by John Paul Kemp

1. Heavy Customization mean deep changes to the program.
2. KCW does Heavy Customization every time we come out with a new version
3. This is not meant to be an Access Course, but we can cover some things, if you have to ask very basic questions, maybe you shouldn’t try to do it.
4. What and Where are the system parts – important to understand
1. Workstation
   1. Access
   1. Full version – necessary to customize or
   2. Runtime version – free but no changes
   2. CFW (CFW2000.MDB, CFW00SQL.MDB, CFW981.MDB)
2. Server
   1. ClientsT (ClientsT2000.MDB, ClientsT2000SQL
5. What constitutes ‘Heavy’ customization? It is a change:
   1. that we didn’t anticipate you’d do
   2. that alters the basic structure of the program
   3. outside of setup – those are safe light changes
   4. that becomes an essential part of your use of the program
   5. that you’d have to retrofit into an Upgrade
   6. that is dangerous – such as an action (update, delete, append) query
   7. that is hard to do
6. Where can you be trained to do what you need to do?
   1. Books
   2. College Classes
   3. KCW National or Local trainings
   4. Bring us in to work with you
7. THE DIRTY DOZEN RULES OF HEAVY CUSTOMIZATION
   
   1. BACKUP the old version of
      1. Data
      2. Program
      3. Setup
   2. Be sure and DOCUMENT your changes
      1. Word Processing
      2. Spreadsheet
      3. Track Your Changes – CFWCUSTOM.MDB
   3. Do it on a SEPARATE COMPUTER first
   4. It NEVER WORKS THE FIRST TIME correctly
   5. Take the your ESTIMATED TIME AND MULTIPLY BY 30 at least
   6. STEAL IT FROM KEMP AND LUJAN
   7. TEST IT under all possible circumstances
      1. With data - Without data
      2. Good data entry - Bad data entry
      3. In sequence - Out of sequence
      4. With runtime and with full version
      5. On different computers with different operating systems
   8. Create what you need, NOT WHAT YOU WANT
   9. Anticipate that 80% of the problems will be people based and only 20% technology – BUILD SOMETHING SIMPLE PEOPLE CAN USE or it won’t be used
   10. Is this trip really necessary? DOES THE PROGRAM ALREADY DO WHAT YOU WANT, only slightly differently?
   11. Can your change OUTLIVE ITS CREATOR when they get better pay and leave? Are you ever going to want to upgrade? How do you plan to have the change EVOLVE and get updated?
   12. Be sure to Decompile, Recompile, Repair and Compact.
       
8. Examples of such changes
   1. New Tables
   2. New Queries - depending what they do
   3. Reports – depending on what they do
   4. New Forms – depending on what they do
   5. New Fields – outside of Special Program
   6. New Relationships
   7. Changed usages of the system
   8. Renaming of Objects other than Captions
   9. Special Programs
   10. Intake Question System
9. How are you going to test it?
10. How are you going to distribute it?
1. Depends on whether it’s a front-end or back-end change
2. Front-end change is to the CFW – anything other than tables
1. Queries
2. Reports
3. Forms
4. Modules
3. Back-end change is to ClientsT tables
1. Danger: don’t create in CFW and then not know where your tables are
2. You still have to link to the Backend IF A NEW TABLE
11. Difference between
1. Access
2. SQL
3. ASP
12. All front-ends have to be updated
1. Automated changes – all the time
2. Batch file upgrades, send an email
3. Walk around each time
13. How are you going to install it on new computers?
1. Install using the basic version, then overwrite
2. Create your own installation disk?
3. If we do it for you, we might incorporate into the next version
14. The design process is essential

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