MS Access 2010: How do I use it?

Factual Questions
1

I’m using MS Access 2003 on my computer to import .csv files and export them as fixed-position .txt files. (I’d save them as .txt from Excel, but Excel doesn’t have an option to write fixed-position text files with the record lengths that I have; so I have to use Access.) My coworker manually enters data into the AS 400 computer. It writes a file in a certain format. The AS 400 is going away as of today, so she needs to enter her data in Excel. Right now, she saves the Excel file as comma delimited. I do the Access import/export and run the data through a program. I don’t want to do this. I want her to do it. The trouble is, that she doesn’t really know how to use a computer.

She has Access 2010, and I don’t know how to use 2010. In 2003, I create a database by choosing New and Blank database. Then I click a button on the toolbar to import a file. Then I click a button to export the file. Easy-peasy. In 2010, I don’t see how to do that. How do I do in 2010, what I do in 2003?

2

Are you familiar with any of the changes that occurred to any of the other Office suite programs from 2007?

Basically, nearly everything is the same, it’s just that the menu bar has been replaced by a ‘ribbon’ style menu - all of the same stuff is in there somewhere - although you may not find it as intuitively or logically organised as it was in the menus.

There are some generic tutorials here that might help: Microsoft 365 help & learning

3

And (a couple of links deep in that resource) here’s one that tackles the differences between Access 2003 and 2010:

4

I saw that second link when I tried Help, but it wants me to install Silver-something-or-other.

I think I’ve figured it out: Open Access. Open a blank database. Import Excel file. (This is an improvement, since I no longer have to make it a .csv file – If I try to import a .xls file in 2003, options are greyed out so I can’t define all of the fields as text.) Export Text file. Don’t check the box, but just click OK. Click Advanced. Enter the field positions and lengths. Click Finish to save.

I had the coworker do it, and she wrote step-by-step notes. I ran her export through the Easytrieve, and all is good. So now she can prepare the files and all I have to do is run them.

5

Ah, sorry about that - Silverlight (Microsoft’s answer to Flash, more or less)

6

What’s wrong with MS Silverlight?

7

I don’t install things on the company computer.

8

Sure, but this is silverlight, not bonzi the internet buddy.

9

If it’s a matter of corporate IT policy, it doesn’t matter what it is. That said, I’m a little surprised that Silverlight isn’t part of everyone’s standard build now.

10

I was assuming that if it were that reason, he’d have said, “I can’t install”. I would have thought as well, that if it’s a windows computer, the IT would have included silverlight.