No Longer Set (Page 15)

twinBASIC Update: October 29, 2023

Highlights include two new methods for tB IDE Add-in development and an upcoming rewrite of the standard library implementation.

Week in Review

Week in Review: October 28, 2023

Highlights include integrating ChatGPT into Access, the new Access Program Manager (Linda Cannon) at Access Lunchtime, and the Access team weighs in on New Outlook.

Code Library

Automating Temporary Data Cleanup in Access with the ClearTempTables() Procedure

The ClearTempTables() procedure is a quick way to empty out temporary tables in your front-end Access files before deploying updates.

Access 101

Access 101: SELECT Query

The SELECT query is the source of a relational database system's true power.

Report Builder

Report Builder: The Reports & Templates Tables

A description of the tables used to store built-in and user-created report templates for use with my Advanced Report Builder.

Access 101

Access 101: Referential Integrity

Referential integrity is the key to ensuring data quality in a relational database. Learn what it is and how to enforce it among your back-end tables.

Report Builder

Report Builder: The Local ReportControls Table

A description of the local table that serves as the foundation for my Advanced Report Builder.

twinBASIC Weekly Update

twinBASIC Update: October 22, 2023

Highlights include experimental vbWatchdog support, a CheckBitness utility from fafalone, and a VB6 OSInfo class ported to twinBASIC.

Week in Review

Week in Review: October 21, 2023

Highlights include updateable cross-tab forms with Pat Hartman, George Hepworth's Searchable Catalog project, and Richard Rost's Decision Tree database.

Report Builder

Advanced Report Builder Form

This is a reference for my Advanced Report Builder form. The form is broken down into eight sections with links to articles explaining each one.

Performance Tips

Reader Question: Is it worth running an Access front-end from a RAM disk?

Is it worth the complication to run an Access front-end file from within a RAM disk? The answer may surprise you. Or it may not. (Am I doing clickbait wrong?)

Report Builder

Advanced Report Builder

Announcing a new cookbook-style series of advanced articles focused on creating a custom report builder in Microsoft Access.

Access 101

Access 101: Local vs. Linked Tables

In Access, tables can be local (stored in the front-end file) or linked (stored in a separate database). Let's explore when and why to use each type.

Business

Productized Services: Finding the Sweet Spot Between Products and Services

If you don't relish the thought of running sales meetings and writing proposals, productized services may be a good fit for you.

twinBASIC Weekly Update

twinBASIC Update: October 15, 2023

Highlights include a new TextHint property for text boxes, an easier way to apply license keys, and updates to the official twinBASIC wiki documentation.

Week in Review

Week in Review: October 14, 2023

Highlights include a video on the future of Access with cameos from the Microsoft Access engineering team, a Decision Tree database, and Shared VBA Libraries.

Basic

How Many Forms and Reports Should Go in the Back-End Database File?

Spoiler alert! The correct answer is zero.

Access 101

Access 101: Front-End vs. Back-End

"Front-end" and "back-end" are the terms we use to distinguish between the user interface and the data storage, respectively.

Access 101

Access 101: What is a Query in Access?

Queries are how we get useful information from data stored in tables. They also let us make bulk changes to our data. ... Be careful with queries!

Access 101

Access 101: What is a Table in Access?

If you know Excel worksheets, Access tables will look very familiar. Be careful, though! There is a "key" difference between the two.

Commentary

Working on Someone Else's Code Base: Why Applications are Easier to Write Than Maintain

Writing greenfield code is easier (and more fun!) than maintaining an existing application. But that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

twinBASIC Weekly Update

twinBASIC Update: October 8, 2023

Highlights include debug-time evaluation of expressions on mouse hover and an x64-compatible version of sokinkeso's tB IDE addin, Usercontrol Builder.

Week in Review

Week in Review: October 7, 2023

Highlights include a free file manager class from Alessandro Grimaldi, an update on the forthcoming Rubberduck 3.0 VBA addin, and well-tested Access file limits.

Access 101

Access 101: Bound vs. Unbound Forms

A short primer on the difference between bound and unbound forms in Microsoft Access, along with example use cases for each.

Access 101

Access 101: A Quick Start Guide to Microsoft Access

These are my Access best practices. There are many like them, but these are mine.