Week in Review

Week in Review: March 8, 2025

Highlights include Access performance issues in Win 11 v24H, merging PDFs with VBA, optimistic vs. pessimistic locking, and recaps of two popular Gantt Chart videos.

Mike Wolfe

Mar 8, 2025 • 5 min read

Just Published

^{This section includes videos, articles, and (occasionally) open-source project updates from the past 7 days.}

Articles

^{*Article descriptions generated by Claude-3.5-Sonnet.}

Juan Soto (Access Experts)
- Addressing Microsoft Access Performance Issues on Windows 11 Version 24H: Describes how to resolve performance issues in Microsoft Access on Windows 11 version 24H by disabling the "Suggested Actions" feature.
Kelly M Torres
- Microsoft Access Developers are Unicorns: Explains why skilled Access developers are rare and valuable, combining expertise in coding, database design, UI creation, and business acumen.
John Mallinson (The VBA Help)
- Sometimes it's just the little things - #2: AutoText - assignment: VBE_Extras allows automatic function/property return value assignment by typing "=" and pressing Tab/Return/Enter.
- Sometimes it's just the little things - #3: Alternative VBE window navigation keys: VBE_Extras adds intuitive keyboard shortcuts for toggling between various VBE windows.
Jonathan Halder (Access JumpStart 2.0)
- When the locals window doesn't cut it (Viewing dictionary keys with values, including nested dictionaries): A guide showing how to view dictionary values in VBA using the Immediate window, including a recursive function to display nested dictionaries.
- Accdb's link to Mdb's, but Mdb's don't link to Accdb's: Discusses options for handling database version compatibility issues when older MDB front-ends need to connect to newer ACCDB back-ends.
- Refactoring Tests in RubberDuckVBA: Demonstrates using RubberDuckVBA to create automated tests for form validation using a FormGetter interface and dictionary values.
- Leave that VBA better than you found it: Describes refactoring duplicated email code into reusable functions following the DRY principle.
Daniel Pineault (DEVelopers HUT)
- How-to Check If A RecordSet Is Open Or Closed?: Provides a simple function to check if a RecordSet is open by attempting to access one of its properties.
- Merging PDFs Together Using VBA: Explores different approaches for merging PDF files using VBA, including Adobe Acrobat automation, third-party tools, and Microsoft Word.
- Another Overdue Roadmap Update Leaves The Road Ahead Bare: Discusses concerns about Microsoft Access's future given the empty roadmap after recent features were marked as launched.
- Mastering Microsoft Access' DLookUp Function: Comprehensive guide to using the DLookUp function for retrieving specific field values from tables or queries.
Colin Riddington (Isladogs on Access)
- Remove Deleted Items from MSysObjects (UPDATED): Provides solutions for cleaning up various types of problematic deleted objects from the MSysObjects system table.
- Better Date Picker (UPDATED): Introduces an improved date picker control for Access that adds features like week numbers and better accessibility.
- Monaco SQL Editor (UPDATED): Details the new Monaco SQL Editor in Access 365, including features, known issues, and fixes.
Mike Wolfe (NoLongerSet)
- Unraveling Constraints: A Case Study in Complex Scheduling with Steve Schapel and Jack Drawbridge: Explores how a seemingly simple sports event scheduling challenge led to implementing a hybrid solution using Python, Google's OR-Tools, and Access.
- Throwback Thursday: March 6, 2025: Provides tips and tricks for emulating client production environments during development.
- Gantt Charts: Part 1 with Aleksander Wojtasz: Demonstrates how to create interactive Gantt charts in Access using Windows GDI API calls without third-party controls.
- Gantt Charts: Part 2 with Aleksander Wojtasz: Details the enhanced architecture and implementation of the Gantt chart solution, focusing on performance and extensibility.

Videos‌

Access User Group Recordings (YouTube channel)
- Data Types with Crystal and Kent (17:55): with Crystal and Kent
Sean MacKenzie (YouTube channel)
- Encryption Update (20:29): Encryption for Microsoft Access - SmackoCrypt Update
Richard Rost (YouTube channel)
- Quick Queries #30 (29:13): Microsoft Access Quick Queries #30: Main Menu Feedback, User Security, Push Buttons w Keys, More!
- Main Menu (17:39): How to Create a Main Menu Form in Microsoft Access with Buttons or a List Box
- Tab Out of Subform (15:17): How to Tab Out of a Subform in Microsoft Access Using Either Keystrokes or VBA
- Optimistic vs. Pessimistic (18:43): Optimistic vs. Pessimistic Record Locking in Microsoft Access: Which One Should You Use?
- Compact from Command Line (12:16): How to Compact and Repair a Corrupted Microsoft Access Database from the Command Line

New to Me

^{This section includes content I discovered this week that has been around for awhile.}

Nothing new this week.

Upcoming Access User Group Events

^{NOTE: Only English-language user group meetings with scheduled guest speakers or topics are listed. For a complete list of upcoming events, visit the}^{Access User Group event calendar}^{. Not all links below include the start time and time zone. For that information, check out this handy reference guide from Access MVP Maria Barnes over at AccessForever.org:}^{Access User Groups 2025}^.

March 28, 2025: Access Day: In-person conference in Redmond, WA (Speakers: Mike Wolfe, Peter Doering, George Young, Luke Chung, Kevin Bell, the Access Dev Team)
April 02, 2025: Anders Ebro - Using Class Modules in Access
April 10-11, 2025: Access DevCon Vienna (Agenda - Registration - Speakers: Access Dev Team, Karl Donaubauer, Maria Barnes, Philipp Stiefel, Adam Waller, Colin Riddington, John Mallinson, Mike Wolfe, and more TBA)
May 07, 2025: Colin Riddington - Large Monitor Support and Responsive Forms
May 15, 2025 @ 9:30 am - 5:00 pm: In-person UKAUG 30th Anniversary Conference 2025, Imperial College London (Speakers: Armen Stein, Andrew Richards, Anders Ebro, Stuart Massey, Chris Arnold, Peter Bryant, Rod Gordon)

Access Roadmap

The following changes made to the roadmap between the Week in Review last week (2025-03-01) and this week (2025-03-08):

Integrate Monaco framework to improve SQL editor capabilities (moved from Rolling Out to Launched)

The roadmap was last updated on March 4, 2025. The development priorities were last updated at the German-language AEK conference on October 20, 2024.

Listed below is a snapshot of the official Access Roadmap.

"In Development", "Rolling Out", and "Launched" are Microsoft terms that I pulled straight from the public roadmap.

"Development Priorities" do not appear on the Access Roadmap. Instead, they get updated from time to time in official Access blog posts or Access engineering team presentations. I'll include a link to the source of the current development priorities as they get updated.

Development Priorities

The items listed below reflect Microsoft's order of priority and were published in the following article, Microsoft's Plans for Access Oct '24 – March '25.

The items are listed in priority order according to Principal Engineering Manager Dale Rector. The "Expected Benefit" of each feature is shown in italics after the description of the feature itself.

New priorities added since the previous set of priorities are shown in bold below.

Continued Focus on Monthly Issue Fixes: (Monthly Issue Fix Blog) Improved product quality and reliability
Large monitor support for forms: Improved support of Access on the latest hardware
Integrated source control: Simplifying the process of building mission critical Access solutions

Special thanks to Karl Donaubauer for posting the updated priorities at AccessForever.org.

In Development

None listed.

Rolling Out

None listed.

Launched

NOTE: Dates listed are rollout start dates.

AUG 2024: Modern Chart Improvements
SEP 2024: Integrate Monaco framework to improve SQL editor capabilities

Upcoming End-of-Life Dates

Here are the key end-of-life dates Access developers should track:

2029

[JAN 09] Windows Server 2019
[OCT 09] Access 2024 | Outlook 2024
[OCT 09 (or later)] Classic Outlook
- See "Edit 8/12/2024" at top of this article for official clarification that "both perpetual and subscription [i.e., MS 365] versions of Outlook will be supported until 2029"
- Support for Classic Outlook is guaranteed at least through 9 Oct 2029; it may be extended beyond this date

2030

[JAN 08] SQL Server 2019

2031

[OCT 14] Windows Server 2022

2033

[JAN 11] SQL Server 2022

2034

[OCT 10] Windows Server 2025

Ongoing

Microsoft 365 (with subscription)

Date TBD

Complete removal of VBScript from Windows OS (Microsoft Announces the Death of VBScript)