INFO: Migrating from Microsoft Office XP Developer

Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003, Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003, and Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System 2003 are the recommended suite of products and the recommended tools for Microsoft Office 2003 developers. This suite of products and tools for Office 2003 developers collectively serves as replacements for some components of Microsoft Office XP Developer.

Microsoft Office 2003 and FrontPage 2003 represent a direct migration path from Office XP Developer with FrontPage. However, Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System does not include a one-to-one equivalent for each development tool that is included with Office XP Developer.

This article contains an overview of Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System. This article also describes the Office 2003 equivalents that are available for the development tools that are included with Office XP Developer.

Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System is a new product that provides tools for developing Office 2003 solutions. Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System includes the following:

• Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System
  
  Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System permits developers to take advantage of the power and the productivity of Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 and the Microsoft .NET Framework to build Office 2003 solutions that are based on Microsoft Office Word 2003 and Microsoft Office Excel 2003.
  
  For additional information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/default.aspx
• Microsoft Office Access 2003 Developer Extensions
  
  Access 2003 Developer Extensions is a set of tools for Access solution developers. These tools can reduce the work that you have to do to build Access solutions and to streamline the production environment and the deployment environment. Access 2003 Developer Extensions includes a royalty-free Access Runtime that permits distribution of Access 2003 solutions.
  
  For additional information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa905403.aspx
• Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Developer Edition
  
  You can use the SQL Server 2000 Developer Edition to develop and to test your Office solutions before you deploy your Office solutions.
  
  For additional information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa933150(SQL.80).aspx
• Microsoft Visual Basic .NET 2003
  
  Visual Basic .NET 2003 is available for developers who want to learn the Visual Basic language by constructing applications for Microsoft Windows and for the Web.
  
  For additional information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vbasic/default.aspx

While Office Professional Edition 2003, FrontPage 2003, and Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System collectively serve as replacements for many components of Office XP Developer, not all the tools and not all the components that are included with Office XP Developer have an equivalent for Office 2003.

Many of the tools in Office XP Developer have been replaced with newer tools that are based on more current technology and on more powerful technology. The following table lists the components that are in Office XP Developer and the equivalent components that are in Office 2003. If an Office 2003 equivalent component is not available, a replacement may be suggested if there is a replacement that is available.