Microsoft Access 2010 Bible

Part IV: Professional Database Development

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Using professional installation tools

The days of distributing an application as zipped files on a floppy disk are long gone. Microsoft

Windows has become so popular that every possible type of user is working with applications run-

ning under some version of Windows. This means that many end users are people with virtually

no computer experience, and you can’t expect them to create directories, unzip files, and create

program icons on their own.

In many cases, an Access application is simply copied across a network or copied to a CD-ROM or

DVD. Other times, a more formal distribution package is needed by users. Chapter 31 explains the

process of preparing Access applications for distribution to remote users. The Microsoft Office

Package and Sign tool includes a very nice deployment wizard that walks you through all the steps

necessary to build an effective distribution package. Figure 26.4 is an example of an application

setup screen that will guide the user through the application’s installation.

FIGURE 26.4

A professional-quality installation program adds a welcome touch to most applications.

Tip
The user’s first impression of your work is often based on how easily the application installs. If the user
encounters problems or can’t understand how to get the program installed on his computer, you’re off to a bad
start with the very people you’ve worked so hard to please.

Providing the Access runtime module to users

Although Access is included in the Microsoft Office Professional package, it’s probably not a good

idea to give the full development environment wide distribution in your organization. The most

direct approach to preventing users from modifying the design of tables, forms, and other database

objects is to give them only the Access runtime version. Although the runtime program requires

the same memory and disk space as the full development environment, all the menu options

required to modify database objects have been removed and are not accessible to users. In the run-

time environment, even the Database window is hidden.

Note
Distributing the Access runtime module to the users does not offer any protection to the application. Any user
can simply take a copy of the .accdb file and open it on a computer that has the full version of Access
installed.