Can I upgrade an Access MDE database to Access 2007 ACCDE format using VBA only? - ms-access-2007

Question

I would like to provide the facility for the user to upgrade their own back-end databases rather than sending the file to me to manually convert using Access.
Is this possible? Having read around the subject I don't have much hope but would like expert confirmation it is impossible or hopefully a solution.

Answer 1

If you are really limited to just MDE/ACCDE format, this appears to be impossible.
One imperfect way you could do it, if you only use tables and queries, is to create a new database in the desired format, and import the tables and queries from the old database. This is because using the MDE/ACCDE format, you cannot import or export forms, modules, and macros. To try this produces the error:
Error 29045: Description: "You can't import, export, create, modify, or rename any forms, reports, pages or modules in an ACCDE, MDE or ADE database."
If using just tables and queries you could go ahead as follows based on the example given in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/298174
(In my scenario, I am not able to use the new database as the current database so I must import into the current database temporarily and then export into the new database, otherwise just directly import into the new database.)
Dim strNewDB As String
Dim strOldDB As String
Dim dbOld as Database
Dim dbNew as Database
Dim tbl As Variant
Dim qry As QueryDef
Set dbNew = DBEngine.CreateDatabase(strNewDB, dbLangGeneral & ";pwd=xxxxx"), dbEncrypt)
Set dbOld = DBEngine.OpenDatabase(strOldDB, , , ";pwd=xxxxx"))
'import/export tables
For Each tbl In dbOld.TableDefs
Debug.Print tbl.name
If left(tbl.name, 4) <> "MSys" Then
DoCmd.TransferDatabase acImport, "Microsoft Access", dbOld.name, acTable, _
tbl.name, "_temp_" & tbl.name
DoCmd.TransferDatabase acExport, "Microsoft Access", dbNew.name, acTable, _
"_temp_" & tbl.name, tbl.name
DoCmd.DeleteObject acTable, "_temp_" & tbl.name
End If
Next tbl
'import/export queries
For Each qry In dbOld.QueryDefs
Debug.Print qry.name
DoCmd.TransferDatabase acImport, "Microsoft Access", dbOld.name, acQuery, _
qry.name, "_temp_" & qry.name
DoCmd.TransferDatabase acExport, "Microsoft Access", dbNew.name, acQuery, _
"_temp_" & qry.name, qry.name
DoCmd.DeleteObject acQuery, "_temp_" & qry.name
Next qry
As mentioned by Robert Harvey in this comment, when using MDB/ACCDB you could just use Application.ConvertAccessProject.