Optimizing Microsoft Access 97 Application Performance
Creating MDE Files
Microsoft Access 97 offers the exciting new capability of creating a "Compiled-Only" version of your database.
This version (known as an MDE file) is a copy of your database, but it contains none of your VBA code in the
source form. Instead, only the compiled version of the VBA code is included in the database.
If you have applications that use VBA code, you can benefit from this new feature. The process of creating and
MDE does the following:
1.Creates a copy of your database
2.Copies all non-module objects to the new database
3.Copies the compiled form of your VBA code to the new database
4.Compacts the new database.
This offers the following benefits:
1.The MDE file is smaller since the source code is not contained in the database.
2.The MDE file should run faster, since it never can become decompiled.
3.The module code in the MDE file version is completely secure. Because there is no source code to hack into or
steal, security is not an issue.
Once you have created an MDE file, the follow actions are disallowed:
1.Viewing, modifying, or creating forms, reports or modules.
2.Adding, deleting, or changing references to object libraries or databases.
3.Changing code using the properties or methods of the Microsoft Access or VBA Object models.
4.Changing the MDE database's project name using the Options dialog box.
5.Importing or exporting forms, reports, and modules to or from the MDE. Tables, queries and macros can still
be manipulated.
It is important to note that when you make an MDE file, you still keep your original database for development
work. Think of it this way: your original database is your source code, and the MDE version is the compiled
executable.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/office/office97/maintain/off411ef.mspx7/3/2007 12:08:43 PM