be open to the general public (no login) for view rights. People often do that with pictures and OneDrive includes features to browse pictures in slide shows.

If you want others to add, edit and delete the files, you need to specify their email addresses so they can log in. Note that their email addresses do not need to be an Office365 account or a Microsoft email so you can work with people using Gmail, Yahoo, etc.

For phones, OneDrive can be used to store photos so you can take pictures on your smartphone, delete them there, and still have them appear on your PC’s OneDrive folder. No need to worry about running out of storage space on your phone or the hassles of transferring them to your PC.

Microsoft AccessLimitations with Microsoft Access

Note that because the files are copied to the OneDrive cloud in the background of the PC, this is not equivalent to sharing an Access database file across a LAN. If you have a “master” backend database on your PC’s OneDrive folder, it gets copied to the cloud as CPU cycles are available on your PC. If you share that folder with others, the updated database will be copied to their OneDrive folder based on their PC’s availability. While this is fine if the database is read only, if edits occur, this will not synchronize properly. So don’t try to use OneDrive as an alternative to a LAN.