MS Access 2016 Services Template - broken ??

Question

Hi, 

I am in the process of starting a small business and one of the main MS Access desktop templates from the File-New menu seems to be just what I need to get started, with very few modifications ( the Services template) 

I only need to add my company logo and registration number to the Quote and Invoices that the customers receive and it should be fine.

I have followed the instructions to set up a blank database from this template and the wizards to enter my company details etc. 

however, there seems to be a problem when trying to edit the 'Invoice' or 'Quote' reports. 

if I select them from the left-hand navigation pane - immediately an error message pops up asking for prmMyCompanyName, then prmMyCompany Address then prmMyContactdetails.

If we try to inspect the fields in the reports that there refer to ( eg MyCompanyName) and find their dependencies (using the database tools - object dependencies button)  - the dependencies pane on the right shows there is a Table missing - 'Table: Missing: =[Report].[Name]'

So it seems like there is something broken in the database - even though we have only done the basic wizard steps.

we have tried this several times using the Access 2016 database and the same template from Access 2013 and the results are the same.

Is this Access 2016 template simply faulty / broken - if so surely everyone who tries to use this template as a start point will have had similar problems.

or is there something we should be doing that we have missed?

any help would be very much appreciated.

Answer 1

> if I select them from the left-hand navigation pane - immediately an error message pops up asking for prmMyCompanyName,

No, that is not evidence of a broken template, but of an incomplete understanding of how Access works, and this template in particular. Try this:

1. Go back to File > New and select the same template again. Name it ServicesWithTestData. This time choose the option of getting sample data. Do not make any other changes. We're just exploring now.
2. Keep the Navigation Pane closed. It requires some basic understanding of how Access works.
3. From the Main form, choose Invoices tab and click on a hyperlinked Invoice #. The Invoice form appears.
4. Click on View Invoice. The invoice report appears. This is the report you were "complaining" about, but this time it is invoked as intended, and no prompts occur and all is well. This is the end-user level of Access.

WHY this is so, requires you to study how Access works, and pick these forms and reports apart to gain some of that understanding. There are classes, online videos, books, etc. This is going to take an investment on your part. Access is not like Excel where you can start typing in numbers and simple formulas in the first few minutes.

Then at some point you'll start to understand Access and feel confident you can make some simple changes. You keep plenty of backups so you can roll back if it doesn't work out. Or you can hire someone to make the changes for you, and you stay at the end-user level.

Answer 2

It's because it is a web template so most things are not editable.  Take a look at: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/ie/en-US/45ea8f0c-1462-4f21-97cb-91c58b381a1b/desktop-services-template-ms-access-2013?forum=officeitpro

• https://access-programmers.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=219350
• https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/ie/en-US/45ea8f0c-1462-4f21-97cb-91c58b381a1b/desktop-services-template-ms-access-2013?forum=officeitpro

for steps to convert it over to a desktop version so you can do as you please.