How about today in 2023? I remember 32-bit Access, but it has been a decade since I have used it (at least). Furthermore, I mostly used Access as an interface for SQL Server (back then I would call an Access query to a SQL table because I did not know how to pull directly from SQL in Excel, and MS Query did not exist yet1--okay, more than ten years ago).

Now I am working with a standalone Access database. More accurately I would call them a suite of standalone and interconnected Access databases. I am in the process of converting them to something more scaleable and easier to work with, but for now, these are mission critical. The problem is that I cannot open the 32-bit files. I never recall having this issue, but I have not used Access since the Ribbon was implemented.

How can I access these 32-bit Access databases? I have no need to convert them to Access (although I do plan to convert them to SQL, at least the backend data).

Thank you,
Garry

In article <88ed41a5-55f2-4d5c-9ca0-14a1fa49f858n@googlegroups.com>, Garry
Perkins wrote...
>
> How about today in 2023? I remember 32-bit Access, but it has been a decade since I have used it (at least). Furthermore, I mostly used Access as an interface for SQL Server (back then I would call an Access query to a SQL table because I did not know how to pull directly from SQL in Excel, and MS Query did not exist yet1--okay, more than ten years ago).
>
> Now I am working with a standalone Access database. More accurately I would call them a suite of standalone and interconnected Access databases. I am in the process of converting them to something more scaleable and easier to work with, but for now, these are mission critical. The problem is that I cannot open the 32-bit files. I never recall having this issue, but I have not used Access since the Ribbon was
implemented.
>
> How can I access these 32-bit Access databases? I have no need to convert them to Access (although I do plan to convert them to SQL, at least the backend data).
>
> Thank you,
> Garry

I was wary of opening my 32-bit Access-2013 database files in 64-bit Access
365, but they opened, and operated, without any hitch at all. All
relationships, macros, and SQL within form property pages were intact. I'm now
using 32 and 64 versions on the same files via OneDrive, simply depending on
which machine I'm on. So that's one option - although no-one could guarantee
there wouldn't be some glitches arising from a custom-built database. But
that's what mine were.

If I had to pick up and use data from an Access database I'd want to open it in
access in order to study how it's structured and implemented, and only then
would I feel I knew enough to migrate the data to another platform.

If you just want the tables, you can import them into Excel. Open Excel; Data
tab; "Get External Data" group, and "From Access". Navigate to the file, and
Excel will open it, and offer you choices, including raw table data, and Pivot
Tables (though I'm not sure quite what would be involved in the latter). Excel
has increasingly powerful data import and manipulation facilities, including
Power Query (which recently solved in 2 minutes a problem expected to take many
hours). I would say, though, that Access is a much safer place than Excel to
hold and process data which has any structure to it, and it's a powerful and
rather beautiful application in my view.

--

Phil, London

On Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at 9:51:20 AM UTC-5, Garry Perkins wrote:
> How about today in 2023? I remember 32-bit Access, but it has been a decade since I have used it (at least). Furthermore, I mostly used Access as an interface for SQL Server (back then I would call an Access query to a SQL table because I did not know how to pull directly from SQL in Excel, and MS Query did not exist yet1--okay, more than ten years ago).
>
> Now I am working with a standalone Access database. More accurately I would call them a suite of standalone and interconnected Access databases. I am in the process of converting them to something more scaleable and easier to work with, but for now, these are mission critical. The problem is that I cannot open the 32-bit files. I never recall having this issue, but I have not used Access since the Ribbon was implemented.
>
> How can I access these 32-bit Access databases? I have no need to convert them to Access (although I do plan to convert them to SQL, at least the backend data).
>
> Thank you,
> Garry

It's not a x32 vs x64 bit issue. It's the version of Access 2013 vs 2016.
If you can't open it, start a new database and import all objects. The new db can be mdb or accdb. It should compile fine except for any define statements, which will need to be modified for x64.

I just converted an Access app I built 10 years ago from 32 bit to 64. Mainly because our default installation base is 64 bit Office across the Enterprise, plus as Albert mentioned, time does march on and I did not want to hang on to older technology that is clearly being replaced. Plus, that app is conflicting with other 64-bit apps that we depend on. 10 years ago, 32 bit was definitely the standard in Office deployments; now, not so much. More and more software is being developed as 64-bit, so I spent some time converting my Access app from Access 2013 32-bit to Access 365 64-bit. It's more of an automated application instead of one being used interactively, so the transition was not that painful. Plus, we have other apps on the same machine that are 64-bit, and which use Office-based ODBC drivers, and you cannot have the same driver in both 32- and 64 bit on the same machine. I'm currently testing out my converted Access app (again, which runs in unattended automation all day) and so far the results have been good. Again, to Albert's point - if you have 32-bit dependencies, then you're kinda stuck unless you're somehow able to remove that dependency.

James

On Thursday, May 25, 2023 at 8:09:26 AM UTC-5, James wrote:
> I just converted an Access app I built 10 years ago from 32 bit to 64. Mainly because our default installation base is 64 bit Office across the Enterprise, plus as Albert mentioned, time does march on and I did not want to hang on to older technology that is clearly being replaced. Plus, that app is conflicting with other 64-bit apps that we depend on. 10 years ago, 32 bit was definitely the standard in Office deployments; now, not so much. More and more software is being developed as 64-bit, so I spent some time converting my Access app from Access 2013 32-bit to Access 365 64-bit. It's more of an automated application instead of one being used interactively, so the transition was not that painful. Plus, we have other apps on the same machine that are 64-bit, and which use Office-based ODBC drivers, and you cannot have the same driver in both 32- and 64 bit on the same machine. I'm currently testing out my converted Access app (again, which runs in unattended automation all day) and so far the results have been good. Again, to Albert's point - if you have 32-bit dependencies, then you're kinda stuck unless you're somehow able to remove that dependency.
>
> James

Albert's 2017 post
"There not an x64 bit version of the TreeView or the Calendar control – so once again before committing to upgrade access x32 to x64, then any ActiveX control used will have to be replaced with an x64 bit version. If such controls are not available (and they often are not), then moving to x64 would be a challenge."

Is out of date. Microsoft has a 64bit version of common controls (MSCOMCTL.OCX) for Windows 10. My forms using the TreeView control recompiled in 64 bit access with no changes. Using conditional compile I now maintain x32 and x64 bit versions of Access frontends only needing re-compile.

In article <MPG.3ed94ce1fa8e36b989a6a@news.eternal-september.org>, Philip
Herlihy wrote...
>
> In article <88ed41a5-55f2-4d5c-9ca0-14a1fa49f858n@googlegroups.com>, Garry
> Perkins wrote...
> >
> > How about today in 2023? I remember 32-bit Access, but it has been a decade since I have used it (at least). Furthermore, I mostly used Access as an interface for SQL Server (back then I would call an Access query to a SQL table because I did not know how to pull directly from SQL in Excel, and MS Query did not exist yet1--okay, more than ten years ago).
> >
> > Now I am working with a standalone Access database. More accurately I would call them a suite of standalone and interconnected Access databases. I am in the process of converting them to something more scaleable and easier to work with, but for now, these are mission critical. The problem is that I cannot open the 32-bit files. I never recall having this issue, but I have not used Access since the Ribbon was
> implemented.
> >
> > How can I access these 32-bit Access databases? I have no need to convert them to Access (although I do plan to convert them to SQL, at least the backend data).
> >
> > Thank you,
> > Garry
>
> I was wary of opening my 32-bit Access-2013 database files in 64-bit Access
> 365, but they opened, and operated, without any hitch at all. All
> relationships, macros, and SQL within form property pages were intact. I'm now
> using 32 and 64 versions on the same files via OneDrive, simply depending on
> which machine I'm on. So that's one option - although no-one could guarantee
> there wouldn't be some glitches arising from a custom-built database. But
> that's what mine were.
>
> If I had to pick up and use data from an Access database I'd want to open it in
> access in order to study how it's structured and implemented, and only then
> would I feel I knew enough to migrate the data to another platform.
>
> If you just want the tables, you can import them into Excel. Open Excel; Data
> tab; "Get External Data" group, and "From Access". Navigate to the file, and
> Excel will open it, and offer you choices, including raw table data, and Pivot
> Tables (though I'm not sure quite what would be involved in the latter). Excel
> has increasingly powerful data import and manipulation facilities, including
> Power Query (which recently solved in 2 minutes a problem expected to take many
> hours). I would say, though, that Access is a much safer place than Excel to
> hold and process data which has any structure to it, and it's a powerful and
> rather beautiful application in my view.

Worth adding I don't have any experience of SQL server, and it seems likely
that there would be facilities to import from Access there as well.

--

Phil, London

On Friday, May 26, 2023 at 6:35:38 AM UTC-5, Philip Herlihy wrote:
> In article <MPG.3ed94ce1...@news.eternal-september.org>, Philip
> Herlihy wrote...
> >
> > In article <88ed41a5-55f2-4d5c...@googlegroups.com>, Garry
> > Perkins wrote...
> > >
> > > How about today in 2023? I remember 32-bit Access, but it has been a decade since I have used it (at least). Furthermore, I mostly used Access as an interface for SQL Server (back then I would call an Access query to a SQL table because I did not know how to pull directly from SQL in Excel, and MS Query did not exist yet1--okay, more than ten years ago).
> > >
> > > Now I am working with a standalone Access database. More accurately I would call them a suite of standalone and interconnected Access databases. I am in the process of converting them to something more scaleable and easier to work with, but for now, these are mission critical. The problem is that I cannot open the 32-bit files. I never recall having this issue, but I have not used Access since the Ribbon was
> > implemented.
> > >
> > > How can I access these 32-bit Access databases? I have no need to convert them to Access (although I do plan to convert them to SQL, at least the backend data).
> > >
> > > Thank you,
> > > Garry
> >
> > I was wary of opening my 32-bit Access-2013 database files in 64-bit Access
> > 365, but they opened, and operated, without any hitch at all. All
> > relationships, macros, and SQL within form property pages were intact. I'm now
> > using 32 and 64 versions on the same files via OneDrive, simply depending on
> > which machine I'm on. So that's one option - although no-one could guarantee
> > there wouldn't be some glitches arising from a custom-built database. But
> > that's what mine were.
> >
> > If I had to pick up and use data from an Access database I'd want to open it in
> > access in order to study how it's structured and implemented, and only then
> > would I feel I knew enough to migrate the data to another platform.
> >
> > If you just want the tables, you can import them into Excel. Open Excel; Data
> > tab; "Get External Data" group, and "From Access". Navigate to the file, and
> > Excel will open it, and offer you choices, including raw table data, and Pivot
> > Tables (though I'm not sure quite what would be involved in the latter).. Excel
> > has increasingly powerful data import and manipulation facilities, including
> > Power Query (which recently solved in 2 minutes a problem expected to take many
> > hours). I would say, though, that Access is a much safer place than Excel to
> > hold and process data which has any structure to it, and it's a powerful and
> > rather beautiful application in my view.
> Worth adding I don't have any experience of SQL server, and it seems likely
> that there would be facilities to import from Access there as well.
>
> --
>
> Phil, London

Take a look at Microsoft Data Migration Assistant.