Access 2002 uses the same file format for databases as Access 2000. This means you do not have to run any conversion utility to open your Access 2000 databases in Access 2002. Instead, you can open Access 2000 databases directly in Access 2002.

A simple transition

Since Access 2002 uses the same file format as Access 2000, the transition from Access 2000 to the latest version of Access has been simplified. When you upgrade from Access 2000 to Access 2002 you do not have to complete any additional processes before you can use your existing databases.

Access 2002 saves databases in the Access 2000 file format by default. Since the two file formats do have differences, saving in Access 2000 assures that anyone using Access 2000 or Access 2002 can use databases created in Access 2002. By saving in Access 2000 format by default, some Access 2002 functionality is not available. For example, the Access 2002 file format offers better performance for large applications and the ability to handle properties and objects that might exist in future versions of Access. Once all users have upgraded to Access 2002, your databases can be upgraded to the Access 2002 format.

More information

For more information about file formats in Access 2002, see Access Help.