Need community help convert MS access to mac 10.4.11

[laptech]

Hi,

I want to take part in this PPC challenge in January and would like to use my G3 Lombard at work, which has tiger 10.4.11 installed but to do so I need to find a way of using the access database i use at work to a program i can use on the mac.

Now i have already tried a number of things but each one has failed. The access database i use at work is built from MS Access 2007. Database exporting options are very limited. At the moment i've exported the data to a txt file, having it use commas as it's separator.

I've never used database programs on the mac before so i'm basically working from scratch. 10.4.11 supports mac ms office 2004 but it does not come with access. I have tried openoffice.org and libreoffice, used their database import feature, openoffice hangs everytime and libreoffice once importing just displays it as a word document.

I've read that Filemaker pro (version for tiger) will not import access databases and the only way i can use access database on a mac is to use specialist programs that i would have to pay for.

I am a bit lost at the moment and therefore am asking the community for help mainly because I've never used databases on the mac and therefore never had to deal with this problem. Also, more brains on the issue is better than one .

Is my only option to pay for one of these specialist programs? a bit drastic just to take part in a fun competition i think.

 

[MagicBoy]

Depends if the Access Database is just tables in which case you could probably export it to another application. If there's a frontend and VBA code and all the other proprietary bits in there then forget it. It's taken my employers many years to wean people off shonky unsupportable Access databases knocked up as a prototype that scope crept into daily use and get them using proper solutions with a SQL back-end.

It's a fun challenge for a week. Not really worth investing the time. I'd just use your Access database as normal and see how you go with the PPC Mac for other tasks.

 

[bobesch]

Hi,

I want to take part in this PPC challenge in January and would like to use my G3 Lombard at work, which has tiger 10.4.11 installed but to do so I need to find a way of using the access database i use at work to a program i can use on the mac.

Now i have already tried a number of things but each one has failed. The access database i use at work is built from MS Access 2007. Database exporting options are very limited. At the moment i've exported the data to a txt file, having it use commas as it's separator.

I've never used database programs on the mac before so i'm basically working from scratch. 10.4.11 supports mac ms office 2004 but it does not come with access. I have tried openoffice.org and libreoffice, used their database import feature, openoffice hangs everytime and libreoffice once importing just displays it as a word document.

I've read that Filemaker pro (version for tiger) will not import access databases and the only way i can use access database on a mac is to use specialist programs that i would have to pay for.

I am a bit lost at the moment and therefore am asking the community for help mainly because I've never used databases on the mac and therefore never had to deal with this problem. Also, more brains on the issue is better than one .

Is my only option to pay for one of these specialist programs? a bit drastic just to take part in a fun competition i think.

I don't know anything about the power of a Lombard ...
But I'd install os9/VirtualPC3+Win2k+Office2000/Access, which should run smooth enough for a good Office2k-experience.
Office2k is my favorite Office on Windows, since I got used to it / do not need more - especially not the huge "action-bar"

 

[laptech]

Depends if the Access Database is just tables in which case you could probably export it to another application. If there's a frontend and VBA code and all the other proprietary bits in there then forget it. It's taken my employers many years to wean people off shonky unsupportable Access databases knocked up as a prototype that scope crept into daily use and get them using proper solutions with a SQL back-end.

It's a fun challenge for a week. Not really worth investing the time. I'd just use your Access database as normal and see how you go with the PPC Mac for other tasks.

It's just tables, hence why i thought it would be alot easier than i thought, oh boy how wrong i was, not easy, it's a bloomin nightmare. The only two things i require for work on a daily basis is the access database and Slack comms program. Slack and i can just about use with tenfoxfor (takes 30mins to load the front page though), but there is no point in me using Slack on one machine and the database on another, is just not practical.

It would be a nice fun challenge for the week, but maybe it's just beyond my capabilities, well ok, access database capabilities.

 

[MagicBoy]

I don't know anything about the power of a Lombard ...
But I'd install os9/VirtualPC3+Win2k+Office2000/Access, which should run smooth enough for a good Office2k-experience.
Office2k is my favorite Office on Windows, since I got used to it / do not need more - especially not the huge "action-bar"

333/400MHz, so they're no ball of fire. OS9 would run well, OS X would be ... tedious IMO.

 

[laptech]

I don't know anything about the power of a Lombard ...
But I'd install os9/VirtualPC3+Win2k+Office2000/Access, which should run smooth enough for a good Office2k-experience.
Office2k is my favorite Office on Windows, since I got used to it / do not need more - especially not the huge "action-bar"

Actually, i thought about VM stuff but was under the impression the G3 lombard is not fast enough to run a decent windows VM
[doublepost=1509736448][/doublepost]

333/400MHz, so they're no ball of fire. OS9 would run well, OS X would be ... tedious IMO.

I can't use OS9 because none of the web browsers are capable of running Slack, i just get security errors all the time. I went for 10.4.11 because i knew i had a chance with tenfoxfour.

 

[bobesch]

Actually, i thought about VM stuff but was under the impression the G3 lombard is not fast enough to run a decent windows VM
[doublepost=1509736448][/doublepost]

I can't use OS9 because none of the web browsers are capable of running Slack, i just get security errors all the time. I went for 10.4.11 because i knew i had a chance with tenfoxfour.

You might run os9/VPC3/WinXP-Fundamentals with RemoteDesktop6x to log into a Windows-Machine to run Office/Access.
Or run a VNC-client to log into a Mac for better surfing.
So your Lombard would become a thick-client...

 

[laptech]

You might run os9/VPC3/WinXP-Fundamentals with RemoteDesktop6x to log into a Windows-Machine to run Office/Access.
Or run a VNC-client to log into a Mac for better surfing.
So your Lombard would become a thick-client...

I like my ppc macs but i do not think i am THAT dedicated to try all of the above, just to experience the challenge for a week.

 

[bobesch]

I like my ppc macs but i do not think i am THAT dedicated to try all of the above, just to experience the challenge for a week.

Yeah, right, but connectivity (FileSharing/ScreenSharing/RDP) is the way to keep your little museum linked to your productivity flow.
"if you can make it there, you 'll make it everywhere ..."