Hi all -
I'm sure this is a daft question, but bear with me please! I have created a little database (forms, switchboard and all) for a technologically-challenged friend of mine to use to aid her in keeping track of the members of her non-profit organisation. It's nothing complex, but it's what she needs.
However. She doesn't have Microsoft Access in any way shape or form (and wouldn't know what to do with it if she HAD it!). And she lives in the US, while I am in the UK - so I cannot even temporarily lend her mine while she tries it out. Basically I need to create a standalone application from my database to give to her (as easy as possible, given her self-confessed allergy to computers!).
However number 2. I am one individual, and I don't have $500+ spare to go buy the Developer version of Access ... and it wouldn't be worth it for one little application either, as I'm not planning on making a living out of writing apps for people! And even though I do work in computing, my company is stingy enough that they don't have a Developer version I could utilise for this.
I do, however, have the self-installable version of MDAC ver 2.6, which was supplied with a freeware application, itself also based on a Microsoft Access database.
My question is this; I have no clue what gets installed with the MDAC 2.6 installation, but given that it enabled me to run the accompanying application before I had MS Access installed on my PC, would installing this MDAC package enable her to then open *my* database and use it? Or is that just way too easy an option, and doesn't work unless you've waved some magic wand within Access itself to convert the MDB file into something runtime-ish?
And finally ... if there really IS no way of getting this into a format whereby she can run it and use it without paying for MS Access (like I say, hers is a non-profit organisation, she doesn't have pennies to spare) ... do any of you good folk know of an alternative? Some way a basic database can be kept with forms as a frontend (for ease of use), that can be packaged up as an .exe perhaps?
thanks!
cheers
Helen
I'm sure this is a daft question, but bear with me please! I have created a little database (forms, switchboard and all) for a technologically-challenged friend of mine to use to aid her in keeping track of the members of her non-profit organisation. It's nothing complex, but it's what she needs.
However. She doesn't have Microsoft Access in any way shape or form (and wouldn't know what to do with it if she HAD it!). And she lives in the US, while I am in the UK - so I cannot even temporarily lend her mine while she tries it out. Basically I need to create a standalone application from my database to give to her (as easy as possible, given her self-confessed allergy to computers!).
However number 2. I am one individual, and I don't have $500+ spare to go buy the Developer version of Access ... and it wouldn't be worth it for one little application either, as I'm not planning on making a living out of writing apps for people! And even though I do work in computing, my company is stingy enough that they don't have a Developer version I could utilise for this.
I do, however, have the self-installable version of MDAC ver 2.6, which was supplied with a freeware application, itself also based on a Microsoft Access database.
My question is this; I have no clue what gets installed with the MDAC 2.6 installation, but given that it enabled me to run the accompanying application before I had MS Access installed on my PC, would installing this MDAC package enable her to then open *my* database and use it? Or is that just way too easy an option, and doesn't work unless you've waved some magic wand within Access itself to convert the MDB file into something runtime-ish?
And finally ... if there really IS no way of getting this into a format whereby she can run it and use it without paying for MS Access (like I say, hers is a non-profit organisation, she doesn't have pennies to spare) ... do any of you good folk know of an alternative? Some way a basic database can be kept with forms as a frontend (for ease of use), that can be packaged up as an .exe perhaps?
thanks!
cheers
Helen
