Week in Review

Week in Review: August 15, 2026

Highlights include a talk on anonymizing Access & SQL Server data, tips & techniques for working with AI, and fine-tuning the new Access Zoom feature.

Mike Wolfe

• 5 min read
Week in Review: August 15, 2026

Just Published

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

Articles

Article descriptions generated by claude-opus-4.8.

  • Daniel Pineault (DEVelopers HUT)
  • Colin Riddington (Isladogs on Access)
    • Access Bug Summary - Aug 2026 (IN PROGRESS): A running list of Access bugs reported in August 2026, including their symptoms, affected versions, workarounds, and fix status.
    • Fine Tuning the Zooming Feature: A walkthrough of new options for controlling Access's zoom feature, including disabling it at the application level, the per-form AllowZooming property, and the new ZoomResizesWindow property.
  • Crystal Long (Ms Access Gurus | Access Access Newsletter)
    • Go To Field: A free downloadable userform tool that lets you set focus to a field or control on the active datasheet or form by filtering names with wildcards.
  • Mike Wolfe (NoLongerSet)
    • Make it Impossible for AI to Delete Your Database Backups: Learn how to protect database backups from accidental or AI-caused deletion using AWS S3 Object Lock compliance mode, client-side AGE encryption, GFS retention lifecycles, and least-privilege IAM access.
    • Throwback Thursday: August 13, 2026: A curated roundup of past NoLongerSet articles and web content revisiting hidden features of VBA.
    • Functional Core, Imperative Shell: An explanation of the functional core, imperative shell pattern and why maximizing pure functions improves testability, maintainability, and AI-assisted development.
    • twinBASIC Update: August 11, 2026: This update covers LLVM compilation performance problems with large monolithic procedures, drop-in replacements for VBScript.RegExp and Scripting.FSO, and a summary of Discord bug discussions.
    • Tools of the Trade: AI Edition: An overview of the key tools an Access developer needs for AI-assisted development, including Claude Code, Cursor, the MS Access VCS Add-in, GitHub Desktop, and the GitHub CLI.
    • Move Fast and Brace Things: An introduction to the author's philosophy for AI-assisted development, framing the software reliability paradox and outlining "move fast" and "brace things" principles for building reliable business applications.

Videos

New to Me

This section includes content I discovered this week that has been around for a while.

  • 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.

  • [August 25, 2026] Crystal Long: Exploring Userforms (JUST ADDED)
  • [September 2, 2026] John Mallinson: Working with the Windows API
  • [September 3, 2026] Eric Blomquist: Class Programming 201: Custom Events (JUST ADDED)
  • [October 7, 2026] Peter Bryant / Andrew Richards: GraphAuthenticator – the ‘New’ Outlook problem solved and a world of possibilities to explore
  • [November 4, 2026] UKAUG Autumn 2026 Conference: In person at The Phoenix in London; speakers:
    • Alessandro Grimaldi: Advanced UI Design in Microsoft Access
    • Mike Wolfe: Source Control with Microsoft Access

Access Roadmap

There were no changes made to the roadmap between the Week in Review last week (2026-08-08) and this week (2026-08-15).

The roadmap was last updated June 23, 2026.

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. Dates listed are "rollout start" dates.

In Development

  • AUG 2026: Cascading combo and list boxes with LinkMasterFields/LinkChildFields: Combo boxes and list boxes now support LinkMasterFields/LinkChildFields properties, enabling cascading dropdowns (e.g., Country filters City) without writing VBA code.
  • JUL 2026: Rounded corners on Access form controls: We’re making it easier to give your Access apps a polished, up-to-date feel. With the new CornerRadius property, you can add rounded corners to form controls—bringing a softer, more modern look to your designs.
  • JUN 2026: Zooming for Continuous Forms and Multiple-Items Forms: Access extends zoom capabilities to continuous forms and pop-up forms, building on zoom support already available in tables and queries. Adjust magnification from 10 percent to 500 percent using the slider in the lower-right corner or controls on the ribbon. Keyboard shortcuts are also available, making it easy to quickly change your view and focus on the details that matter most.
  • MAY 2026: Enable zoom magnification to Microsoft Access for Forms, Tables, Queries: Access will add magnification slider (10% to 500%) in lower right of the application, similar to the feature in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. It will also be keyboard accessible and available on the ribbon in Access forms, tables, and queries.

Rolling Out

  • JUN 2026: Design Access forms and reports without 22-inch size constraints: With the removal of the 22-inch limit, your apps can now take full advantage of today’s larger monitors. You can display more data, create flexible layouts, and deliver a better experience on wide and high-resolution screens.

Launched

None listed.

Upcoming End-of-Life Dates

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

2024

2025

2026

2027

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

2031

2033

2034

Ongoing

Date TBD

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All original code samples by Mike Wolfe are licensed under CC BY 4.0