Access topics

ODBC error (incorrect syntax) since 2604

EzAccessGideon — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:18:52 GMT

Overnight i have the problem that many inserts in my MS Access app do not work anymore. I get the error

Run-time error '3155':
ODBC--insert on a linked table 'tablename' failed.
[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][SQL Server]Incorrect syntax near '='.(#102)

I have been able to isolate this issue on a column of type NVARCHAR(MAX). If I insert any value except null in this column the error above will show on save. I tested with other variants of NVARCHAR. The problem happens starting from NVARCHAR(256), thus what is Long Text for Ms Access. When i insert the record first with a value null for this column, no error is generated and the record is saved. If i 'Update' the record later with a text value in this column, that is no problem.

So, the ODBC connection generates a sql insert statement that is mallformed in case of a long text.

I have this problem consistent on all apps and all tables where i have NVARCHAR(>255).

My solution is to go back to office release 2508 (semi annual support).

version 2604,new bug?

Weichen Yang — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:14:51 GMT

access 365 updated to version 2604, does it destory odbc cache? system show sql login windows continuously.

using odbc dns-less to link azure sql database.

After the upgrade, the system became completely unusable.

Unable to use database view option in Access - Microsoft 365

NsdHill21steph — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:38:18 GMT

Error - You can't set criteria before you add a field or expression to the Field Row

I need some help on this.

Edge Browser Control stealing Focus

udaytheja — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 19:06:02 GMT

I am facing an issue with the Microsoft Access Edge (WebView2) browser control in VBA Office 365.

I have two forms displayed side by side:

The first form contains a grid/list of records.
The second form contains an Edge browser control that loads an HTML file.

When a record is selected (or navigated using arrow keys) in the grid, I dynamically delete and recreate an HTML file with details of the selected record, and then call the Edge browser control’s Navigate method to load that file.

The problem is:

Arrow key navigation works correctly in the grid when the Edge browser control is not used.
Once I add the Edge browser Navigate call, the browser control takes focus.
After that, arrow key navigation in the grid stops working because focus shifts to the browser.
Attempts to manually set focus back to the grid (SetFocus, timers, etc.) are not reliable. Tried this in documentcomplete event also, but not working.
The issue seems to be related to the asynchronous behavior of the Edge browser control, which keeps reclaiming focus.

What is the best way to reliably prevent or reclaim focus from the Edge browser control so that keyboard navigation in the grid continues to work smoothly?

Multi-line Text Box misleading text and cursor display

RJBrenemanToo — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:59:45 GMT

Starting with 365 Version 2603 on 4K monitor, in a multi-line text box, typing multiple words followed by line feeds (Enter key) then moving cursor back up to previous line causes trailing characters to disappear, entering characters at the end of the line shows the new character with the cursor in front of it, and other bizarre behavior. Selecting all the text shows it is all there but trailing characters at the end of a line can disappear depending on cursor position. If I change the monitor resolution to 2K, the issue goes away. If I rollback to version 2602 the issue goes away. This is an issue with version 2603 on 4K monitors. We have many customers reporting the same issue.

Move Existing Sharepoint Linked Database to a different Sharepoint Site

HenryD — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:06:10 GMT

Hi. I have a Sharepoint Linked Database that is working well within our company. We would like to use it within another subsidiary company that operates with its own Name and Sharepoint sites. Could you please assist as i am struggling to do this. Thanks

Access adds brackets to text in quotes in Iif statement

WoodyWhite981 — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 01:25:26 GMT

I have a query of 1 short text field. If the field has the value "NOCOV" I want to return Null, otherwise I want the value in the short text field. The problem is that Access add brackets around "NOCOV" and treats it like a parameter.

I enter:

PRM_PreMedicare_Plan_ID: IIf([PRM Pre-Medicare Plan ID]=“NOCOV”,Null,[PRM Pre-Medicare Plan ID])

The result is:

PRM_PreMedicare_Plan_ID: IIf([PRM Pre-Medicare Plan ID]=[“NOCOV”],Null,[PRM Pre-Medicare Plan ID])

It doesn't matter if I use <> or Like instead of = or Switch instead of IIf. The same problem occurs. I don't know how to prevent Access from adding brackets.

I'm using Access for Office 365 Version 2603.

Tool to compare object in one database with the same object in another database

elkinskckathy — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:05:26 GMT

I would like to compare a form in a backup database to the same form in my current database. It is very difficult to use the properties to find differences.

"File not found" error (Error 53) when opening Access database

NiranjanZolto — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:19:11 GMT

I'm getting a "File not found" (Error 53) error when trying to open an Access database (.accdb file). The error appears during the database startup process and points to a VBA subroutine declaration line:

The error message mentions "The file was not found where specified" which suggests VBA is looking for a file during project compilation, but I can't identify what file it's looking for.

Has anyone encountered this issue where the same Access file works with some SQL Server backends but fails to even open with others?

Attachment.Add issue

Cowtown689 — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 21:46:30 GMT

I have the following sub routine

Private Sub Command6_Click()

Dim Msg As String

Msg = & ",<P> Please find attached the quote you requested."

Dim O As Outlook.Application

Dim M As Outlook.MailItem

Dim Brochure As String

Set O = New Outlook.Application

Set M = O.CreateItem(olMailItem)

If Option1 = -1 Then OrderEntryProcedure = "File location"

With M

.BodyFormat = olFormatHTML

.HTMLBody = Msg

.To = "email"

.Subject = "Test"

.Attachments.Add OrderEntryProcedure

.Display

End With

Set M = Nothing

Set O = Nothing

End Sub

My problem is that I cannot return a null value for OrderEntryProcedure which is often the case. As far as I can tell the Attachments.Add must have a value.

What type of work around exists so that I can simply not attach a file to the email if Option1 is <> than -1?

Access Can not delete all this bs on my computer. I had long times way from the computer.

Stockton1 — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 17:54:18 GMT

need practice on this Microsoft. took a class and need the book Microsoft 364 I think.

3044 error in Access

Ken7 — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 07:01:47 GMT

I have two computers networked Windows 10 together and have moved to two new computers windows 11. I have also moved from Microsoft 365 to 2024 office professional plus. Everything seems to work on the new computers except one Access database. That file has a front and back built in. I get a 3044 run error and the data base will not open. The error says it can not find the data base. I think in the transfer the old computer may have a different name than the new, It appears that is the problem. In the network I can see both new computers, it seems they are set up correctly but that could be a problem as well. I simply do not know how to fix it. I hope someone here may have a solution.

Should be easy...... Open a form to a specific record

MHaddon — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 15:18:59 GMT

I have a form with rows showing individual audit for staff members. Each audit would be individualized by an Autonumber ID field.

I want the user to be able to click on the ID field, have it close the form, and open another form on that specific record. Both forms are based on the same underlying table.

The VBA I'm trying is the following:

Private Sub ID_Click()

DoCmd.OpenForm "Case_Notes", acNormal, "[ID] = " & Me!ID

DoCmd.Close acForm, Me.Name, acSaveNo

End Sub

It does open the other form, close the form the user is clicking from, but it does not go to the ID number I click. For example, I click on ID 3, and the other form opens on ID 2.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Let me know if you have questions that I haven't clarified.

ODBC call failed. ORA-01406

jlb091011 — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 21:30:45 GMT

Trying to link to tables on our server which has never been an issue. ODBC connection is fine, using Driver Oracle in OraClient 11g_home 1. Selecting Data Source ODBC Database and selecting Link to the data source by creating a linked table. At this point it asks for a password which is typical, next it would normally bring up the list of tables in the Oracle database to link to. Instead I get the error which states "fetched column value was truncated", once I hit OK to clear the error the usual window appears where I would see all the available tables to link to but no tables are listed, it's blank.

I can't access Microsoft Feedback Portal: account bug

bobbyeagle — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:38:30 GMT

I changed my Microsoft email a year ago, and it updated everywhere other than the Feedback Portal. As a result, I get an error when I try to login, or do anything on the page.

Microsoft account support's suggestion was to login to the Feedback Portal which is insane given I'm having issues accessing it.

How can I get this issue resolved? I've got three separate support tickets now and they keep asking me to wait 24 hours to get the issue resolved.

Can someone from the Feedback Portal team please contact me to resolve this?

This is what Microsoft Support have said:

"understand your frustration, and yes—this is an account‑related issue because the Feedback Portal is still tied to your old alias, which causes login conflicts and forces you out. Your Microsoft account itself signs in correctly, but the Feedback Portal is pulling outdated identity data that you cannot update on your own. Since you cannot access the Portal to submit feedback, directing you back there is not a workable solution. What you need is for Support to escalate this to the internal Identity/Feedback Platform engineering team so they can manually correct the outdated alias mapping on the backend. In this situation, the Feedback Portal and Tech Community teams are the ones who manage and maintain that specific platform. Because the issue appears on the Feedback Portal side—even though your Microsoft account is working normally—only their dedicated team can make the necessary corrections on their end. That’s why we are guiding you to connect with them through the links provided: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/ or https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback. They will be able to review the portal‑specific account data and assist you further. I understand why this is frustrating. Since you’re unable to stay signed in to the Feedback Portal, I completely see why posting there isn’t possible for you. However, I do need to be transparent: I’m not able to escalate this issue directly to the Feedback Portal team, as they don’t provide internal escalation channels for us and only accept requests through their own platform."

How can I zoom in and zoom out in Design View?

FazilBabajev — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:12:01 GMT

Help

Microsoft Access and Outlook

amina90 — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:14:02 GMT

Hi there,

I have just updated my laptop (with a view for a faster laptop!)

However, Access was working fine and now i can't send emails from access through outlook like before.

I get a message to say a program is trying to send an email message on your behalf. I'm not sure how to get rid of this warning!

Please help.... Thank you in advance

Access Distribution Package

Phillip J. Seaman — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 17:26:52 GMT

I am sure this has been asked before but her is my design...
1) I have built an Access database application

the distribution tool has the ability to

display a folder picker that asks the admin for the <root> (NAS< Fileserver, etc.)
copy the Backend or database files to that selected <root>
create a Workstation Install tool
- file copy completed
- relink frontend to backend file system
- create a shortcut link on the workstation desktop

This is a very simplified description, but I believe that it is not an unusual request.

thanks for all your assistance in advance.
SquireDude

Office v2508 feature update (new vbe7.dll) breaks library compatibility with LTSC VL versions

HeinziAT — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 19:09:12 GMT

Since the Jan 2026 updates, some `accde` or `mde` libraries built with the semi-annual enterprise channel (v2508, Build 19127.20484) can no longer be used with the volume-licensed version of Office LTSC (tested with the Jan 2026 release of Office 2024 LTSC VL, v2408, Build 17932.20638).

The reason for this seems obvious: The v2508 feature update contains an updated vbe7.dll. Apparently, this change is backwards-compatible (code compiled with the old dll will run with the new dll) but not completely forwards-compatible (code compiled with the new dll might not run with the old dll, even if the new RegExp class is not used).

That's a problem for us. We can't just tell our customers to upgrade, because those with an Office 2024 LTSC volume license already use the latest version available to them.

Does Microsoft consider this a bug or "by design"? If the latter, what is Microsoft's recommendation for software vendors who want to build software that runs on all currently-supported versions of Access?

We currently plan to work around this issue by installing v2502 of the semi-annual enterprise channel on our "build VMs" (32 and 64 bit) and use those to build our software. (Reverting dev machines to an old Office version is not an option for obvious security reasons.)

Repro

On a PC with v2508 or newer:

1. Create a new mylibrary.accdb with a module with the following code:

Public Function GetColorCode() As Long GetColorCode = vbRed End Function

2. File/Save as/Create accde.

3. Copy mylibrary.accde to a PC with v2507 or older (for example, with the current version of Office 2024 LTSC volume license).

On a PC with v2507 or older:

4. Create a new database.

5. Create/Module/Tools/References

6. Add a reference to mylibrary.accde

7. Add the following code to the module:

Sub Test() Debug.Print GetColorCode() End Sub

8. Debug/Compile

Expected result: The database compiles.

Actual result: "Compile error: Can't find project or library". The "references" window opens automatically and highlights "mylibrary".

Notes

We are not library developers, but we are still impacted by this issue, since the software we ship consists of a (modifiable) startup mdb referencing an (unmodifiable) mde containing the business logic.
If you want to try to reproduce this issue but don't have a volume license of Office 2024 LTSC lying around (we certainly don't), you can install a trial version with the Office Deployment Tool and the following configuration file:

The return of the performance leak - this time with subreports

HeinziAT — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:38:47 GMT

Anyone remember the v2405 bug that caused loading and closing forms to become slower over time?

We found something similar in the current release (tested with semi-annual 2508 (19127.20484)), just with sub reports instead of forms. Here are the repro instructions:

Repro instructions

Table

1. Create a "numbers" table with a PK field "nr" (Long Integer).

2. Fill it with the numbers from 1 to 100:

Dim i For i = 1 To 100 CurrentDb.Execute "INSERT INTO numbers (nr) VALUES (" & i & ")" Next i

Sub report

3. Create a new empty report in design view, using the "numbers" table as the record source.

4. In the detail section, add two text boxes "Text1" and "Text2" next to each other, both with the "nr" field as their control source.

5. Reduce the size of the detail section to one "row", containing just the two text boxes. Remove the page header/footer.

6. Add an Format event handler to the detail section with the following content:

Me.Text2.Visible = False

7. Save the report as "sub".

Main report

8. Create another report "main", which contains nothing but the "sub" report as a subreport in its detail section. Set the record source of "main" to "SELECT * FROM numbers WHERE nr <= 10"

Reproduce problem

9. Create the following method in a module:

Sub report_loop() Dim i As Long Dim start_time As Single Dim report_name As String Dim path As String report_name = "main" For i = 1 To 40 path = Environ("Temp") & "\testreport.pdf" start_time = Timer DoCmd.OpenReport report_name, acViewPreview DoCmd.OutputTo acOutputReport, report_name, acFormatPDF, path DoCmd.Close acReport, report_name Debug.Print Timer - start_time Next End Sub

10. Run report_loop. Observe that each report export gets slower and slower.

Analysis

Compare the first and last number in the immediate window: on my machine it's 0.4s for the first report and 2.3s for the last.

Note that if you run report_loop again, it will start slow! In other words, each report export causes MS Access to "leak performance" that is only regained after restarting Access.

We were able to reproduce this issue with Microsoft 365 semi-annual channel, Version 2508 (19127.20484). I'll do more tests tomorrow and try different older versions to find out when this bug was introduced.

Workarounds

If you move the visibility code from the Format event to the Print event, the problem still occurs, but slower (0.4s -> 0.72s instead of 0.4s -> 2.3s).

The workaround that worked for us was to use =IIf(...) in the control source instead of modifying the visibility. Obviously, that only works for text boxes, not for lines or other controls.