Microsoft released Office 2024, their latest Long Term Service Channel (LTSC) version. LTSC is the perpetual license of Office available as a one-time purchase rather than the subscription-based Office 365. Office 2024 succeeds Office 2021, the previous perpetual license version.
Total Access Emailer is the most popular email program for Microsoft Access. Easily send personalized emails to everyone in your table or query. You can even attach filtered reports as PDF files for each contact.
Total Access Emailer uses industry standard SMTP to send emails bypassing the limitations of Outlook and sending messages from multiple FROM addresses. A popular SMTP server is Google Gmail with their free and paid Workgroup accounts.
Google Gmail SMTP Protocol Changed
Google sends emails with its SMTP server at smtp.gmail.com. A few years ago, to increase security, Google required users to explicitly set Gmail accounts to allow Less Secure Apps for this feature.
Starting June 1, 2022, Google no longer supports Less Secure Apps for sending SMTP emails which they consider to be a security hole. To address this, they offer two options.
Creating and using a Gmail App Password
Using Google Gmail API OAUTH 2.0 protocol which is ideal for organizations with paid Google Workspace accounts
Total Access Emailer and the Google Gmail SMTP Server
We are pleased to announce the release of updates to Total Access Emailer that support the new Google Gmail protocol requirements.
Whether you run it as a Microsoft Access add-in or through its VBA Runtime Library, Total Access Emailer supports using a Google App Password or a Google email API Client ID and Secret ID with OAUTH 2.0 authentication.
From the Options form’s SMTP Settings tab, there’s a new section for Gmail Authentication which launches a Wizard to load your account:
With the Professional Version’s royalty-free VBA runtime library, you can set this up and deploy it to others, or your users can authenticate it with their own Google Client account using a new procedure to support this.
Instructions for configuring Google Gmail SMTP with Total Access Emailer are here:
These versions are now shipping with support for the increased security protocols for Google Gmail and Microsoft Office 365, plus many other New Features:
Total Access Emailer is the most popular email automation system for Microsoft Access. Total Access Emailer uses your SMTP server to send emails. A popular choice is the SMTP server provided by Microsoft Office 365’s Exchange Server.
Total Access Emailer and the Office 365 SMTP Server
Assuming the account is properly configured to relay email messages (Mailbox Delegation), Total Access Emailer has supported Office 365 since it was introduced.
Over the years, Microsoft has increased security on their site and adjusted configurations for their SMTP server. You can connect via SMTP protocol using an approved IP address or Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol for a specific email address.
In the last week, we confirmed that Office 365 and Windows made changes that cause Total Access Emailer to be unable to send emails with its TLS connection protocol with an error like this:
SMTP protocol error: TLS 1.0 and 1.1 are not supported
The message implies the need for TLS 1.2, but recent versions of Total Access Emailer already support TLS 1.2.
If you are having trouble using TLS protocol, the SMTP protocol still works for Office 365. You need to authenticate your IP Address where you’re sending the emails. Remember to use the Temail.txt to store the FROM email address to use for validation as instructed in the referenced page above.
We realize that is not possible for all the environments of Total Access Emailer users.
New Versions of Total Access Emailer
This has accelerated our ongoing development for a new version of Total Access Emailer to address the new protocols. Our development team has already created a solution that is working with the new protocols and hope to release it, as soon as it completes thorough testing. We expect to release these Access 32 and 64-bit versions:
New Product:
Total Access Emailer 2021 for Access 2021, 2019 and the current Office 365 version
Updates:
Total Access Emailer 2016
Total Access Emailer 2013
Total Access Emailer 2010
New versions are now available! Visit the Total Access Emailer page for more information on the new features or ordering information.
Receiving the New Version
Customers on Premium Support Contracts will receive a free update for their version when it is available. Existing customers will be able to purchase an upgrade at a discounted price.
Microsoft confirmed the Microsoft Office security update released on Tuesday (December 14, 2021) causes Microsoft Access databases on shared drives to be locked after users exit the database. This prevents other users from opening the database and multiuser database sharing. Customers reported errors like:
Could not lock file (Error 3050)
Could not use 'Admin' (related to workgroup security)
This file is in use. Enter a new name or close the file that's open in another program.
Several issues appear to be happening:
The first person opening the database is successful but an exclusive lock is placed on the database preventing others from opening it.
The Access lock file (*.laccdb or *.ldb for ACCDB and MDB databases respectively) is not being deleted after the last person exits the database. This makes the database seem like it’s still being used.
This can also impact workgroup security files (*.mdw) that also have their *.ldb lock file.
From Microsoft:
This is due to the December 14, 2021 (Patch Tuesday) update to Office. The problem was introduced by a security fix, so it impacts all active versions of Access.
We are working on a fix, and will deliver it as quickly as
possible.
The update has only updated a small percentage of users, and we are pausing automatic updates.
This problem is even in the Semi-Annual Channel which is never supposed to include such poorly tested changes.
To avoid such problems, disable automatic updates. While this is a drastic step, Microsoft repeated failed to release stable updates thereby causing more problems than they fix.
Microsoft Office Update Version 2107 (Build 14228.20204) Breaks Applications using the Access Database Engine (ACE)
Background
Last week on Tuesday July 27th, Microsoft Office released version 2107 (Build 14228.20204) to Current Channel customers. It updates the Access Database Engine (ACE) ACEDAO.dll that supports connections to Access databases.
From Access, Account, next to the About Access button is your Version, Build and Channel
Problem
Unfortunately, this broke applications outside of Office such as Visual Studio and other programming platforms that rely on ACE to open Access databases. Programs include Microsoft programs such as PowerBI, SQL Server Management Assistant (SSMA), in addition to programs from other organizations that support Access databases. Errors like this appear:
The operating system is not presently configured to run this application
The error can be triggered in Visual Studio .NET with a single line of code that initializes the Access database engine: dbe = New DAO.DBEngine
The error occurs before opening any database because the core database engine fails. Even worse, having the code in a Try..Catch block doesn’t trigger the catch. It stays in an infinite loop requiring the need to close the application from the Windows Task Manager. Ugh!
Total Access Admin lets you monitor who’s connecting and disconnecting from Access databases across your network.
Our database administrator program, Total Visual Agent, automates Microsoft Access database tasks like nightly compacts.
They include EXE and DLL programs that run outside of Access and rely on ACE to support your databases. They may fail if Office/Access 365 is installed on the machine with Current Channel and ACE was updated.
This Happened Before
This is particularly disappointing because the same problem occurred in September 2020 when Office released version 2008 (Build 13127.20296). It was fixed when version 2009 (Build 13231.20262) was released.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a solution once this Office update is installed on a PC other than going back to a prior version. Visit Microsoft’s pages for instructions:
On the update history page, you can see the prior versions. Reverting back to the last Monthly Enterprise Channel version 2105 (Build 14026.20334) from July 13, 2021 works.
Change Your Update Channel
From experience, we can attest that using the Current Channel causes too much disruption. To eliminate the chance of this happening again on your PCs, you can turn off all updates, then manually update when you want:
From Access, Account, click the Update Options button and choose Disable Updates
The downside is this may leave your PC vulnerable to security problems that the updates address. It also prevents bug fixes and new features Microsoft adds to Office 365 over time. You’ll need to remember to come here and click Update Now periodically.
An important announcement from the Microsoft Access team addresses the problems with connecting to Access ACCDB databases from other programs.
The ACCDB database format was introduced with Access 2007 and offered a new Access Database Engine (ACE) for external programs to connect to it. Connecting to the earlier MDB database format was never an issue because that requires Data Access Object (DAO) which is part of Windows.
Connecting to Microsoft Access Databases Outside of Access
ACE was available when Access 2007 and 2010 were installed. However, later Access versions sandboxed ACE so only Office could use it. It prevented other programs, including Microsoft programs such as PowerBI and the SQL Sever Migration Assistant (SSMA), from using it to support ACCDB databases.
The solution was to separately install the ACE Redistributable which provided ACE OLEDB (Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.16.0, or Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0). That was a hassle and complicated because
Not every user had permissions to install it
Installations were 32 or 64-bit specific
Even if it were installed, it could be out-of-sync with the Access version that is installed.
This was especially frustrating because when Access is installed on the machine, it includes ACE but simply didn’t allow other programs to use it. And because Access/Office 365 was constantly being updated, its version of ACE may support features that the redistributable didn’t, creating conflicts.
ACE is Now Available with Access
With this Microsoft announcement, ACE is now exposed and available for external programs to use it.
If you have Office 365, or click-to-run versions of Access 2016/2019 Consumer installed, you no longer need to install ACE to support external programs.
This change enables previously unsupported scenarios, including Microsoft programs, to connect to Access ACCDB databases without installing ACE. It eliminates incompatibility issues between different versions of ACE. It also helps our programs Total Access Admin, Total Access Startup, and Total Visual Agent connect to Access ACCDB databases directly.
A set of Microsoft Office security updates released on November 12, 2019 causes Access databases to fail when it runs Update Queries to modify data. An error like this appears when the query is run:
Error 3340: “Query ‘qryName’ is corrupt”.
It doesn’t matter if the query is against a table in the current database, a linked table, or a linked SQL Server table. If the Access database engine is processing the UPDATE query, the error occurs.
In addition to Microsoft Access, other programs that update Access databases may also be affected. That includes Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc. and programs written in Visual Studio .NET, VB6, and web applications.
Types of Update Queries Affected
When attempting to run an Update query, it may fail with the error: “Query ‘query name’ is corrupt”. This occurs for an UPDATE query that:
Updates a single table (i.e. it updates a table, rather than the output of a Select query or join)
Specifies a WHERE clause (i.e. has entries in the Criteria row in the query designer)
These queries can be saved Access query objects or SQL strings executed in VBA code (or other languages that use ACE).
Security Updates Causing Query is Corrupt Error 3340
The issue was introduced on November 12, 2019 via the following patch updates for MSI builds:
Office 2010: Description of the security update for Office 2010: November 12, 2019 (KB4484127)
Office 2013: Description of the security update for Office 2013: November 12, 2019 (KB4484119)
Office 2016: Description of the security update for Office 2016: November 12, 2019 (KB4484113)
Office 2016: Update for Office 2016 – November 12, 2019 (KB3085368)
Microsoft announced they’ll fix this in the December update, but that’s way too long to wait. We hope Microsoft will respond more quickly. Until then, we found multiple solutions to address this issue.
Current Microsoft Fixes
Here are the current Microsoft fixes for the issue.
There is a December 10, 2019 security update for the MSI builds, that will be available via WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) and will be automatically applied that fixes the issue.
Access 2010: KB4484193 – Build 14.0.7243.5000
Access 2013: KB4484186 – Build 15.0.5197.1000
Access 2016: KB4484180 – Build 16.0.4939.1000
Note: If you try to apply the patch and you receive a message that says “No products affected by this package installed in the system”, this means you have a click-to-run (C2R) installation of Office, rather than an MSI installation.
Access 2010 MSI, Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable: Fixed Build 7241.5001 – November 27, 2019 This update is only available for manual download and installation from the Microsoft Download Center. To manually download the update, visit November 27, 2019, update for Office 2010 (KB2986256). Organizations that want to distribute the update without requiring each user to install manually, visit Distribute product updates for Office 2010 for more information.
Access 2010 C2R: Fixed Build 7243.5000 – December 10, 2019 Open an Office program, select [File], click [Account], click [Update Options] and select [Update Now].
Access 2013 MSI: Fixed Build 5189.1002 – November 27, 2019 This update is only available for manual download and installation from the Microsoft Download Center. The update can’t be installed on Office Home and Student 2013 RT. To manually download the update, visit November 27, 2019, update for Office 2013 (KB2965317). Organizations that want to distribute the update without requiring each user to install manually, visit Distribute updates for Office 2013 products for more information.
Access 2013 C2R: Fixed Build 5197.1000 – December 10, 2019 Open an Office program, select [File], click [Account], click [Update Options] and select [Update Now].
Access 2016 MSI, Access Database Engine 2016 Redistributable: Fixed Build 4927.1002 – November 18, 2019 This update is only available for manual download and installation from the Microsoft Download Center. To manually download the update, visit November 18, 2019, update for Office 2016 (KB4484198).
Access 2019 Volume License: Fixed Build 10353.20037 – December 10, 2019 Open an Office program, select [File], click [Account], click [Update Options] and select [Update Now].
Access O365 Monthly Channel/Access 2016 C2R/Access 2019 (Version 1910): Fixed Build 12130.20390 – November 18, 2019 Open an Office program, select [File], click [Account], click [Update Options] and select [Update Now]. For more information on the update, visit Version 1910: November 18.
Access for Office 365 (Microsoft Store Version): Fixed Build 12130.20390 – November 22, 2019 Open Microsoft Store, Click on […] in the upper right corner, Choose [Downloads and Updates]
Access for O365 Semi-Annual (Version 1808): Fixed Build 10730.20422 – November 22, 2019 Open an Office program, select [File], click [Account], click [Update Options] and select [Update Now]. For more information on the update, visit Version 1808: November 22.
Access for O365 Semi-Annual (Version 1902): Fixed Build 11328.20480 – November 22, 2019 Open an Office program, select [File], click [Account], click [Update Options] and select [Update Now]. For more information on the update, visit Version 1902: November 22.
Access for O365 Semi-Annual (Version 1908): Fixed Build 11929.20494 – November 22, 2019 Open an Office program, select [File], click [Account], click [Update Options] and select [Update Now].
Solutions
Uninstall the Security Updates
The best way to fix the problem is to uninstall the Security update for Office which is the source of the problem. There are different steps depending on whether you are on an Office 365 subscription or not.
Modify All Your Update Queries
If your solutions are deployed to users where you cannot uninstall their Security Updates, you can modify your queries so they don’t trigger the problem. This can be done by adjusting the queries or replacing them with recordsets updated in code.
Rename each table and create a query selecting it with the original table name. Need to adjust table references.
Deploy your Access application with Access 2007 or earlier. You can download the free Access 2007 runtime from our site.
Total Access Analyzer examines all your database objects to provide extensive documentation, code analysis, object cross-reference, and diagrams with over 430 presentation-quality reports.It detects 430+ types of errors, suggestions, and performance tips, so you can learn and apply Best Practices to fix problems, improve your design, and speed up your Access applications.
Enhancements:
Ribbon Documentation
Data Macro Analysis
SQL Cross-Reference and Validation of Subform References
With Congress and President Trump at a budget impasse, funding for significant portions of the US Federal government ended midnight Friday, December 18, 2018. Historically, government employees are not paid on time but are retroactively paid after the new budget is implemented. The same is not true for government contractors.
Government contractors compete against each other to provide a wide range of services such as computer programming, construction, security guards, cafeterias, janitorial services, technical experts, maintenance workers, and much more. When the government shuts down, contractor staff are not needed or can’t do their work. But they are real companies and people who suffer. Long-term, it’s bad for US taxpayers.
Our Contract with Amtrak is Suspended
We have a government contract with Amtrak which was suspended by this letter:
This contract provides help for Microsoft Access database programming and is relatively small. We do not have dedicated staff for the contract, so we are not really affected as our people will work on other projects.
Unfortunately, we have colleagues who are government contractors or in businesses more dependent on the government who are significantly impacted by the shutdown. This is especially true for companies who provide staff to work at government facilities that are now closed. Most are hesitant to speak publicly about their experiences in fear their government clients would be offended, so we’d like to share our experiences and theirs.
Very Tough Situation and Decisions for Government Contractors and Their Employees
Since government contractors are unlikely to be repaid when the budget is finally resolved, government contractors with dedicated staff for those contracts need to decide whether to pay their employees for time they never expected to not charge to the government. The impact is somewhat offset by the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, and maybe they can force employees to take vacation days. But as the shutdown lasts longer, contractors will have to pay their employees from their own funds. Not paying them runs the risk that the employees leave and won’t be available once the budget is resolved. One cannot expect employees to remain loyal if they aren’t paid. Meanwhile, employees are dusting off their resumes and seeking alternative employers.
Small businesses are especially vulnerable since many contracts have small profit margins, so without significant cash and lines of credit, a cash flow problem can quickly bankrupt a company. Even generous owners who try to do the “right thing”, may not be able to if their cash is depleted. That would lead to fewer government contractors in the future and higher costs to taxpayers.
A friend of mind who owns a firm completely focused on servicing the federal government shared:
“As contractors, our employees still get paid and yet we are unable to bill. Cash is king and small companies like mine live and die by cash. This is the worst.”
Media Coverage
On December 26th, we sent a Twitter message with the letter we received from Amtrak and the sympathy we feel for government contractors and their employees.
“Business owners who have [dedicated] staff are making the decision: Do we pay people or not, even though we won’t get paid by the government? Either you force people to take vacation, or you pay them, to be a good company ― but depending how long it drags on, one may not have a choice.”
Self-Inflicted Wound that Should be Resolved Promptly
Eventually the budget will be resolved. We hope the parties come to their senses and do it sooner rather than later because innocent people who’ve dedicated their firms and lives to providing a professional service to US taxpayers are at risk and feeling real pain. That’s terrible for them now and our country long-term.
We are excited to announce the release of Total Access Analyzer for Microsoft Access 2019! Total Access Analyzer examines all your database objects to provide extensive documentation, code analysis, object cross-reference, and diagrams with over 390 presentation-quality reports.It detects 300+ types of errors, suggestions, and performance tips, so you can learn and apply Best Practices to fix problems, improve your design, and speed up your Access applications.>New Features
Access Analyzer 2019 is an upgrade from the 2016 version and includes these enhancements:
Supports Microsoft Access 2019, 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
Document All Database types supported by Microsoft Access 2019.
Improved Blueprint Documentation.
Additional Cross-Reference and Validation including Subform References.
Improved Memory Management.
Data Macro Documentation.
Document Workgroup Security in ACCDBs.
Better Support of Documentation for Multiple Databases.
Module Bracket Reports.
Improved User Interface Shows more Progress Details.
Google sends emails with its SMTP server at smtp.gmail.com. A few years ago, to increase security, Google required users to explicitly set Gmail accounts to allow Less Secure Apps for this feature.
