Learn and Apply Best Practices for Microsoft Access

Main Menu of Total Access Analyzer

From here, you can easily:

• Create new detailed documentation for your database
• For previously generated documentation on this or another database:
  • View the results
  • Search for any string across the object properties and code
  • Preview, print, or export reports to file
• Generate simple "quick" documentation for your objects

Because Total Access Analyzer runs within Access, it leverages the power of Access to document and present the results in Access forms and reports. In many places, it also offers the ability to look at the results and jump into design mode for the current record's object with a single keystroke. This lets you easily examine the results and apply the suggestions.

Application Flow Diagram

Procedure and event flow for the entire database

Documentation Explorer

The documentation results are shown in the powerful Documentation Explorer, that lets you easily browse the most complex Access databases through an intuitive hierarchical treeview. Look at summary and detail information on any documented object:

Table Field Dictionary

See all your tables and fields in one list. Easily:

• See and sort all the fields across all your tables
• Search by field name
• Filter by field name and see all the tables that use it
• Filter by data type to see the tables and fields that use it
• and much more because the results are in a table displayed as a datasheet

Property Slices

The power of Total Access Analyzer comes with its ability to show data across all objects. The Property Slice feature lets you choose a property name and see all the objects' values for that property. Simply select a folder and see a property across all the objects like the RecordSource for all forms:

You can also see property values across all form controls. Similarly, for Tables and Queries, you can choose object level or field/column level properties.

Cross-Reference Where Objects are Used by Other Objects

The XRef tab shows for each object, where it's used throughout your database including references from other objects, macros, and modules. Here you can see each table and what objects and controls are referencing it such queries, RecordSource of forms and reports, RowSource of combo boxes and list boxes, macros, explicit references in VBA code, and lookups in table fields:

Examples of cross-referencing other objects include where a query is used, all the forms a form is used as a subform, where macros are invoked, where functions are used across queries, etc.

Issues: Errors, Suggestions and Performance Tips

Errors, Suggestions and Performance tips are displayed in their tabs. By pressing Alt+D, you can open the current object in design mode to examine and make the recommended changes. Check the "Reviewed" box for items you don't want or need to change, so the next time the database is documented, your Reviewed status is preserved. You can even filter on the Reviewed status to see any new issues from your last run.

Search Your Documentation

You can also search the documented properties, macros, and modules for any word or phrase, to see all the places it's used. The results are presented to you and you can immediately open the current object in Design mode with a keystroke: