Access97 vs AccessXP(2002) changes list

[cmgrn]

I am looking for a list of the day-to-day differences in Access97 vs Access2002. I loved a97 but a2002 is a pain because standard queries and practices that I used in a97 now return different results in a2002. Queries were straight-forward before but now using the same style of query design sometimes returns unexpected (and to me, illogical) results.

Case in point: Read table (containing duplicate records), use criteria to select date range, run select query, POOF no duplicates in output although I wanted ALL records. A97 returned duplicates. If I use the same query but add a link to my employee table (containing only one record per employee) then it shows all the duplicates.

Thanks for your time.
Mike

 

[lameid]

I didn't notice any major differences between Access 97 and 2003 in query behavior (although my gut tells me A97 has the best overall balance of performance, bugs and features).
Although I think what it fails to run as too complex or what generates an error may be different.

In your example it sounds like there is a difference in default query properties.. It sounds like it is by default selecting distinct instead of not specifying. Check the SQL view, you should see what I am talking about. Or check the unique values property in the qbe. Unfortunately I didn't find anything to change any defaults in my brief look around the tools, options menu. That's not to say it is not there.

 

[mhartman1]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/319400

 

[lameid]

One more thing that probably goes without saying... make sure office is fully patched. If I remember correctly, both Access 97 and 2002 do weird things if not patched.

 

[cmgrn]

Thanks

 

[JoeAtWork]

All the foundamentals were kept from Access97 to Access2003. The 97 databases I have upgraded required few if no changes.

I was surprised to hear you say that you found queries to have different results. But then your example wasn't really a "query", it was a "query wizard", which may indeed have changed (i.e. it probably builds a different SQL statement than the old wizard did). But the SQL has not changed - and if you import all your queries from an Access97 database to Access2000/2002/2003, I very much doubt you will find a single one producing different results.

From Access 2000 to 2003, the new versions just added "features" (many of which are now known to cause more problems than anything else).

Access2007 is really the first new version where there are major changes to the foundamentals.