Microsoft Access versions 1.x and 2.0 and Microsoft Visual Basic version 3.0 used earlier versions of DAO. Several objects, methods, properties, and statements in those earlier versions are considered "obsolete" but are still supported for backwards compatibility with existing user code.
The following is a list of DAO methods, properties, objects, and statements that have been replaced by more powerful, flexible, and easy-to-use features. Each obsolete feature in the list has a corresponding replacement feature.
| Obsolete feature | Replacement feature |
| All CreateDynaset methods | OpenRecordset method |
| All CreateSnapshot methods | OpenRecordset method |
| All ListFields methods | Fields collection |
| All ListIndexes methods | Indexes collection |
| CompactDatabase statement | DBEngine.CompactDatabase method |
| CreateDatabase statement | DBEngine.CreateDatabase method |
| DBEngine.FreeLocks method | DBEngine.Idle method |
| DBEngine.SetDefaultWorkspace method | DBEngine.DefaultUser and DBEngine.Password properties |
| DBEngine.SetDataAccessOption method | DBEngine.IniPath property |
| Database.BeginTrans method | Workspace.BeginTrans method |
| Database.CommitTrans method | Workspace.CommitTrans method |
| Database.Rollback method | Workspace.Rollback method |
| Database.DeleteQuerydef method | Delete method |
| Database.ExecuteSQL method | Execute method |
| Database.ListTables method | Tabledefs collection |
| Database.OpenQuerydef method | Querydefs collection |
| Database.OpenTable method | OpenRecordset method |
| FieldSize method | FieldSize property |
| Index.Fields property | Index.Fields collection |
| OpenDatabase statement | DBEngine.OpenDatabase method |
| Querydef.ListParameters method | Parameters collection |
| Snapshot object | Recordset object |
| Dynaset object | Recordset object |
| Table object | Recordset object |