Sep 22

Extend Your Microsoft Access Applications Over the Internet with RemoteApp and Total Access Startup

Our paper on Using Terminal Services and RemoteApp to Extend Your Microsoft Access and other Windows Applications Over the Internet has been updated. There’s more information on implementing this plus how Total Access Startup can manage this through user profiles to let every user have a unique experience.

Our Professional Solutions Group has helped organizations run Microsoft Access application over the web and can even help you use host RemoteApp instances for your users. Contact our consulting team for more information.

Sep 22

Total Access Startup for Microsoft Access 2010 is Now Shipping

Total Access Startup for Microsoft Access DatabasesLaunch Microsoft Access Databases

Total Access Startup lets you centrally manage and guarantee that all your users always launch the right version of Microsoft Access with the right version of your MS Access database (ACCDB, MDB, or ADP). Simply distribute a shortcut to your users to start your application. When you post an updated database, your users automatically get it installed on their machine the next time they launch your program. They don’t need to know the name of the database. You manage all of that in one place and can change it at any time. A runtime version lets you control the Access version launched for users not on your network.

Total Access Startup 2010 is now shipping. It supports both 32 and 64 bit versions of Microsoft Access 2010 letting you control which version your application requires. It also supports all legacy versions of Microsoft Access. Learn more about the new features and try out the free trial version.

Aug 02

Total Visual CodeTools 2010 Ships for Microsoft Office 2010

Total Visual CodeTools for Microsoft Office 2010 for VBA and VB6FMS is pleased to announce the release of Total Visual CodeTools 2010, the most popular commercial Visual Basic for Application (VBA) and Visual Basic 6 (VB6) coding product for the Microsoft Office/Access community.

Total Visual CodeTools is an add-in that is integrated with the module editor of all VBA platforms such as Microsoft Office, Access, Excel, Outlook, Word, etc. It offers a wide range of utilities to help developers become more productive when creating new code, taking over existing projects, and delivering more robust solutions.

Total Visual CodeTools is by far my favorite third-party product,” says Alison Balter, author of Mastering Access Desktop Development, instructor and developer. “Total Visual CodeTools helps you get your job done more quickly and allows you to focus on the fun and exciting aspects of application development. My favorite feature is the Code Cleanup. If you’ve ever inherited a code-intensive database, you’ll appreciate this feature.”

Total Visual CodeTools 2010 includes many enhancements over its predecessor for Office 2007. In addition to supporting VBA in Office 2010, there are new options and better performance for Code Cleanup and Delivery, enhancements to many Code Builders including the Message Box Builder, Recordset Builder, Select Case Builder, and SQL Text Builder. New features simplify the replacement of existing error handling code, and the user interface is enhanced to support Windows 7. There’s also improved support for international languages and operating systems.

“We are very pleased to ship Total Visual CodeTools 2010,” said Luke Chung, President of FMS. “This version represents our seventh major release of this product and our continued support of the VBA and VB6 developer communities.”

Edwin Blancovitch of Advanced Developers in Puerto Rico adds, “I really recommend it. This tool definitely increased my productivity, allows for code optimization and quality, and best of all reduced my costs.

I really love Total Visual CodeTools,” said Peter Weinwurm of Axium Canada. “I am completely blown away by how much the products in the Total Access Developer Suite can do, and how much time they will save me.

Product Information

Total Visual CodeTools supports all Visual Basic 6.0 and VBA development environments including all versions of Microsoft Office from Office 2000 through 2010. Additional information is available on these web pages:

Licensing and Pricing

Total Visual CodeTools is available via ESD and also comes with a professionally printed 164 page user manual and CD.

Total Visual CodeTools is licensed on a per developer basis. A single license is $299. Existing customers can upgrade for $199. It is also included as a standalone product and is part of the Total Access Developer Suite, Total Access Ultimate Suite, and Total Visual Developer Suite.

Total Visual CodeTools can be purchased directly from FMS, corporate resellers, and international distributors. All FMS products include a 30-day money back guarantee.

Aug 01

Case Study with Mercer Consulting Enhancing a Microsoft Access Database Application

Case Study of Database Development Services for MercerMercer Consulting, a global provider of human resources services, chose FMS to enhance an existing application for deployment to their multinational clients. See how they leveraged our commercial software development experience to create a professional quality solution with many enhancements including language localization:

Mercer Case Study“Although we had ambitious goals and increased the scope mid-stream, this was still one of the smoothest software development projects I’ve seen. FMS’s requirements gathering was flexible and efficient, with helpful quick prototyping to facilitate our decision making. The technical development work was always fast, creative but focused, and thoroughly tested….And project management was a breeze, with thorough monthly tracking and the project coming in ahead of schedule and under budget.”

 alt=Read more in our joint Case Study: Leveraging our Commercial Software Development Expertise.

Additional information on our Microsoft Access Development Services.

Jul 29

Microsoft Access Developer Help Center Debut

We are very pleased to announce the creation of our new (and free) Microsoft Access Developer Help Center. It contains our many popular papers with tips and techniques for becoming a better Microsoft Access developer, programmer, and administrator. It covers the whole life cycle from strategic planning of how MS Access fits, database and table design, form and report tips, programming do's and don'ts, deployment, best practices, performance tips, etc.

This follows our recent Microsoft Access Query Help Center that's been well received, and our Microsoft Access to SQL Server Upsizing Help Center

We welcome any feedback on what we've put there and suggestions for additional content that would be helpful.

Jul 25

Replace the Paperclip Icon of Attachment Fields with a Column Name in Microsoft Access Tables in ACCDB Databases

Attachment Field Paperclip IconIn Access 2010 and 2007 databases (ACCDBs), the Attachment field type lets you attach files (documents, files, etc.) to records in your database. When you open the table in Datasheet view, the attachment fields display a paperclip as the column header.

Read our paper to learn how you you can Replace the Paperclip Icon of Attachment Fields with a Column Name in Microsoft Access Tables in ACCDB Databases.

Jun 07

Microsoft Access and SQL Server Union vs. Union All Query Syntax

Microsoft AccessMicrosoft Access Union QueryMicrosoft SQL ServerThe purpose of the SQL UNION query is to combine the results of two or more queries into a single result set. The list contains all the rows belonging to all the queries in the union. This applies to queries in SQL Server or Microsoft Access. A common question is whether to use the UNION or UNION ALL syntax.

The main difference between UNION ALL and UNION is that, UNION only selects distinct values and sorts the results, while UNION ALL selects all values (including duplicates) without sorting. Read our revised paper on UNION versus UNION ALL SQL Syntax to learn more about the differences, see some examples, and understand why you would use one versus the other.

For more tips and using queries, visit our Microsoft Access Query Help Center.

Jun 06

Consulting Services and Custom Software Solutions for Large Businesses

Serving Large Organizations and Public CompaniesSince our beginning in 1986, we’ve served large organizations with our leading-edge solutions designed to help people make better data-based decisions. Whether it’s on PC desktops, networks, the Internet, and more recently mobile devices, we recognize you need to have the data you need, where and when you need it, in a format that helps you make decisions and avoid mistakes. We also understand the challenges of balancing application functionality with the cost and requirements of regulators, auditors, and enterprise IT.

Our general philosophy is to quickly create sophisticated solutions built on a solid database foundation. Designed to scale and expand, our solutions evolve as your business demands it. Sometimes we can anticipate future needs in our design, but more often, the application evolves based on unforeseen events such as changes in the economy, regulations, new products and customers, or competitive pressure. With our staff of experienced developers, we can quickly adapt our solutions to meet your needs. Rapid development and deployment, fail quickly and cheaply, and water and nurture the seeds that grow and justify additional investment.

FMS Professional Solutions Group logoWe understand the needs of large organizations and deliver the quality you demand. FMS products are used by tens of thousands of customers in over 100 countries including 90 of the Fortune 100.

Learn more about our experience and services to large organizations in our new page Consulting Services and Custom Software Solutions for Large Businesses.

To find out how we can help your organization, please contact us for a Risk-Free Assessment.

Jun 01

Published on Enterprise Features: Microsoft Access Is Underrated–Your Hatred of Access Is Largely Unjustified

Microsoft AccessThe Enterprise Features web site highlight’s FMS President Luke Chung’s discussion about why Microsoft Access is underrated and hated in large enterprise organizations. “Haters Gonna Hate”.

He discusses the dynamics of IT departments in large organizations and their natural conflict with the needs and budgets of information worker. Enterprise FeaturesHe also shows how organizations that understand the strengths and weaknesses of Microsoft Access can leverage its power for competitive advantage, and how to structure service levels to do so.