March
2012
For Microsoft Access, SQL Server,
Visual Studio .NET, and VB6 Professionals
Spring Greetings!
After our mildest winter ever, spring has arrived early in the Washington DC area with cherry blossoms
on Capitol Hill and a spectacular rainbow seen from our offices.
We are very pleased to announce that Total Access Analyzer
is now available for Microsoft Access 2010 supporting both 32
and 64 bit versions. Thanks to many of you who tried the preview
version and provided feedback that we incorporated into the shipping
version. Total Access Analyzer is now better than ever, with better
database documentation, 280+ customizable reports, and the detection
of 300 specific types of errors, design suggestions, and performance
tips. We hope you like it!
In this issue, we've also included a few tips on Combo Boxes and
List Boxes on Microsoft Access forms, some innovative work
we've done with Android smartphones, and my recent experience
supporting entrepreneurship in Virginia with the governor.
Also check out the free Microsoft beta releases for Windows 8
and Visual Studio 11.
I'll be speaking and hanging out at the
Portland Access User Group conference in early May at the
very pleasant Silver Falls State Park conference center. I had
a great time there last year and look forward to seeing
everyone again. Hope you can make it.
Be
sure to Like our
Facebook page to get the latest information about our product
releases, tips, and other news related to helping you be more
productive.
Luke Chung
President
Contents
Total Access Analyzer for Access 2010 is Now Shipping
Total Access Analyzer, the most popular Microsoft Access add-in
of all time, is now shipping with support for the 32 and 64 bit
versions of Microsoft Access 2010.
We've added many new features to support Access 2010, generate
more documentation, identify more errors, and suggest more design
improvements and best practices. There's advanced validation of
macro commands, macro printouts showing indented syntax, temporary
variable cross-referencing and verification, improved query performance
analysis, etc.
We've also enhanced the user experience with the ability to
open a cross-referenced item in design mode while viewing the
information, previewing multiple reports at once, and adding color
to the 280+ available reports.
Here is a description of the
new Access 2010 features and new
PDF flier. Existing customers can upgrade at
a discounted price.
"Total Access Analyzer is an amazing product that
I’ve relied on and recommended for years," said Sal
Ricciardi Programming Writer for Microsoft Corporation. "It’s
a huge time saver."
Press Release
FMS
Participates with Virginia Governor's Declaration of 2012 as the
Year of the Entrepreneur
FMS President Luke Chung was invited to participate with Virginia's
governor in his proclamation of 2012 as the
Year of the Entrepreneur. Luke stood behind Governor Bob McDonnell
and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling during the press conference
and participated in a day-long event supporting entrepreneurship,
small businesses, and job creation.
More information on our
blog.
Creating
Cascading Combo Boxes and List Boxes on Microsoft Access Forms
Combo boxes and list boxes are a great way to display data
and control user selections by limiting the values that a user
can choose to a defined list.
Multiple
combo boxes or list boxes may appear on a form. Having the selection
in one box limit the choices in the next one is very powerful.
We wrote a new paper with sample database to illustrate this
through a taxonomic selection for a species (kingdom, phylum,
class, order, family, genus, then species). As you choose each
level, the filtered values in the next level automatically appear.
Read more in
Creating Cascading Combo Boxes and List Boxes on Microsoft Access
Forms
Selecting
the First Item in a ComboBox or ListBox on a Microsoft Access
Form
When working with ComboBoxes and ListBoxes, we often find the
need to select the first item in the list by default. This can
be done when the form loads, or with the contents of the ListBox
or ComboBox are changed based on another selection.
We have a new paper with a sample database to show how to do
this with the ItemData(0) property. Learn more in
Selecting the First Item in a ComboBox or ListBox on a Microsoft
Access Form
Smartphones
and tablets are beginning to change the way organizations share
and collect information, communicate, manage and make decisions.
It's not about taking an existing desktop or web application
and squeezing it into a smaller screen. The real revolution is
transforming the way organizations operate through the unique
features of mobile devices.
The FMS Professional Solutions team has leveraged our experience
building scalable and maintainable database applications for mobility
solutions. We recently created an Android application for a multinational
manufacturer that gives their North American sales team a significant
competitive edge.
They still use their PCs and laptops with a web application.
The mobile solution extends that to let them enter and receive
data in a whole new way. It is an Android application that:
- Integrates the camera, GPS, and calendar features to easily
upload and geo tag photos
- Sends and receives messages and alerts from their
primary web application so the entire field team is managed
in real time
- Leverages information delivered from their SQL Server business
intelligence analytics
- Uses secure connections to a transactional Microsoft SQL
Server database
For more information, visit
Custom Mobile
Solutions on Android Smartphones or
contact
us if you're interested in a similar solution.
Because federal property is not subject to local taxes, the
federal government compensates municipalities for federal
students and workers through their Impact Aid program.
Every
year, school systems need to submit claims to receive this
payment. The Washington DC Public Schools (DCPS) sends surveys
to determine students who live or have parents who
work on federal property.
By automating a process that was previously performed manually,
FMS helped DCPS achieve increased efficiency and accuracy with
a multiuser Microsoft Access application. Professionally
designed and deployed, FMS
created reports to identify a larger number of federally
connected families, and file the forms to obtain federal
funding. This translated directly into greater funding which more than
paid for our services and allows DCPS to devote more resources
to classrooms.
Learn more about our
Impact Aid
Software System, other solutions for the
education
community, and our
Microsoft Access programming services.
Luke
Chung Speaking at Portland Access User Group Conference in May
Coming
soon! FMS President Luke Chung will be attending and speaking
at the three day Microsoft Access conference sponsored by the
Portland Oregon Access User Group.
Join him and other guest speakers May 5-7 at the beautiful Silver
Falls State Park Conference Center.
Microsoft speakers include Ryan McMinn, Microsoft Access Senior
Program Manager Lead, and Kevin Bell test engineer on the Access
team. Other speakers include industry authors and notables F.
Scott Barker, Alison Balter, Juan Soto, and Armen Stein.
Luke will be giving a new presentation on Tips and
Techniques for Taking Over an Existing Access Application.
For complete details and registration, visit the
PAUG
Conference site. See photos from last year's conference on
our
Facebook page.
Thank you for your continued support!
Watch our
Blog,
Facebook
page, and
Twitter
feed for our latest announcements
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