Office 2007 Madness!

[Joe4]

We are converting to Office 2007, and I have encountered some downright frustrating things that they have taken away in Excel and VBA.

1. FileSearch functionality gone (VBA)
2. Ability to save to a DBF (DB4) file (Excel and VBA)

Thanks to some people here, I got a workaround to item #1. And from my research on the web, I haven't found an Excel workaround for item #2. It looks like I will have to use Access to save to a DBF file. Not a big deal, as I am quite proficient in Access, just a pain in the neck in that I need to convert a bunch of programs.

The second item really irks me though. According to what I have read, it is "planned" obsolesence by Microsoft, as they determined that there is an out-dated functionality isn't really used anymore, though a simple search of the web clearly disputes that notion (as do many people in our office). Makes me wonder, do they do any research before making such crazy statements?

Anyway, venting isn't the only reason for this post (though it does feel good to get it off my chest), I also have a few discussion questions:

1. Has anyone found any other workarounds to item #2 that continues to use Excel VBA?

2. Does anyone know if there is any chance Microsoft might restore this feature in a future patch/release?

Thanks.

 

[SydneyGeek]

If the export will always have the same name you could potentially:
1. Save out the file
2. Link that file to Access as a defined table name
3. In future, save out the file and use Automation from Excel to run Access' TransferDatabase command.

That way, you are using Access but the process could still run transparently from Excel. I noted in the Access help that you will need to trust the database location unless you want Access warning you about untrusted code.

Just a thought...
Denis

 

[Joe4]

Actually, all these automated jobs are run from batch files, so it is not a big deal to just add a call in the batch file to the Access application after the Excel piece finishes.

Just an extra bothersome step. Not hard, just tedious and annoying!