MS Access Package Solution Wizard is Dead, Now What?

I have seen the same question come up in forums as of late regarding where the MS Access Package Solution Wizard was in 2013? Sadly, this feature was deprecated (removed) in 2013; see: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access-help/discontinued-features-and-modified-functionality-in-access-2013-HA102749226.aspx (last item at the bottom of the page).

So what is one to do if you wish to distribute a desktop database?

Well, the solution is quite simple, use a third-party packaging solution.  Below is a listing of various one that I’ve discussed with fellow MVPs over the past year or so.

InnoSetup
InstallShield
SSE Setup
SamLogic Visual Installer
Advanced Installer
InstallMate
Wix (Windows Installer XML)
InstallAware
NSIS

I would urge you to Perform a Google/Bing search and see what others have said about each product.  As always, some are free, open-source and other are not, so that can always be a factor in your selection process.

At the end of the day, I do not think this was a great loss considering the limitation the Packing Wizard had when compared to some of the above mentioned tools!

On a side note, fellow MVP Leigh Purvis, also suggested that if you have a copy of Access 2010, you can still make use of its’ Package Solution Wizard!  Something to keep in mind.

Update - Using SSE Setup
I recently ended up, testing, and then purchasing a copy of SSE Setup.  I can affirm that for Access projects it is easy to use and does a great job.  I created stand alone installation packages for some clients, and then pushed out update packages.  Worked like a charm.  It took care of things like:

  • Creating the installation directory
  • Creating shortcut
  • Creating a menu in the Start menu
  • Updating files/folders
  • and much more

8 responses on “MS Access Package Solution Wizard is Dead, Now What?”

    1. Daniel Pineault Post author

      That is one installer I have never heard of before, but it does look very interesting. I will have to test it out in the near future. Thank you for sharing.

      1. Daniel Pineault Post author

        It did, I had validated the link originally. Thank you for flagging the problem.

    1. Daniel Pineault Post author

      Since its birth, people have erroneously said Access was on its way out. Simply not true! It will be part of Office 2016, so still here to stay for a while and it is even evolving into the world wide web now with web apps (whether or not you like the shape form it has taken is an entirely different discussion).

      As for JET, now ACE, it has always been an excellent solution. Like every technology you have to know when to exploit it and when to use alternate technologies based on your project specifications. That said for a LAN environment, JET/ACE does a remarkable job.

      The other great thing with Access is its ability to integrate with other technologies, ODBC for instance which permits usage with SQL Server, …

      I know not what the future holds, but Access will remain a player for the foreseeable future.

  3. David in Mississippi

    It is now 2020, and I have rolled out the beta test of a (somewhat niche) application that has several hundred people interested; there are currently 27 people on the Beta Test team, and so far, the most vexing problems I’ve encountered have been simply installing the app and getting it to run. (The app itself seems to work wonderfully.)
    For installing, not only is there Office/No-office and Office bitness to consider, it seems there are now Click-to-Run versions of Access that put another monkey wrench into the works, and the rare but vexing “Microsoft Access cannot run .accdr files…” error.
    I’m currently using Inno Setup to create install packages, but would love to learn of an installer builder that can detect Office installations and bitness and do all the other things that need doing. Oh, and that are easy enough to use and don’t make me learn a new scripting language – although I could if I had to.
    Suggestions welcome.