Currently on Access 2003 - Should I upgrade?

[Moss100]

I am currently using Access 2003 in a small business.

The database has grown over the last ten years or so and it feels time to rewrite it, as it has become bloated over time with feature which are now redundant.

I am weighing us whether to stick with the old friend '2003' or take the opportunity to develop afresh in a later format.

There seems to be a lot of negativity concerning versions post 2003.

I would appreciate experiences form forum users and in additon to hear views on which version is considered the best out of 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013.

I have palyed around for a few hours with 2013 - and after some initial frustaration have become a little more comfortable with it.

Many thanks Mark

 

[jrbarnett]

With 2007 and newer, you get the ribbon, and therefore the major interface change. The code itself should work without major changes, but you will need to do some work to take advantage of new features.
Are there any new features in newer versions that would be useful? direct export to PDF in 2007 and newer springs to mind. Obviously you need to consider the licensing costs for the upgrade.

Can I make another suggestion: remove the now unnecessary features from your database to reduce its size, then upgrade.
Then you end up with a leaner application that meets your needs and is running on an up to date version of Access. For what its worth, Access 2013 won't run on any operating system before Windows 7, so if you have users that are still on XP or Vista, then operating system upgrades will all need to be factored in as well.

For what its worth, I use now 2007 almost exclusively, with a tiny bit of other versions for testing.

John

 

[1DMF]

I went from Access 2003 to Access 2010, with very little trouble.

Everything now works on Access 2010 runtime, saving considerable money on not needing MS Access.

The ribbon can be tricky, but once you get your head round it, you can customise it for your end user application, which is pretty handy.

I have an application that uses the new Nav control which is a nice addition.

Personally I think you have no choice but to upgrade if you want to stay secure and up-to-date because along with XP no longer being supported by M$, neither is MS Office 2003, so you could have vulnerable apps if you don't upgrade.



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[Moss100]

Thanks all - it looks like I will have to grit my teeth and learn to love the ribbon etc.

There seem to be some useful features and the Navigation Form is really helpful

Thanks Mark