POLICY: Microsoft Product Support Guidelines for MS Access
ID: Q166776
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The information in this article applies to:
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Microsoft Access versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 7.0, 97
SUMMARY
Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.
This article presents the guidelines that Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) support professionals follow when supporting Microsoft Access customers.
MORE INFORMATION
Product support for Microsoft Access is incident-based support. An
incident of product support for Microsoft Access is defined as a support
question broken down in simplest terms, and the reasonable efforts to
resolve it. For example, a question about how to implement a combo box on
a form constitutes an incident.
For phone numbers and support options on all Microsoft products, please see
the information available on the Microsoft Web site at:
http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/overview/overview.asp
Additional support for Microsoft Access Developer's Toolkit is available
with Priority Developer support, which is pay-per-incident support
available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The cost of Priority
Developer support is $95 per incident, which is payable by credit card:
Microsoft Priority Developer Support
-------------------------------------------
(800) 936-5800 (Billed to your credit card)
For phone numbers and support options on all Microsoft products, please see
the information available on the Microsoft Web site at:
http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/overview/overview.asp
For more information about Microsoft Product Support Services offerings, please visit our Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/support/, or call Microsoft
Support Sales at (800) 936-3500.
When you need technical assistance with Microsoft Access products, there
are ways to gather technical information that may provide answers to
your questions before you use an incident of Product support. For
example, technical articles, white papers, free software, and access to
Microsoft's public newsgroups are available on the Internet:
http://support.microsoft.com/support
http://www.microsoft.com/Access
http://www.microsoft.com/AccessDev
When you call for telephone support for Microsoft Access, or when you use
Microsoft's electronic Web Response support, PSS support professionals strive to provide you with a consistent level of product support. In order to do so, PSS support professionals use the following guidelines for supporting of all versions of Microsoft Access.
NOTE: If you need product support beyond what the following support
guidelines offer you, there are other options you can consider:
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Microsoft-sponsored newsgroups on the Internet allow you to receive assistance from experienced Microsoft Access developers everywhere. There is no limit to the assistance you can request, and the service is free (except for any fees you pay for Internet access). Connect to Microsoft Access newsgroups at:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/news/
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Office Developer Consulting is a service that puts experienced Microsoft PSS support professionals to work on your database application. For more information about this service, call (800) 936-5200
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Microsoft Premier Support services provide a complete, personalized suite of support services targeted for business enterprises. For more information about Premier Support, call Microsoft Support Sales at (800) 936-3500, or visit the following site on the Internet:
http://www.microsoft.com/Enterprise/support.htm
Microsoft Access Support Guidelines
Setup
- Assist you with installation of Microsoft Access as a stand-alone or
network application as explained in the user documentation
- Troubleshoot your installation by performing general hardware checks
and review of configuration files, and by checking the integrity of
your installation disks
- Assist you with setting and customizing program options via the user
interface in Microsoft Access
Database Design
- Assist you in implementing a specific database design feature using the Northwind, Developer Solutions, or Orders sample databases
- Give you conceptual design advice to help you understand the advantages
and disadvantages of a particular design option
- Show you examples that illustrate design concepts in the Northwind,
Developer Solutions, or Orders sample databases provided with Microsoft
Access
- Refer you to additional resources for information about database
design, such as books, Help, and technical articles
Database Objects (Tables, Queries, Forms, Reports, Macros and Modules)
- Explain the general concept of any database object
- Address your specific question about how to implement a feature of a
particular object
- Show you examples of how to use database objects in the Northwind,
Developer Solutions, or Orders sample databases
Import/Export/Link Data
- Ensure that the data import and export drivers supplied with your
version of Microsoft Access are correctly installed
- Check versions of applicable files with you to be sure they are correct
- Check system settings where applicable to be sure they are correct
- Verify that a data import/export option is working correctly using the
Northwind, Developer Solutions, or Orders sample databases
Security
- Explain the basics of the Microsoft Access security model and refer you
to resources to learn more
- Use a sample database and workgroup file to illustrate creating groups
and users, and assigning permissions to database objects
Replication
- Explain the effects of replication on your database
- Explain the advantages and disadvantages of making a database
replicable
- Help you to understand the importance of planning the appropriate
topology and schedule for synchronizing data and design changes between
replica databases
- Describe the different types of replication synchronization conflicts
and explain how to resolve each type of conflict
ODBC
- Help you to install and use any ODBC drivers supplied with your version
of Microsoft Access
- Help you to troubleshoot connection problems with ODBC drivers supplied
with your version of Microsoft Access
Visual Basic for Applications Code
- Assist you in troubleshooting syntax in a particular statement or line
of code
- Show you ways Microsoft Access provides for you to debug your code
- Suggest a Visual Basic statement, property, or method that may assist
you in accomplishing a particular task
- Recommend resources for obtaining more information about writing and
debugging Visual Basic code
Internet Features
- Help you troubleshoot an Internet connection problem by copying and
pasting the Internet uniform resource locator (URL) into the address
line of your Web browser
- Assist you in creating HTML pages using the wizards provided with
Microsoft Access 97, or the Internet Assistant add-in available for
Microsoft Access 7.0
- Assist you in creating a Hyperlink data field in the Northwind sample
database, explain the different parts of a hyperlink address, and
explain how to edit them
- Explain the system requirements for HTX/IDC and ASP files as documented
in Help and the Microsoft Knowledge Base
- Help you troubleshoot ODBC issues with HTX/IDC and ASP files within
ODBC support guidelines
Automation
- Interpret and explain syntax, connectivity, functionality, and purpose
of automation
- Direct you to Help topics and Microsoft Knowledge Base articles which
include sample automation code using Microsoft products
- Help you troubleshoot automation issues using Microsoft Access to
control a second instance of Microsoft Access
Interoperability
- Direct you through the Pivot Table Wizard, explaining its functionality
- Demonstrate the use of Output To, Analyze it with MS Excel, and the Mail
Merge Wizard using the Northwind sample database
- Refer you to Help topics and Knowledge Base articles about
interoperability with other Microsoft products
Microsoft Office 97 Developer Edition (ODE), Microsoft Access Developer's
Toolkit (ADT), and Microsoft Access Distribution Kit (ADK)
- Ensure proper installation of the product from its original media
- Demonstrate functionality of the ODE/ADT/ADK using the Northwind sample
database
- Help you troubleshoot the Setup Wizard using the Northwind sample
database
- Suggest troubleshooting steps for complex setup images by starting with
a simple Setup program, and then methodically adding files, shortcuts,
components and registry settings to determine which element causes the
problem
- Help you distribute other Office applications using the Setup Wizard.
ActiveX Controls
- Assist you with installing the ActiveX controls shipped with your
version of Microsoft Access
- Demonstrate the functional usage of a control by inserting the control
in the Northwind sample database and adding sample code found in Help
for the control
- Direct you to the sample ActiveX controls database for examples of
functional use of ActiveX controls
- Describe the methods, properties, and events associated with ActiveX
controls
SourceSafe Integration with Microsoft Access
- Assist you with SourceSafe integration issues using the Northwind
sample database and the Microsoft Access user interface to SourceSafe
- Explain checking in and checking out database objects, including the
binary Data and Misc. Objects
- Explain the concepts of source code control and project management, and
refer you to Microsoft Knowledge Base articles and the Source Code
Control white paper
Software Available on Microsoft Download Services
- Assist you in installing supported software
- Assist you with basic usage, walking you through the user interface and
explaining what you see
- Troubleshoot potential problems with Setup and the user interface to
the point of identifying any problems that exist
Additional query words:
Keywords : kbpolicy NpdMTS
Version : WINDOWS:1.0,1.1,2.0,7.0,97
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo
Last Reviewed: June 30, 1999