SUMMARY
Microsoft has addressed a variety of customer requests by
making enhancements and by making behavior fixes to Microsoft Office Access
2003. There are also new features that are available in Access
2003.
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topEnhanced security features
The following enhanced security features are included in Access
2003:
- Enhanced security features to help decrease the chances of
Access 2003 being targeted in malicious attacks
- Enhanced security features for Microsoft Jet
functions
- Use of digital signatures
- Enhanced security macro features that are not found in
other Microsoft Office applications such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft
Excel
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topCreate a backup copy of a database or of a project feature
In Access 2003, you can easily create a backup copy of the current
Access database or of the current Access project in the Access user
interface.
To create a backup copy, click
Back Up
Database on the
File menu.
back to the topCreate a local table from a linked table
When you copy a linked table, you now have the option to paste by
using the
Structure Only (Local Table) option or to paste by
using the
Structure and Data (Local Table) option. You have
the option to use the
Append Data to Existing Table option.
You also have the option to create a new linked table by using the
Linked Table option.
back to the topChange the font for Query Design view and for SQL view
In Access 2003, you can change the font that you use in Query
Design view and in SQL view. To change the font, follow these steps:
- On the Tools menu, click
Options.
- Click the Tables/Queries tab.
- In the Query Design Font group, select the
font and the font size that you want.
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topSort feature in the Combo Box Wizard and in the List Box Wizard
In Access 2003, you can specify up to four different fields that
you can sort by either in ascending order or in descending order when you
create combo boxes or when you create list boxes with the wizard. You can use
the sort feature when you use the Lookup Wizard.
back to the topView object dependencies
In Access 2003, you have a way to view dependencies for tables,
for queries, for forms, and for reports. You can view the list of objects that
depend on the selected object, and you can also view the objects that the
selected object depends on. You can use this new feature to quickly determine
the role of the object in relation to the rest of the database. Dependency
information is not available for data access pages, for macros, for modules,
and for Access projects (.adp). To view dependency information, the Track Name
AutoCorrect Info option must be turned on. To turn on the Track Name
AutoCorrect Info option, follow these steps:
- On the Tools menu, click
Options.
- On the General tab, click Track
Name AutoCorrect Info.
Note The Perform Name AutoCorrect option does not have to be turned
on.
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topPropagate changes in field properties to the corresponding bound control
In earlier versions of Access, whenever you modified the inherited
property of a field, you had to manually modify the property of the
corresponding bound control in each of the forms and in each of the reports
that contained the control. Now when you modify an inherited field property in
Table Design view, Access 2003 displays an option to update the property of all
controls or of some controls that are bound to the field in your forms and in
your reports. To enable or to disable this feature, follow these steps:
- On the Tools menu, click
Options.
- On the Click the Tables/Queries tab,
select or cancel the selection of the Show Property Update
Option.
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topAutomatic correction of text as you type
Access 2003 provides automatic text correction and automatic data
correction as you type. You can use the AutoCorrect feature to automatically
correct text that you frequently mistype and to automatically replace
abbreviations with long names. The AutoCorrect feature works with text in a
datasheet and with text in a form in Form view. By default, the AutoCorrect
feature is enabled for all text boxes and for all combo boxes in Form view. To
disable this feature for a specific control, set the
AllowAutoCorrect property of the control to No.
back to the topImprovements to Help topics
If you need help while you are using Access 2003, you can use any
one of the following features:
- The Type a Question for Help
box
- The Access Help task pane
- The Office Assistant
- The F1 (Help) key
The Help topics for Access 2003 are still divided between topics
about Access 2003 features and topics about Access 2003 programming. When you
work with Access 2003 features, the Help system queries the Access 2003
features topics. When you are in the Visual Basic Editor, the Help system
queries the Access 2003 programming topics. There are now more
function-reference topics and method-reference topics that are included in
Access 2003 Help. Topics on any function and on any method that you use in
Expression Builder are now included in the Access 2003 Help topics. This makes
it easier to find the information that you are looking for in Access 2003 Help.
Additionally, you can now access the Microsoft JET SQL Reference topics while
you work in Access 2003 or while you work in the Visual Basic
Editor.
The Access 2003 Help system permits you to type a keyword or a
question in the
Type a Question for Help box or in the
Search box in the Access Help task pane. A list of matching
topics in order of relevance is returned to you. You can also send direct
feedback to Microsoft by using the
Contact Us link in the
Access Help task pane. The Expandable Links feature in the Access 2003 Help
topics is also new. The Expandable Links feature makes all information easily
accessible in the same window.
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to the topSmartTags property
You can now use the
SmartTags property of a field or of a control in Design view of a table, of
a query, of a form, or of a data access page to add a smart tag to the field or
to the control.
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topError Checking feature
Error Checking is a new feature that is used to flag common errors
on forms and on reports. Error Checking presents the option to you to correct
the common errors. You can look for errors for an unassociated label and
control, for new unassociated labels, for keyboard shortcut errors, for control
properties that are not valid, and for common report errors. To enable Error
Checking, follow these steps:
- On the Tools menu, click
Options.
- Under the Settings option, click to select
the Enable Error Checking check box.
- Under the Form/Report Design Rules section, select the
types of errors that you want to find.
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topLink to Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services lists
Access 2003 introduces the ability to import, to link, and to
export Windows SharePoint Services lists by using a built-in wizard or by
programmatically using the
TransferDatabase method. To export, you must have a site that uses Windows
SharePoint Services 2.0 or later. When you use the
TransferDatabase method to import or to link to a Windows SharePoint Services
list, you must know the GUIDs that SharePoint uses to identify both the list
and the view of the list that you want to import or to link to. To import or to
link to a Windows Sharepoint Services list, follow these steps:
- On the File menu, click Get
External Data.
- Select Link, or select
Import.
- In Files of Type, select Windows
SharePoint Services.
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topMicrosoft Windows XP theme support
Forms in databases and in projects that are created in Access 2003
automatically inherit the Windows XP theme. This is true provided that the
theme is not Microsoft Windows Classic and that your operating system is
Windows XP Service Pack 1 or later. Themes affect only certain form controls
and only if the controls are configured with specific properties and with
specific property settings. To enable or to disable this feature, follow these
steps:
- On the Tools menu, click
Options.
- On the Forms/Reports tab, click to select
the Use Windows Themed Controls check box.
For data access pages, you can select from a list of themes
that are installed with Access. You can make your selection when you open a
page in Design view or when you create the page with a wizard. When you apply a
theme to a data access page, the following elements are customized:
- Body style and heading style
- Background color and background graphic
- Table border color
- Horizontal lines
- Bullets
- Hyperlink colors
- Controls
You can also select options to apply brighter colors to text
and to graphics, to animate certain theme graphics, and to apply a background
to your data access page. Theme graphics are animated only when you view the
data access page in a Web browser. Theme graphics are not animated when you
view the data access page in Access 2003. A variety of themes are available on
your hard disk after you install Access 2003. If you have Microsoft FrontPage
4.0 or later installed, you can use the FrontPage themes also. Additional
themes are available from the World Wide Web.
To download these
themes, click
Microsoft Office Online on the
Help menu.
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the topImproved XML
support
In Access 2003, you can specify a transform file when you import
data from XML or when you export data to XML. The transform is then applied
automatically. When you import XML data, the transform is applied to the data
as soon as the data is imported and before any new table is created or an
existing table is appended to. When you export data to XML, the transform is
applied following the export operation. There is also a new
TransformXML method that you can use to apply a transform to an existing XML
file. Additionally, if a database contains lookup values that are stored in
another database, you can now include these related tables when you export. You
can also include any predefined filter for an object or any sort order for an
object when you export the object.
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