The idea was quite simple: Create a program that made an empty Microsoft Access Database. This was the spring of 2003 and I was willing and ready to take on small things like this to, well, see if I could. The program would need to create a basic database structure resembling an address book that would be modified later. The programI wrote was so rudimentary that, if it found an Access database file with the same name in its running folder, it would delete it. Not great, but it was very specific in its purpose and the tool just worked. Today I take a look at this small application as I dive in to the weird history of software I’ve created.

That problem I was trying to solve was to avoid the need to open Microsoft’s monster Access database application only to make a blank database. Even more importantly, for a computer that did not have Access or Microsoft Office installed, allow the user to create this kind file quickly. That was the ask and I imagine over a short period of time I hashed out this small utility.

This could have been extended further, even though it did what it needed. of course, fixing the blunt deletion with a prompt to overwrite would be a start. I had intended to make it support command line parameters and, eventually allow for reading of a file to determine some kind of database structure. This would have allowed NewMDB to run as part of a script. The great thing about this program is that it still runs on the newest version of Windows 11 and still just creates empty Access Databases without the need for Access installed¹. If someone out there has a use for this, or thinks I should update it further, let me know and I may dig back in.

1. At that point, to view the thing, you’d need Access or an online viewer. ↩︎