Microsoft Access Documentor

Question

My Databases are not printing /displaying correctly when I use Database Documenter ex. Id Field in Design View shows a Long Integer in Documenter it shows as Byte, a field like Discard in Design View shows as Yes/No in Documenter it shows as Where. Has anyone ever had this problem?

Answer 1

Hi,

If you're on the current update channel, i.e. if with File - Account you see version 2604 build 19929.20090, then this is due to a current bug related to data types. The Microsoft Access team plans to release a fix for this with next week's Office update.

Servus
Karl

---

Access Forever, News, DevCon
Access-Entwickler-Konferenz AEK

Answer 2

Dear @John Fields,

Thank you for reaching out. I understand how confusing and frustrating it can be when the Database Documenter in Microsoft Access displays incorrect field definitions, especially when the database design itself appears correct.

Based on my analysis, this issue is not caused by the database file. This is confirmed by the fact that when the same database is moved to another computer, the Database Documenter works and prints correctly. This strongly indicates that the problem is local to the Microsoft Access installation on the affected computer, rather than any corruption or design issue within the database.

The Database Documenter relies on Access system components (such as the Access Database Engine and internal metadata libraries) to read and display table definitions. If these components are misconfigured, outdated, or partially corrupted on a specific machine, the Documenter may interpret field data types incorrectly even though the table design itself is unchanged and valid. In this case, please help me review and check these steps to narrow down the problem: 

1.Repair Microsoft Office/Access

• Open Control Panel > Programs & Features
• Select Microsoft 365
• Choose Change > Quick Repair
• Restart the computer and test the Database Documenter again

2.Verify Access references

• Open the database in Access
• Press Alt + F11 to open the Visual Basic Editor
• Go to Tools > References
• Ensure Microsoft Office Access Database Engine Object Library is checked, and no references are marked as “Missing”
• Close and reopen Access, then re-run the Database Documenter

3.Confirm 32-bit/64-bit consistency

• Ensure that the version of Access installed (32-bit or 64-bit) matches the installed Access Database Engine on the machine
• A mismatch can cause incorrect interpretation of field metadata in tools such as the Database Documenter

4.Test with a blank database

• Create a new blank database
• Create a sample table:
  • Long Integer
  • Yes/No
  • Short Text
• Run Database Documenter

For your reference, this behavior has also been discussed by the community. You may refer to the following post, particularly the response from Karl Donaubauer, which describes the same malfunction: https://learn.microsoft.com/it-it/answers/questions/5871218/grave-malfunzionamento-access

Please note that this post is written in Italian; you may use translate tool to better understand the details. The link in that answer is shared by community members for your convenience. It points to a third-party site that is not managed or verified by Microsoft. We can’t guarantee the quality, safety, or suitability of any content or software found there, so please review it carefully before using it.

If the issue continues after completing the above, please let me know and I will be happy to assist further. Thank you for your patience and cooperation while I work through this with you.

I am looking forward to your response!

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 3

Hi,

The bug has been fixed in the new build 19929.20106, which you should receive automatically during the day, if you have updates activated. You can also request it immediately by going to File - Update Options - Update Now.

Servus
Karl

---

Access Forever News DevCon
Access-Entwickler-Konferenz AEK

Answer 4

1. Short Text Fields in Design View are showing as Date with Time in the Documenter, Long Text Fields in Design View are showing as Short Text Fields in the Documenter, When I move the Database to another computer the Documenter work fine.