Tip 1060: Business Contact Manager compatibility pack

Finally, the long awaited Business Contact Manager compatibility pack, which will allow Outlook 2013 to use BCM, is now available for download.

This compatibility pack will work with either Outlook 2010 or Outlook 2013 to upgrade either Outlook 2007 or 2010's BCM to work with Outlook 2010 or 2013. There are two downloads to choose from: if you have BCM 2010 installed, you can install the update (about 10 MB) or the full package (369 MB). If you are currently using BCM 2007 you need to install the full package.

So what does it look like? I have no idea. My BCM db is on a shared server and an updated database tool is not yet available. I tried to set up a new database on my desktop and am hit with errors: first "Cannot complete the selected action because an unknown external error occurred." and a message that it stopped working. The create database dialog comes up and ends with "Database creation was not successful."

You need to uninstall your current version of BCM before installing the full BCM compatibility pack. Only one version of BCM can be installed at one time.

Note that you cannot share a database between two versions of Outlook. You need to use the same version of Outlook on all machines accessing the BCM database. The compatibility pack copies the database and upgrades it to work with Outlook 2013, so you can continue to use the old database with older versions of Outlook.

However, not only is the database restricted to one version of Outlook, the databases also do not sync, so you'll end up with two different data sets. While this is fine (and may be desirable) when testing Outlook 2013, for long term use you'll want to upgrade all computers accessing the database to use the same version of Outlook.

Another plus for users trialing Outlook 2013, Business Contact Manager for Outlook (BCM) supports using Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013 in a side-by-side installation.

Speaking of trials, today is the last day of a contest I'm involved in. The winner gets several 1 year subscriptions to Office 365 Home Premium. I'm going to give my winnings away to my readers.. so help me win by trying Office 365 using this link: Microsoft Office Customer Preview. Check back next week to find out if I won.

From the Description of Business Contact Manager compatibility pack for Outlook KB article:

This update enables you to use BCM in both versions of Office. However, databases created using Outlook 2010 can only be accessed from Outlook 2010. Similarly, databases created using Outlook 2013 can only be accessed from Outlook 2013. Both databases are separate and do not synchronize.

Download the update: BCM compatibility pack update

Download the full install: Download the Business Contact Manager full package

Published January 31, 2013. Last updated on June 7, 2021.