The following limitations apply when working directly with Access tables:
- There is no decimal data type support. If you modify the table structure of an Access table in MapInfo Pro and change a FLOAT type to a DECIMAL, the type changes to FLOAT.
- The MapBasic Pack Table statement saves a copy of the original Microsoft Access table without the columns that MapInfo Pro does not support. If a Microsoft Access table has a MEMO, OLE, or LONG BINARY type column, it is lost during a pack.
- Compact your database. Each time a table is renamed, you use up disk space. The space used up is the space the original table was taking up. MapInfo Pro renames the table when the structure is altered and when the rename statement is issued. A Microsoft Access database may be compacted using the ODBC Administrator or Access itself. To compact an Access database using the ODBC Administrator, see the ODBC Administrator's Help System. To compact an Access database using Access, see Access's Help System.
- Access recognizes Time in a Date/Time field but MapInfo Pro only recognizes Dates. Therefore, MapInfo Pro translates Time values to 12/30/1899.
- For more specific instructions on creating points, see Putting Latitude/Longitude Coordinates on a Map.