The .accdb File Extension ? A Brief Introduction
The file extension .accdb is recorded to be associated with Microsoft Access, which is a relational database management application. Microsoft introduced the file extension .accdb with Access 2007 and the extension is the standard file name extension for databases created in Office Access 2007.
The earlier version of Access used the.mdb file extension. Although Access 2007 supports MDB databases, the earlier versions of Access do not support databases created in the ACCDB format.
Advantages Of Using The ACCDB Format
The ACCDB format provides users the following leverages:
- Store attachments in your database ? Although enterprise databases, such as Oracle and SQL Server always have included this feature, it has been missing from Microsoft Access. By using the ACCDB format, you can now store file attachments, as well as binary large objects in database fields.
- Integration with Outlook and SharePoint ? Databases created in the MDB format were blocked both by Outlook and SharePoint owing to security concerns. With the improvement in the database security model, database files can now be safely integrated with both Outlook and SharePoint.
- Use of multivalued fields ? Databases created with the ACCDB format allows users to use multivalued field.
- Encrypt the database ? To safeguard users from identity theft, Microsoft has introduced a robust encryption feature in Access 2007. Unlike, MDB databases, users can encrypt databases stored in the ACCDB format by password-protecting them to keep unauthorized people from viewing the contents.
Things to consider before creating new databases in the ACCDB format
Undoubtedly, the ACCDB format provides additional features ? and some very useful ones ? that were lacking in MDB format. Still, before you decide to create new databases in the ACCDB format there are a couple of questions you need to answer:
Do you collaborate with others who use versions prior to Access 2007?
If yes, then you should defer using the ACCDB format until all users are using Access 2007. The reason being ? earlier version of Access 2007 do not support the ACCDB format.
Do you require user level security and/or replication features?
Again, if the answer is in affirmative, defer using the ACCDB format, as it does not support the two features mentioned above.
If for some reason, you are unable to open an .accdb file, make use of a file repair software that is designed to allow Windows users to easily open various file types.