We are excited to announce our release of Total Access Admin 2016! Total Access Admin is our administrator tool to help you monitor the users going in and out of your Microsoft Access databases (ACCDB and MDB formats) in real-time:
See who is currently connected to your Microsoft Access database (you can manage multiple databases from one screen)
Monitor up to 150 databases at one time
Keep a log of users entering and exiting each database
Identify workstations or users disconnecting in a suspect manner which may be the source of database corruption
Compact your database when all users exit it
Prevent new users from logging into your database
Log off idle users
Communicate with your users in real-time
New Features
Total Access Admin 2016 is an update from the 2013 version and includes these enhancements:
Monitors ACCDB and MDB format databases created by Microsoft Access 2016 (32 or 64-bit version) and earlier versions of Access
Works in environments where Access 32 or 64-bit versions is installed, including installations from Microsoft Office365
Does not require Microsoft Access to be installed on the machine
Up to 150 databases can be monitored at one time (up from 100)
Setup program supports Windows 8 and 10, Server 2012 and later, with an option to launch the program after its installed
Total Visual Agent is the world’s most popular maintenance scheduling tool for Microsoft Access/Office and Visual Basic 6 (VB6) is now available for Microsoft Access 2016 (and earlier). This is the ninth major release of Total Visual Agent and introduces many enhancements to automate maintenance chores easier than ever.
To keep your Microsoft Access databases healthy, you need to regularly compact them. For disaster recovery, you should also be making backup copies of your database regularly. You may also have regular tasks such as printing reports that are performed regularly. Total Visual Agent does this and much more on a schedule you specify. Run tasks hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or just one time. Perform database chores, run Access macros or Windows command lines. A complete audit trail is maintained, and you can even be notified by email if something goes wrong. Total Visual Agent can also be run as a Windows service to restart if the machine reboots and for added security since a user doesn’t need to be logged in.
Total Visual Agent 2016 leverages our vast expertise, and offers the best database management solution with many new features:
Supports Microsoft Access 2016
Supports Windows 8 and 10
Does Not Require Access to be Installed on your PC
Database Lock Error Identifies Offending Machines
Activity Log is Separated from Settings Database
Activity Log Shows Duration of Each Activity
Email Notifications Support TLS and Office365 SMTP
Tasks are Not Run at the End of an Event Interval
Enabled/Disabled Status Shown on the Event Form
More Robust Windows Service Feature
Improved Monitor Settings Tab
Default Location of Archive and Extract Folders Moved
Total Access Emailer is the most popular email blaster for Microsoft Access. Easily send personalized emails directly from your Access database. Quickly communicate with every email address in your table or query. Use fields from your data source to customize each subject and message. Attach files from disk and also attach reports as PDF files filtered for each recipient.
Total Access Emailer is now available for Microsoft Access 2016. Total Access Emailer 2016 includes many enhancements since the prior release for Access 2013:
Supports Access 2016
32 and 64-bit versions
Add-in and VBA Runtime libraries in the Professional Version
Email Validation to check the syntax of the values in your email field so you can flag invalid emails in your table before you send your blast
Save Attached Files to Disk. This lets you document the attached files sent to all your contacts without using blind cc (Bcc).
This can also be used independent of sending emails as a way to distribute files and PDF reports to disk. You can even create folder names based on field values.
Preview Saving Files to Disk
New VBA Function to Preview Email Blasts with Save Files
Code Generator Supports Preview Email with Save Folder
Enhanced setup for Windows 10 and 64-bit installations
Total Access Statistics is now available for Microsoft Access 2016 (32 and 64-bit versions). Running as an Access add-in Wizard, Total Access Statistics generates a wide range of numerical analysis beyond the power of queries. All results are in Access tables that you can add to your queries, forms and reports.
Total Access Statistics includes a VBA programmatic interface with a royalty-free runtime distribution library so you can add the advanced analysis into your Access applications for distribution to others.
Download the Free Trial to experience it yourself.
Owners of Total Access Statistics for earlier versions of Microsoft Access can upgrade at a discounted price.
Total Access Startup makes it easy to centrally manage all your Microsoft Access database deployments. Ensure that all your users run the latest version of your database application with the right version of MS Access. Easily deploy updates without having to manually change things on each user’s PC. Simply point your users to a shortcut and they never need to know the actual name of the database.
Total Access Startup 2016 is now shipping to let you:
For optimal performance, deploy a local copy of your master database on each user’s PC and keep it updated when you update the master
Run it with a specific Access version or a range of allowable Access versions. This makes it easy to support legacy versions of Access even if users install later versions of Office/Access.
Specify the bitness (32 and/or 64-bit) that are allowed for Access 2010, 2013, and 2016.
Display a professional splash screen graphic while your database loads
If your users can’t launch your database, a message appears with information you provide to contact you. You can customize our messages or translate them to your user’s language.
Total Access Analyzer, the most popular Microsoft Access add-in, is now shipping for Microsoft Access 2016.
Total Access Analyzer offers comprehensive documentation and analysis of your MS Access databases so you can better understand individual objects, cross-references between objects, procedure and data flow diagrams, VBA module analysis, and much more. Detecting over 300 ways to fix and improve your databases, Total Access Analyzer improves the quality of your work, teaches you best practices for Access application development, and increases your productivity.
New Features
Support for Microsoft Access 2016, 32 and 64 bit versions
New Suggestion: Incorrect Link to Subforms
New Suggestion: Relationship Field Cross-Reference and Field Type Comparison
Enhanced Cross-Reference of Aliased Tables in Queries
We are delighted to announce the release of Total Access Detective for Microsoft Access 2013 and 2016. Total Access Detective lets you quickly find differences between any two databases or two objects in your current database, know exactly what changed at the table, field, property, control, macro line and VBA module code level. You can even compare tables for data differences.
Main Menu for Comparing Two Databases
Add-in Menu to Launch Total Access Detective to Compare Two Objects in the Current Database
The Object Comparison Wizard:
Enhancements
The latest version offers many enhancements from the previous versions:
Support for the 32 and 64-bit versions of Access 2016 and 2013
Module and Text Comparison Option to Ignore Line Numbers
Search Bar to Filter Objects and Properties by Name
See and Filter Tables based on Whether it’s Linked
NOTE: When we downloaded the update for 2016, we received build 16.0.6001.1038 dated 01-Dec-2015. That’s different from the 08-Dec-2015 announcement which described build 16.0.4312.1000 dated 12-Nov-2015. The update we installed resolves the invisible image issue, but we have yet to receive an explanation for the difference.
Microsoft recently released Office and Access 2016. In our preliminary testing and development with the 2016 version, there’s very little that has changed from Access 2013. However, a bug was introduced late in the development cycle that is quite annoying and serious.
Some Images (Pictures) are Missing
If you’ve added images (pictures) on your forms and reports, they may appear blank in MS Access 2016. For example, here’s a form with a picture image that is blank in 2016:
This occurs with the 32-bit version of Access 2016 (16.0.4229.1024) and not the 64-bit version. That’s not a reason to use the 64-bit version, but it is a difference.
Not All Pictures are Invisible
Some images appear properly, while others don’t. With some research, we discovered:
Images that were originally BMP files appear properly
Graphic types such as GIF, JPG and PNG formats become blank
Impacted by the Picture Property Storage Format Setting
Upon further investigation, the problem is associated with the database’s Picture Property Storage Format when the picture was added to the form or report. This is under the Access Options setting for the Current Database:
There are two options:
Preserve source image format (smaller file size)
Convert all picture data to bitmaps (compatible with Access 2003 and earlier)
If the image is added when the option is set to the second option (Convert), the non-BMP graphics do not appear in the 2016 version.
Microsoft is Fixing the Problem
The Microsoft Access team is aware of this bug and fixing it. How long it will take before it’s publicly available is undetermined. It’ll probably be a few months as service packs take a while to get through the Office release process. We’ll let you know when we know.
What to do Now?
If you can’t wait for Microsoft to release a patch and need to use Access 2016 immediately, here’s what you should do:
Set the Current Database, Picture Property Storage Format to “Preserve source image format”
Reinsert your pictures. If your pictures are BMP files, the storage format setting won’t matter
Of course, it’s not easy to find all the places on your forms and reports where this is a problem, then reinsert every picture, especially if you don’t have or can’t find the original graphic files.
Property Slices in Total Access Analyzer Can Help
Our Total Access Analyzer program documents all the objects in your database. While it can’t replace your graphic files, it identifies all the places where there’s a picture property. Whether it’s at the object (form or report) level or its controls, the Picture property shows whether an image file is assigned.
After documenting your database, from the Documentation Explorer, click on the Forms folder in the treeview, select the Property Slices tab, then choose the Picture property. This shows every form and its picture property value. The ones that aren’t “(none)” need to be reviewed:
Similarly, choose the Controls option and Picture property to see this value for all the controls on all your forms:
Press the Design button to put the current row’s form into design mode to make your changes. Then do the same for reports.
Unfortunately, this is quite a hassle for something that should just work. Let us know what you’re experiencing.
What’s the Maximum Number of Microsoft Access Users?
There is a persistent myth that Microsoft Access Jet databases can only support 20 or so users. Here’s my response to a recent inquiry:
I flatly refute any suggestions that Microsoft Access users are limited to around 30. We’ve run many tests and have never seen that kind of degradation in performance. It is a myth from Access 2.0 days that was eliminated with Access 97 almost two decades ago.
A poorly designed Access database won’t support two users, but a well designed Access solution can support hundreds of users. Of course, what matters is the number of simultaneous users, and what they’re doing.
At Least 200 Simultaneous Microsoft Access Users on an Access/Jet Database
If everyone is just viewing data or entering data into a table, that takes very little work and a large number of people (well over 200) can be supported. People cannot type faster than what Access can handle. If users are all running massive reports and queries with data updates, that can still be done but performance would be an issue which applies to any technology, so testing and optimization would be necessary.
Migrate Back-End Access Database to Microsoft SQL Server for More Users
If the back-end database is in SQL Server rather than an Access/Jet database, the number of users can be practically unlimited if each user has their own front-end copy of the Access application. Performance issues still apply based on what they are doing. In some cases SQL Server is slower than Access, so it is important to understand the situation before thinking SQL Server is the answer.
All that said, any Access application that is distributed to others with shared data should be a split database design. Here are a few resources we’ve written:
Simplify Support for All the Users of Your Access Databases
Total Access Startup helps with the distribution of databases to each user’s desktop, and launching it with the right version of Microsoft Access.
This allows you to centrally support a large number of Access users across your network and ensure everyone is using the latest version of your application. It also simplifies the migration from one version of Access to another.
Email Validation to check the syntax of the values in your email field so you can flag invalid emails in your table before you send your blast
More Resources
