Macro Design in Access 2010...

[Rudi]

Hi,

Playing around in Access 2010, I noticed the way to design macros has been modified. Thought I'd just share this screen clip to show the new interface... I think it looks great and makes macro design more interactive and logical. Great work Microsoft!

[HansV]

The Access developers have decided to make macros more powerful and easier to design. See for example the first installment of The Access Show: Access 2010 demo of Access Services and web databases (warning: long video!)

While this is a nice improvement over the rather spartan interface for designing macros in earlier versions, I'm not convinced that macros can take the place of VBA code. I think detailed control over execution flow will still require VBA.

[Rudi]

>> I think detailed control over execution flow will still require VBA.

I agree. VBA provides more flexibility and control (just like SQL does compared to the Access query designed interface), but for novice users of Access, it does help to provide a "cleaner" and more user-friendly way to assist in setting up basic macros.

Cheers

[HansV]

You might call me old-fashioned, but I don't really like the idea of having two separate programming tools in Access: macros and VBA...

Instead of spending a lot of energy on improving the macro design interface, the developers could have improved the Visual Basic Editor by adding easy-to-use building blocks, such as:

- A complete Select Case ... End Select block
- A block that opens a recordset, loops through the recordset and finally closes it

etc.

[Mark L]

You might call me old-fashioned, but I don't really like the idea of having two separate programming tools in Access: macros and VBA...

Instead of spending a lot of energy on improving the macro design interface, the developers could have improved the Visual Basic Editor by adding easy-to-use building blocks, such as:

- A complete Select Case ... End Select block
- A block that opens a recordset, loops through the recordset and finally closes it

etc.

Yeah, but if they made it too easy, then anyone could do it! Then where would we be?

[Rudi]

Interesting ideas...(of which I do agree). Not that I program in Access often, but it would be great in Excel too! :)

I can see that you speak from a developers/programming perspective. But I do think that many out there who do not have VBA programming experience will appreciate the new interface and the assistance it will provide in automating those small repetitive and mundane tasks in Access.

[HansV]

You're opening a can of worms there - should Access be positioned as a developer tool or as an end-user tool...

[Wendell]

That's the dilema the Access team has faced from early on. The marketing guys want to sell lots of copies, so they want to pitch it as an end-user tool, but the development community sees it as a tool to develope end-user applications. So who do they try to please most????

[Rudi]

You're opening a can of worms there - should Access be positioned as a developer tool or as an end-user tool...

The answer is simple

Access is an application that comes with the Professional Office Suite. So, just like Word and Excel, it should be seen as an Application for the end-user. There are so many larger DB's out there and even Transac SQL that can satify the development and programming community. Access should be seen as an end-user application that provides the best front-end with some basic roots into the macros and vba side of things just to enable some form of data manipulation.

Thats my "very informed" 2 cents contribution!

[HansV]

And that's why we see so many horrible databases that violate all the rules for data and interface design...

[Wendell]

...
Access is an application that comes with the Professional Office Suite. So, just like Word and Excel, it should be seen as an Application for the end-user....

If that's the case why the "Professional" designation? And while there are powerful database engines, and expensive and complex applications available to create front-ends to the data your store, Access is the most effective and inexpensive application for doing most kinds of database front-end development. Also I have to agree with Hans that it has led to some of the lamest DB designs I've seen. On the other hand, some of those do actually work, and provide useful information that would have never even been attempted had Access not been available.