Access to visual basic using Diamond edge

[Happy YN]

Has anyone tried and had success with "Diamond edge" software for converting access to vb?
I need to convert an access program to an exe and this seems to be the most feasable solution.
Client does not want to buy Access and runtime is just not realiable enough in my experience!
Thanks

 

[Pat Hartman]

This program doesn't convert your Access db to an .exe, it converts the application to VB source code. Once it is converted to VB, there is no going back. You will need to purchase the VB compiler to compile the code into an .exe. If the Diamond product converts to an older version of VB, you'll either need to convert the VB to the newest version or buy an old compiler.

Products of this type cannot convert ActiveX controls and may also have trouble with some Access forms and reports. This is not the panacea you think it is.

Cost wise it would be cheaper to purchase the Office developer's edition so that you can obtain the license to distribute the runtime version of MS Access along with your app.

If you are a programmer, you can probably deal with VB. It's a lot more work than Access as you will see when you see the source code and what you will have to write to create the simplest of forms. Also the VB report writer is inferier to the Access report writer so you may need to purchase Crystal Reports. Crystal can do some kinds of drill-down reports that native Access can't do but I find the product hard to use and clunky. Give me the Access report writer over any other that I've ever tried.

If you do go this route, please write back and tell us your experiences.

Good Luck

 

[Happy YN]

Thanks Pat for quick response. Actually Crystal reports are now included in the conversion software if I understood correctly. also isn't the compiler included in vb6?
I enclose the email I received in response to my query to them:

At 09:05 AM 10/31/2003, you wrote:
>Hi
>We are MS Access developers based in uk. We need to convert programs which
>we have developed in Access into exe files and VB is an option for us.
>However how can we be sure that your conversion software will work 100%
>without need for any tweaking? Could we email you a program which we have
>developed so that you can test it for us before we buy?

The evaluation version of our products is representative of what you should expect from the full version. We typically see more than 80-90% automated which means you will have a small percentage of work to do by hand. Compared to rewriting the application, automating 90% of the conversion can save you many thousands of dollars in labor costs.

We understand the need to be sure that our products will work for you and will save you time and money. As such we provide a 30-day money back guarantee. We are confident in our products and that they will save you many times the cost of the products in time and money.

If after using the evaluation version available from our website it looks like it will work for you, we recommend you purchase the product. If the product did not save you at least what it cost, you may return the product for a refund after removing the software as well as all Java, JSP, and VB code that it generated. The only thing we ask is that you detail what the product was not able to do so that we may improve the product. As good as the product is, we are dedicated to improving and expanding its capabilities.

Regards,

 

[Pat Hartman]

What do you mean

Crystal reports are now included in the conversion software if I understood correctly

- Crystal isn't included in the Diamond software.

If you have VB6, you can compile the generated code. Why not do exactly what the vendor said. Download the trial version and give it a go. See how much changing you need to do after the conversion.

It is rare that software comes with a money back guarantee. If the trial is successful, buy the product.