SNP file format
| Filename extension | .snp |
|---|---|
| Developed by | Microsoft |
| Type of format | Access report output, multi-page, precise |
| Container for | EMF (contained pages) |
| Contained by | CAB (compression wrapper) |
The SNP file format is used by Microsoft Access to store Report Snapshots in a single file which can be viewed and printed by the Microsoft Snapshot Viewer, available as a no-additional-charge download from Microsoft (runs on Windows only). This allows report output to be exported and viewed on Windows computers which do not have Microsoft Access installed.
File format[edit]
SNP files are based on the Microsoft Compound File Binary Format (CFBF),[1] which is also the basis for the Advanced Authoring Format (AAF). CFBF is a reasonably simple container format which can store multiple files, directories and so on.[2] For SNP files, Microsoft Access uses CFBF to store each page as a separate Enhanced Metafile (EMF)-like format containing all of the graphics commands required to reproduce the page.[3] Since CFBF files are not compressed, Microsoft's CAB format is used to reduce the size of the CFBF, resulting in a compact file format which may be only a few kilobytes in size for each page of text and simple graphics - lines, boxes, etc.
End of support[edit]
In Access 2010, snapshot format for reports will not be available.
As an alternative, you can export your reports to PDF/XPS and Excel formats instead. This is native functionality that doesn’t require a download.
References[edit]
- ^ "Advanced Authoring Format Low-Level Container Specification" (PDF). Microsoft Structured Storage version 3 specification (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-05-07. Retrieved 2006-05-22.
- ^ "Microsoft Compound Document File Format" (PDF). OpenOffice.org CFBF description. Retrieved 2006-05-22.
- ^ "Is Microsoft Access Snapshot considered EMF?" (HTML). MSDN Forum discussion of SNP file format. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
