Hi DJ.
I can't say for certain, but I would expect other software to be able to interpret the data at most from an MDB or ACCDB file. Not all third-party software will even do that of course. If you're lucky you may find one that may be able to interpret the SQL of queries - but even that is a specific dialect of SQL supported by Jet/ACE, which doesn't adhere too closely to the actual SQL standards. I've not heard of any non-Microsoft software that supports VBA. VBA is proprietary as far as I know & owned by Microsoft.
If your company is moving away from Microsoft Office then I wish them luck. In some quite rare circumstances that can be done with little or no pain. Opening documents is generally supported well enough. However, anything to do with automation or control (VBA or macros) was a non-starter last I looked & I don't expect that to change any time soon I'm afraid.
Sometimes these decisions are made by people who have determined the likely effects after knowing the sorts of documents that are in use at the company, but that's rare. Usually they're idiot bean counters who see the possibility of saving money - IE They understand the price of everything but the value of nothing and are frequently put in positions where they can make decisions way above their comprehension & competence.
I can't say that's the case where you work. I don't have the details. However, if your company relies on any Access databases that use macros or VBA then you have the option of a free runtime version to run existing projects, but not the software that allows you to update them. I wonder if someone believes that's a viable situation to be left in? I guess it depends on the value they see coming from these projects - which obviously depends on their understanding what value even means of course ;-)
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