Product support for Microsoft Access is incident-based support. An incident of product support for Microsoft Access is defined as a support question broken down in simplest terms, and the reasonable efforts to resolve it. Before Microsoft provides support for an incident, you and the Access support professional should agree on what the incident is and the parameters for an acceptable solution. For example, a question about how to implement a combo box on a form constitutes an incident.
Support Information on the Web
For phone numbers and support options on all Microsoft products, please see
the information available on the Microsoft Web site at:
For more information about Microsoft Product Support Services offerings, please visit our Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/support/, or call Microsoft
Support Sales at (800) 936-3500.
When you need technical assistance with Microsoft Access products, there
are ways to gather technical information that may provide answers to
your questions before you use an incident of Product support. For
example, technical articles, white papers, free software, and access to
Microsoft's public newsgroups are available on the Internet:
For more information about Access Newsgroups, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
When you call for telephone support for Microsoft Access, or when you use
Microsoft Online Assisted Support, Access support professionals strive to provide you with a consistent level of product support. In order to do so, Access support professionals use the following guidelines for supporting of all versions of Microsoft Access.
Microsoft Access Support Guidelines
The Microsoft Access support professional will do everything possible to help but due to certain factors, may require that you contact someone else. The type of issues that may fall in this category are Automation with non-Microsoft applications, use of third-party ActiveX controls, and making call to Windows APIs. Our goal is to do everything we can to help you until the issue is shown to be within the third-party component.
When dealing with limitations of the product, we help you as much as possible in providing a workaround for the limitation.
Production Solutions
Support professionals can develop sample code designed to illustrate how to accomplish a specific task or concept based on generic data structures. You can then use this generic sample as a template to implement the technique in your application.
Access support does not develop code specific to a your database or application; if possible, samples should be based on the Northwind sample database.
When support professionals are confronted with a very complex issue, in most cases those issues can be broken down into smaller sub issues, in which we will show you sample code or examples to accomplish the smaller tasks. Each task is understood as a separate incident that makes up the more complex task.
Support professionals can help you get started in debugging your code. This includes showing you how to use the debug tools and demonstrating how to walk through the code to help identify problem code. Whether a complete fix is implemented by Access support is based on the definition of production code.
If a code sample is created that illustrates a common technique or task, a Microsoft knowledge base article may also be provided.
For Example:
Support professionals can help you implement a discount in Access without knowing or understanding how your business defines the discount. But defining the equation for the discount is handled by you, because this depends upon business knowledge.
One example of sample code that could be written is the
Age function. This is a generic function, which does not depend on the your database or data structures.
ActiveX Controls
Support is not provided if it is determined that the issue is caused by a third-party control or a limitation of Access as a container. This extends to Microsoft controls not shipped with the version of Access or Developer Toolkit/Edition you have installed.
If the problem is with a third-party control, we will try to provide contact information for that product.
Automation and DDE
Interoperability using DDE and/or Automation is supported until the issue is determined to be caused by the third party application or a limitation of Access as a controller.
API Calls
For Windows API and DLL calls, support is not provided once the issue is determined as being a limitation of Access such as passing the window handle of controls.
If you require in-depth knowledge of how a specific API call works, you should either post your question to a newsgroup or contact Microsoft Advisory Services.
Resources:Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to the Win32 API
by David Appleman (ISBN 0672315904)
Support Boundary Exceptions for Wizards
Access support provides assistance in using the built-in Wizards, but not with modifying their behavior. Because this would involve a "Customer/Business Specific" solution, writing the custom code required is not supported. This does not completely limit the support the you may receive. If you have started to modify an existing wizard or started to create your own wizard, we will help within the guidelines defined in this article.
Wizard Modification/Creation - If the issue involves providing support for the "writing" of the wizard, you should contact the Microsoft Advisory Services or Solution Providers. See details below.
Support Boundary Exceptions for Replication
Access support cannot support implementing the Briefcase with a non-Access file. Examples of this include .xls, .doc or any third party-file. In each of these cases, the Briefcase is only being used as a "file copy" mechanism and is in no way related to actual Briefcase replication.
Access support only provides limited support for customers writing "Custom Conflict Resolution Wizards." We will provide help with the "hooks" required to "connect" the new wizard, but will not provided extensive support on the logic required to resolve the conflicts.
Briefcase Issues
After the Access support professional determines that Briefcase is the problem and not a specific file type, then the appropriate operating systems support group will be contacted. If the problem occurs only with specific file types, then you are referred to the support for that application (that is, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, or a third-party vendor.)
Custom Conflict Wizard
If the issue involves providing support for the "writing" of the conflict wizard, you are referred to the Microsoft Advisory Services or Solution Providers.
Replication Connectivity
Once the issue is determined to be with the actual connection, the Support professional will then determine whether Access is causing the connection to be lost. If the cause is determined not to be Access, then the appropriate operating systems support group will be contacted. Replication Connectivity Issues are supported until the cause of the problem is determined to be the actual connection. This includes replication across a LAN or WAN, Internet Replication and Dial-up Networking connections.
Help Beyond Standard Support
If you need product support beyond the support guidelines listed above, there are other options you can consider.
Microsoft-sponsored newsgroups on the Internet allow you to receive assistance from experienced Microsoft Access developers everywhere. There is no limit to the assistance you can request, and the service is free (except for any fees you pay for Internet access). Connect to Microsoft Access newsgroups at:
Premier Support
Microsoft Premier Support services provide a complete, personalized suite of support services targeted for business enterprises. For more information about Premier Support, call Microsoft Support Sales at (800) 936-3500, or visit the following site on the Internet:
Advisory Services
NOTE: Advisory Services was formally known as the Office Developer Consult Line (ODCL).
Advisory Services is an hourly fee-based, consultative support option that provides proactive support beyond your break-fix product maintenance needs. This is a remote, phone-based support option that includes working with the same technician for assistance with issues like product migration, code review, or new program development. This service is typically used for shorter engagements, and is designed for developers and IT professionals who do not require the traditional onsite consulting or sustained account management services that are available from other Microsoft support options.
For information on Microsoft Advisory Services, refer to this Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/advisoryservice.
Solution Providers
For information about Solution Providers in your local area, contact the Microsoft Solution Provider Sales and Information line at (800)765-7768 in the U.S. or (800)563-9048 in Canada. For information about support in other locations, contact a local Microsoft subsidiary.
If you are an experienced programmer, the support offered would typically be advanced or more in-depth examples or forms that you can implement in your solution.