About File Compatibility in Microsoft Access

Will I be able to use my databases from earlier versions of Microsoft Access?

By using the Microsoft Access 97 database conversion utility, you can easily convert an existing database to Microsoft Access 97. In most cases, you will want to convert your existing databases to Microsoft Access 97 so that you can take advantage of new features.

If the entire office does not convert to Microsoft Access 97 at the same time, will we be able to share databases?

We have made every effort to make Microsoft Access 97 fully compatible with previous versions, so that the work you have already done will be fully supported and usable.

You can open a previous version database in Microsoft Access 97. However, you can neither change the design of the database nor take advantage of the new features in Microsoft Access 97 until you convert the database to Microsoft Access 97.

The format of Microsoft Access tables is the same in Microsoft Access 97 as it was in Microsoft Access 95. This means that you can link a Microsoft Access 97 table to a Microsoft Access 95 database; import a Microsoft Access 97 table into a Microsoft Access 95 database; export a Microsoft Access 97 table to a Microsoft Access 95 database; and cut, copy, and paste from a Microsoft Access 97 table to a Microsoft Access 95 table.

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