Backward compatibility between Access 2010 and Access 2007

Applies to: Access 2007 | Access 2010 | Office 2007 | Office 2010

In this article
Features that are not available in Access 2007
How to use your application in Access 2007
Save as MDB

Features that are not available in Access 2007

Microsoft Access 2010 introduces features that are not supported in Microsoft Office Access 2007. Access 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) cannot open a database that contains these features. Access 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2) can, in some cases, offer limited viewing and design capabilities. Therefore, installing SP2 can help you work with more applications that were created in Access 2010.

Table 1 lists the new Access 2010 features that cannot load in Access 2007 SP2, or can load, but with limited capabilities.

Table 1. Behavior of Access 2010 features in Access 2007 SP2

Feature

Behavior of the database if opened in Access 2007 SP2

New and updated database sort orders:

  • General

  • Bosnian

  • Chinese Pronunciation

  • Chinese Stroke Count

  • Chinese (Traditional) Stroke Count

  • Chinese (Traditional) Bopomofo

  • Croatian

  • Indic

  • Japanese

  • Japanese Radical Stroke Count

  • Romanian

  • Serbian

The database cannot open in Access 2007 SP2.

Access 2010 Encryption Compliance

The database cannot open in Access 2007 SP2.

Database with Web objects

If your database contains Web objects, but has not been published or gone through the ‘Prepare Database for Web’ process, the database opens in Access 2007 SP2. However, you cannot modify Web objects in Access 2007 SP2.

Application published to Access Services

When you create a Web database application by using Access 2010 and publish it to a Web site, you cannot open the database in Access 2007 SP2. During publishing, Access 2010 creates a backup database for you, which is a copy of the database (with Web objects) that is not yet published. You can open the backup database in Access 2007 SP2, but you cannot modify Web objects in Access 2007 SP2.

Data Macro

The database opens, but tables that contain Data Macros are read-only. The user cannot enter data or modify the table by using Access 2007 SP2.

Forms or reports that reference a table that contains Data Macros can be opened and modified in layout or design view; however, data drawn from the table cannot be modified.

Calculated Column

The database opens, but tables that contain Calculated Columns cannot open in Access 2007 SP2.

Forms or reports that reference a table that contain Calculated Columns can be opened and modified in design view.

Linked Tables with Connection strings that are longer than 512 characters

The database opens, but the linked tables with the long connection string cannot be opened in Access 2007 SP2.

Application Navigation Control

The database opens, but forms that contain the Application Navigation control cannot be modified in Access 2007 SP2.

Web Browser Control

The database opens, but the forms that contain Web browser controls do not open in Access 2007 SP2.

Empty Cell Control

The database cannot open in Access 2007 SP2 if the form or report that contains the empty cell control contains VBA code.

How to use your application in Access 2007

To use your application in Access 2007 without any restrictions, use the following steps to remove one or more of the features mentioned in Table 1.

  1. If tables, forms or reports have any of the features listed in Table 1, delete those features from the tables, forms or reports by using Access 2010. For detailed information about this step, refer to Table 2.

  2. Create a new database by using Access 2010. Make sure to select Blank Database. Do not select Blank Web Database.

  3. Click the External Data tab, and then click Access on the ribbon. Import all the objects from the previous database to the new one.

  4. Save the new database. It can be used in Access 2007 without restriction.

Table 2 contains detailed information about how to make your Access 2010 database compatible with Access 2007.

Table 2. How to remove features that are incompatible with Access 2007

Feature

How to make it usable in Access 2007

New and updated database sort orders:

  • General

  • Bosnian

  • Chinese Pronunciation

  • Chinese Stroke Count

  • Chinese (Traditional) Stroke Count

  • Chinese (Traditional) Bopomofo

  • Croatian

  • Indic

  • Japanese

  • Japanese Radical Stroke Count

  • Romanian

  • Serbian

If you are using any of the new and updated sort orders listed on the left, use a sort order that is compatible with Access 2007:

  1. Click the Microsoft Office button.

  2. Click Options.

  3. On the General tab, select an Access 2007 sort order in the New database sort order list.

  4. Click OK.

  5. Create a blank database using Access 2010.

  6. Import all the objects from the previous database into the new one.

  7. Save the new database.

Access 2010 Encryption

Import the objects in the database into a new database:

  1. Create a blank database by using Access 2010.

  2. Import all the objects from the previous database into the new one. Type the password when you are prompted.

  3. Save the new database.

Database with Web objects

Import the objects in the database into a new database:

  1. Delete all Web objects in the database by using Access 2010.

  2. Create a blank database by using Access 2010.

  3. Import all the objects from the previous database to the new one.

  4. Save the new database.

Application published to Access Services

Import the objects in the database into a new database:

  1. Create a blank database by using Access 2010.

  2. Import all the objects from the published application to the new database.

  3. Save the new database.

Data Macro

Delete the data macros, and then import the objects in the database into a new database:

  1. Open the table.

  2. On the Modify Fields tab, in the Field, Record & Table Events group, click Manage Table Events.

  3. In the Data Macro Manager dialog box, click each Data Macro and then click Delete. Click Yes when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.

  4. Click Close to dismiss the Data Macro Manager dialog box.

  5. Close the table. Click Yes when you are prompted to save changes.

  6. Create a blank database by using Access 2010.

  7. Import all the objects from the previous database to the new one.

  8. Save the new database.

Calculated Column

Delete the calculated columns, and then import the objects in the database into a new database:

  1. Open the table.

  2. Select the field that has a data type of Calculated, and then press DELETE. Click Yes when you are prompted to permanently delete the field.

  3. Repeat Step 2 for the other calculated fields in the table.

  4. Close the table. Click Yes when you are prompted to save changes to the design of the table.

  5. Create a blank database by using Access 2010.

  6. Import all the objects from the previous database to the new one.

  7. Save the new database.

Linked Tables with Connection strings that are longer than 512 characters

Delete the linked tables and then import the objects in the database into a new database:

  1. Delete the linked table.

  2. Create a blank database by using Access 2010.

  3. Import all the objects from the previous database to the new one.

  4. Save the new database.

Application Navigation Control

Delete the Navigation control and then import the objects in the database into a new database:

  1. Delete the Navigation control in the form.

  2. Create a blank database by using Access 2010.

  3. Import all the objects from the previous database to the new one.

  4. Save the new database.

Web Browser Control

Delete the Web Browser control and then import the objects in the database into a new database:

  1. Delete the Web Browser control in the form.

  2. Create a blank database using Access 2010.

  3. Import all the objects from the previous database to the new one.

  4. Save the new database.

Empty Cell Control

Delete the Empty Cell controls from the forms and reports, and then import the objects in the database into a new database:

  1. Open the form or report in design or layout view.

  2. Locate the empty cell controls

    Tip: You can use Alt+Enter to expose the property sheet, and then look for controls that begin with the name Empty Cell to help locate these controls.

  3. Delete any empty cell controls.

  4. Close the form/report. Click Yes when you are prompted to save changes.

  5. Create a blank database using Access 2010.

  6. Import all the objects from the previous database to the new one.

  7. Save the new database.

Save as MDB

New features added in Access 2010 prevent the database from being saved in the mdb file format. Access displays an error message when it saves an mdb file if your database has features that were introduced in Access 2007 or Access 2010. To make your database usable in Access 2003 or earlier versions, delete features that are not available in the mdb file format and then follow the import steps that are described in Table 2.