Question Legal but free way to obtain newer versions of Microsoft Access

[PrinceXizor]

We have a ton of MS Office Home & Office Keys in various flavors (2010, 2013, 2016) here at work. I want to try developing a few basic databases in MS Access to replace our Excel centric forms. I have never developed anything using more professional db tools either so I'm reluctant to dive into something unfamiliar and the requisite learning curve. I have unearthed an MS Office 2007 Enterprise key on an old laptop so that is a possibility.

Does anyone have a clever way of obtaining a newer (hopefully 2013 or greater) MS Access legally for use in a commercial environment? Before its said, I am aware of the O365 subscription that wouldn't be that much. Unfortunately, I don't control the purse strings around here or it would already have been done. Thanks in advance!

 

[PrinceXizor]

Also, please remember that MS Access is a development platform (for those who might suggest other software) that consists of easy to use front end development tools for forms, reports, etc and a database backend (an MS version of Jet). There are plenty of DB applications that can sub for Jet, but not a whole lot that I've been able to find that can replace the front end part of the development platform. Any that are tend to be cloud based which is a non-starter.

I'm not a programmer or developer (I'm a CAD guy by trade and training) but my interest in computers means I've always been the defacto IT guy (and here I AM the IT guy too aside from our contracted services) and also "developed" spreadsheets, db's and other forms to modernize.

 

[mxnerd]

Microsoft wants you have a copy of Office for every user who need to use any product in the Office suite.

==

Use LibreOffice Base as Access DB front end instead?

Never tried it myself though.

 

[Steltek]

I think Libre Office Base only has very limited ability to link to and update Access databases. However, the learning process should be similar, so you could always try it to see what you can develop as it isn't like Libre Office costs you anything.

OTOH, if you want to use MS Access, you can use MS Access 2016 and compile your Access database to an executable file that can be distributed with the free standalone MS Access 2016 Runtime for users that don't have MS Access. I don't think 2019 has a runtime version available, though, so you'd have to develop strictly in Access 2016 to do this. The runtime version doesn't allow customization by end users on things like reports, though, so there are limitations you'd need to research to determine if you could work with it. Maybe if you develop something good enough, it might change their tune about purchasing it for the organization.

 

[PrinceXizor]

Well, miracles DO happen! They approved the purchase. Of course, they paid for my time researching to do it for free!

 

[mxnerd]

OTOH, if you want to use MS Access, you can use MS Access 2016 and compile your Access database to an executable file that can be distributed with the free standalone MS Access 2016 Runtime for users that don't have MS Access

Excellent! Haven't used Access for a long time. I thought MS removed the function. Access is one of the easiest database tools out there. People always worry that MS will stop developing / supporting Access one day, however.

 

[PrinceXizor]

Well, according to the articles I read in my research, they have no plans to further develop it. It hasn't changed much in a decade under the hood and 2016 is as far as they plan on going. They had the code and it was easy to "port" into their 2019 product, so they skinned it and included it, but they don't have a plan to continue it (as of the articles I read about it).

There are plenty of "easy" and "free" database backends. But, no one has cracked the front end interface quite like Access. Any that might are understandably focused on the new and hot cloud based approach which (admittedly) likely makes real deployment a lot easier. I plan on splitting the final databases and converting to a different backend for distribution using our server.

It's been awhile since I've used it too. The more modern GUI elements look pretty interesting.

 

[mxnerd]

Looks like end users still need a copy of Access to run (open) the .accde file, they just won't be able to modify / design the database .

 

[Steltek]

You can open and run a compiled database using the Access Runtime if you don't have the full version of Access installed. You just have to deploy the Access 2016 Runtime when you install the application if the end user won't have the full version of Access installed. It won't be like running it within the full version of Access, but you can still do a lot with it. If the end user has an older Access version installed (or Access 2016), I believe there are ways you can specify during the deployment that the application only run using the Runtime or Access 2016.

The government agency I retired from last year (the Social Security Administration) used to spend significant resources creating Access and Excel applications (mostly involving significant VBA coding) to screen scrape mainframe data from IBM PCOMM terminal emulators, so I have a lot of experience as an end user of those types of things (they basically did and still do it to cover for their lack of competence in modernizing their legacy IBM mainframe COBOL/CICS systems - they can't do it because the systems were home grown, aren't documented, and nobody still alive - or not drooling in diapers in a nursing home somewhere - has a clue how they even work anymore).

FWIW, I really don't recommend that you try to create multiuser network applications using Access. While it is possible, multiple concurrent users will invariably end up corrupting the database at some point. It is best to create single user applications for specific tasks and deploy them separately to all users.

Also @PrinceXizor, if you create something really useful and your employer isn't actually paying you to develop these things, make sure you password protect your original applications to prevent them from reverse engineering or altering them in the event you leave your job. Make 'em pay you for it on the way out the door!

 

[mxnerd]

You can open and run a compiled database using the Access Runtime if you don't have the full version of Access installed. You just have to deploy the Access 2016 Runtime when you install the application if the end user won't have the full version of Access installed. It won't be like running it within the full version of Access, but you can still do a lot with it.

You are right. Just found that out after my previous post.

Download Microsoft Access 2016 Runtime from Official Microsoft Download Center

The Microsoft Access 2016 Runtime enables you to distribute Access 2016 applications to users who do not have the full version of Access 2016 installed on their computers.

www.microsoft.com

FWIW, I really don't recommend that you try to create multiuser network applications using Access. While it is possible, multiple concurrent users will invariably end up corrupting the database at some point

You are also right on this point. Access is actually a file based database, which will send the whole database back and forth over the network IIRC and easily will corrupt the database. Multiple users working on the same Access database also slow down the speed quite a bit.

 

[mxnerd]

A good discussion regarding Access 2019 runtime:

Access 2019 Runtime

social.msdn.microsoft.com