Accessing database files on Windows Mobile v5

[damarall]

Before I even start I'm going to apologise for my lack on knowlegde!! I'm a total newbie to all this stuff. Basically I bought the T-mobile MDA with Windows Mobile version 5. I couldn't wait to get it home as I had read on my business software it could be used on PDAs. When I got home I found version 5 is not compatible with the software I use, only version 4.0 (Windows Mobile 2003). :(
I need Pocket Access to be able to use my business software on the phone (I need to access .mdb files?).
I'd love to use my database software on my phone. Is there any way I can do this? Even if I have to buy some additional software to make it run.
Thanks for any advice.
Damarall

[patrickj]

I like SprintDB Pro quite a bit for this. You can check it out at:
http://www.kaione.com/Product_Info/sprintdbpro_30.html

Hope that may help ...

[Sven Johannsen]

Let me put a little more meat in that response to maybe help you and others. Pocket Access is a real program but it was only ever available on the Handheld PC, a form factor that went away many years ago. They were generally clamshell devices, with keyboards and landscape screens. Somewhat like the Jasjar, but it isn't one.

Pocket Access required a conversion from .mdb to .cdb to use the files and that was accomplished by ActiveSync, just like it converted Word (.doc) to Pocket Word (.psw). It only ever converted tables, not forms, queries, any of that stuff. You had to create rudimentary forms and things within Pocket Access.

PPCs never had Pocket Access, but ActiveSync did convert the files into .cdbs and third parties let you work with them. Some good ones were SprintDB and DataOnTheRun. Worked pretty well. Wasn't perfect because there really wasn't any MS support for the concept when they quit supporting the HandHeld OS.

When WM5 came out MS went to a different DB engine and AS4 quit supporting .mdb conversion entirely. There was a period when there was no Access functionality for PPCs at all. The folks at SprintDB worked to replace that feature and you can once again convert .mdb tables to .cdb tables and use third party front ends to manipulate the data.

Just be aware that you cannot now, and never have been, able to convert a whole Access database. You just get the tables, and typically define a subset of the tables. Everything else needs to be re-created for the PPC.