Microsoft Access Team Blog

According to Eric Rucker Access 2007 Developer Extensions and Runtime are LIVE!!! Well, almost. As of

Thanks for the release and your efforts.

A suggestion, why not to have a single file, bundled, where the access runtime have all the dll's and licenses, as we then start our msaccess app with something like "msaccessLocalFileBundled.exe ourApp.mde". This will not make interferences if the client already have an other version of office installed.

Great news, but I am only finding the English versions. Any idea when the localized versions will be available?

Klaus

Excellent news, and many thanks for the team's hard work in releasing this crucial tool. Long live Access!

Problems getting Access Runtime:

The download you requested is unavailable. If you continue to see this message when trying to access this download, go to the "Search for a Download" area on the Download Center home page.

I 2nd the error on Access Runtime download:

The download you requested is unavailable. If you continue to see this message when trying to access this download, go to the "Search for a Download" area on the Download Center home page.

The reason for the error - the runtime has been pulled. See quote from Clint Covington's blog (http://blogs.msdn.com/clintcovington/)

Ug. It turns out that there was a bad bug in one of the Access Runtime components.  After we released the Access Runtime yesterday it was discovered that Microsoft Update didn’t automatically detect and patch this component.  We unfortunately had to pull down the Access Runtime download until we can ensure that all components can be patched by Microsoft Update.

We are sorry for the inconvenience, and we hope to have it back up in a few weeks.  If you happen to be one of the lucky few to download the Access Runtime, please hold off on deploying it to your customers until we get all the Microsoft Update kinks worked out.

I'm confused why 1.) this wasn't tested more thoroughly, and 2.) why this blog doesn't have an update on the situation. It's not like this is a beta product. Access 2007 has been out for months and the runtime still isn't right.

Your confusion is justified.  I can promise you that no one is more let down by this unfortunate turn of events than the Access team.  The issue in question is not an issue with the Access Runtime itself, but instead with one of the components we depend on and install with Access.  

We only received word today from the team who owns that other component that there was cause for concern.  We're working hard to get the update we need in place so that we can re-release the runtime package.  We should have it in place within a few weeks time.

Thank you all for your patience.  I know this is a big inconvenience, and rest assured the Access team is doing absolutely everything humanly possible (including tapping people who are supposed to be working on v14) to get this taken care of -right now-.

Zac Woodall

Program Manager

Microsoft Access

A few WEEKS ??? This whole thing gets really embarrassing...

few weeks according to Microsoft Time.

regards

It would be nice that instead of:

'The download you requested is unavailable...'

MS actually displayed a page explaining that the runtime was pulled and will be delayed.

Zac, be a champ and place a note on the Access homepage that the runtime has been pulled.  The only place I found out of this issue - and what was being done about it - was via this one little blog.  I'm sure Marketing won't find.

For those whom already have the runtime, what damage is going to be caused if they release it to their clients prior to the fix?  Out of curiosity what is being done to make these developers aware of this issue?

"Damn the team who owns the other component!"

I bet your boss isn't going to be shouting you beers this Friday eh Zac?

To Carl ("This whole thing gets really embarrassing..."):

IMO, they should have not released MSO 2007, they'd better wait for 2008... or maybe 2009... so that they had some time to fix old bugs.

Never mind... I'm going to try A2007 CZ trial soon. But I'll not buy MS Office 2007 Professional before SP2 so that Acces team has a lot of time to test ADE & runtime.

I hope Microsoft will prolong tech-support for MSO 2007.

Since I've been waiting for runtime and ADE all the way back when Office 2007 was in beta releases, this has made me very sad... I've managed to download the runtime and ADE, I've been trying to use it just in case if it can get me through completeing my current Access2007 project. If someone is interesting what were the bugs, I've found a few of them.

I'm note sure if they classify for the runtime, but I've compared the same Access solution on two virtual machines with plain Windows XP SP2 without anything else on it. One had installed full Access 2007 and the other had Access 2007 runtime. Full access 2007 worked without any problems and it served as comparsion for runtime applications.

* tested solution is an Access Data Project (ADP) / ACCDR (on runtime, created with ADE)

Two key things that I've encounterd with the runtime:

1.)  report that was bound to sql server view reported error 2580 - record source specified does not exist, and I'm sure it exists because the underlaying form runs on the same view, and this works as it should on full Access 2007

2.) I have a subform that is bound to the result set of a stored procedure, parameters for the stored procedure are on the master form. Subform is requeryed when any of the parameters are changed. This works on full Access 2007, and on runtime, nothing happens, not even an error message or someting like that, subform just isn't requeried.

I compared the same thing with full access 2007 running with /runtime command line arguments and it worked as it should.

Today, I went looking for a solution and I saw that Access 2007 runtime and ADE has been pulled off, so I'll stop with trying to resolve this issues since I think that this is all related to "the pull off".

I would be glad if Microsoft provided the concrete reasons why this happened (the pull off).

Anyway, I think that these issues should have been tested before the release, even though the relase came so late. Now I've spent few hours trying to make something work, instead of spending my time on variuous other projects that I'm involved with, and I think that if this isn't resolved quickly enogh, I'll move all my ongoing Access projects to .Net, Smart Client Factories and the real architecture that works on my other projects without relying on promises of excelent new "runtime" versions... In the time that I've spent waiting for this release, I could have created the whole project on .Net, C#, CAB, SCSF and other technologies/practices that definitively need more time for development but surely provide many benefits compared to Access 2007, at least a stable roadmap that I can sync with my investors wishes.

Sincerly,

pw

Put a better message or update the blog stop wasting our time.

I have been developing in Access since 2000, and over the years have noticed a change in the way Microsoft deals with its customers/clients. The '2007 runtime debacle' is now indicative of what many developers, to a lesser or greater extent, have come to expect from MS. Maybe the company has just become too big, maybe some key people have left over the years, or maybe it just continues to be a multi-billion dollar a year company regardless of the experience of its developers. Whatever it is, a smaller company would simply go out of business if it was this unreliable in delivering key pieces of technology to its clients.  

The fact that the runtime is free is, of course, irrelevant. I would gladly pay $800 for a working runtime, and extemely complex products are routinely developed on time and for "free". It would be interesting to calculate just how much time and money developers have spent in the last six months on the 'free 07 runtime'.

It is also strange that this type of thing comes after MS made a (it's been a year or two now) strong public statement that its about 'developers, developers, developers'.  Doesn't it worry the teams at Microsoft that it cant get something as (relatively) simple as a runtime for one of their flagship products shipped properly? It worries people that rely on Microsoft technology. It is a shame as Access itself has been a joy to work with over the years, but we have decided to move away from Access as soon as possible for all our products.

Sincerely,

Mark

I've updated the blog to reflect the blog to reflect the runtime issues.  My appologies for the delay - believe me, the team is as unhappy as you are about having to pull the thing down (and about being so late).  The process for releasing things after Office RTM's needs some work, and we're figuring out how to fix this for the runtime next time.  We're as incredulous as you are about how hard it has been to get the thing out the door and how long it has taken.  

PW, we'll look into your issues, can you send me a mail with contact info and we'll get back to you.

I've updated the blog to reflect the blog to reflect the runtime issues.  My appologies for the delay - believe me, the team is as unhappy as you are about having to pull the thing down (and about being so late).  The process for releasing things after Office RTM's needs some work, and we're figuring out how to fix this for the runtime next time.  We're as incredulous as you are about how hard it has been to get the thing out the door and how long it has taken.  

PW, we'll look into your issues, can you send me a mail with contact info and we'll get back to you.

I've updated the blog to reflect the blog to reflect the runtime issues.  My appologies for the delay - believe me, the team is as unhappy as you are about having to pull the thing down (and about being so late).  The process for releasing things after Office RTM's needs some work, and we're figuring out how to fix this for the runtime next time.  We're as incredulous as you are about how hard it has been to get the thing out the door and how long it has taken.  

PW, we'll look into your issues, can you send me a mail with contact info and we'll get back to you.

I've updated the blog to reflect the blog to reflect the runtime issues.  My appologies for the delay - believe me, the team is as unhappy as you are about having to pull the thing down (and about being so late).  The process for releasing things after Office RTM's needs some work, and we're figuring out how to fix this for the runtime next time.  We're as incredulous as you are about how hard it has been to get the thing out the door and how long it has taken.  

PW, we'll look into your issues, can you send me a mail with contact info and we'll get back to you.

IMHO, this is the best time for Microsoft to stop their, as I say, "run for money". The only way to get back Access' (97) reputation is to stop developing version 14 and fix all known bugs ASAP. "Public hearing" may be the way how to get some knowledge about developers' troubles with Access issues and bugs. Then fix the bugs, start huge public beta testing and release A2007 SP1 that would include all fixes.

Also, Microsoft should take care of non-US releases of MS Office (Access) since there's too much to improve - translations to foreingn languages, cost (!!!) and local tech-support (eg. in Czech Republic the only official tech-support for Access is just "installation issues"!!! And MS Office 2007 Professional is about 3 times as expensive as in the USA!!!). I have been asking for these for several years but there was "no response". News-servers/forums don't help too much to improve Access performance nor to fix the bugs. :-(

In the past several months I've been also planning to switch from Access to different product. After all, let's hope Access will not be stopped like Visual Fox Pro. See http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vfoxpro/bb308952.aspx.

Q:  How many weenies will look a gift horse in the mouth, complain that the teeth aren't satisfactory, and rudely say, "These teeth should have been thoroughly checked before I was given this gift"?

A:  All of them.

According to Clint Access Runtime is on Hold . Better to get it right. Irritating for some I know but

Boa tarde,

Pessoal, erros acontecem, nossas aplicações também saem com alguns erros que não notamos durante o desenvolvimento. Eu gosto muito do Access e fiquei muito impressionado com a versão 2007, vamos esperar um pouquinho mais (afinal é so um par de semanas, ou seja, 15 dias). Acredito na equipe de desenvolvimento e sei que farão todo o possível para diponibilizar o runtime o mais breve possível.

Estou com meu projeto atrasado a mais de um mês a espera dessas ferramentas, mas continuo confiante (meu cliente é que não está tanto).

Um abraço a todos,

Carlos Tormes

It is a shame the way Microsoft is handling Access. Competing products like File Maker and Alpha 5 now have web servers yet Access is relying on Sharepoint server. Microsoft should know that Access is already failing and that developers are migrating to other technologies. This is a shame as so much has been expended on Access projects.

Wake up Microsoft !!! wake up!!!!

Yeah!! So I have been asked about this dozens of times over the last year. " Where are the developer