Forum Discussion
DanMoorehead_PowerWeb5AI
Mar 30, 2018Iron Contributor
Future of Microsoft Access: PowerApps|CDS|VSTO|VBA|Flow|JS|VS|.NET|Graph Cloud|Mobile|Web|Developers
Access & Office Development Roadmap & Suggestions
In addition to summing up recent Access updates & resources (including those from Access), I've compiled some suggestions & questions for the Acces...
- Mar 31, 2018
It was recently reported that Microsoft was reorganizing into just two major "uber-groups". I wonder what the implications may be for Access, Office 365/2019 and Office Development Platform (VBA, VBE), and Access integration/data connectors with other products from the other group.
If I understand this major Microsoft reorg correctly, Microsoft is now split into 2 (vs 4) major divisions, which are:
- Devices & User Experience
- Combining groups for:
- Windows & Devices
- Microsoft Office
- Including:
- Office 365, Office Online
- Access, Excel, VBA, VBE
- SharePoint, OneDrive, Skype, Exchange
- Surface, Windows OS
- Led by Rajesh Jha (Office EVP)
- Combining groups for:
- Cloud & AI
- Combining groups for:
- Cloud & Enterprise
- AI & Research
- Including "Business Applications, Platform & Intelligence" (BAPI)
- Azure, Power BI, PowerApps, Common Data Service (CDS), MS Flow, Dynamics, SSRS, SSAS
- Led by CVP James Phillips
- And including:
- Visual Studio, .NET, SQL Server, Dynamics, MS Graph
- Led by Scott Guthrie (Cloud & Enterprise EVP)
- Combining groups for:
It seems interesting that Office is being lumped together with Hardware & OS, despite the recent focus in Office on Office 365 and Office Online.
I wonder what the implications may be for Microsoft Access, Excel, Office & VBA, especially with the following products/technologies split across different Microsoft divisions:- Office Online/365, OneDrive, SharePoint & Exchange (in Devices)
- vs. Azure & Dynamics (in Cloud)
- vs. Azure & Dynamics (in Cloud)
- VBA & VBE (Visual Studio fork) (in Devices)
- vs. Visual Studio, .NET, VB, MS Flow
- vs. Visual Studio, .NET, VB, MS Flow
- Access & Excel (Online) and (presumably) Power Query & Power Pivot (in Devices)
- vs. PowerApps, SQL Server, Azure SQL, Common Data Service, Power BI
As Klaus Oberdalhoff had alluded to, this reorg might already have had some impact on us finally getting a 32-bit version of SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) for Access (as reported by Juan Soto). This is something that's been long requested, with a 32-bit version being far more commonly needed than the 64-bit version (as it has to match the version of Office installed, and 32-bit Microsoft Office is recommended during install even on 64-bit Windows, in order to ensure add-in compatibility).Considering that the Office EVP was promoted to leading the combined Devices & User Experience group (vs. Surface, Mobile, Windows leadership), and the many recent Access advancements (from SSMA and charts to Accessibility, Big Int, Templates, New charts and inclusion in most Office editions) now, despite Microsoft's recent cloud focus, around the time of this reorg, maybe - despite combining with Hardware & OS, separate from the division with Visual Studio / PowerApps / Dev Tools / Azure - this reorg could be good news for Access database developers?
Anyone have thoughts or speculation on the potential impact of this reorg on Access and Office?
- Devices & User Experience
DanMoorehead_PowerWeb5AI
Mar 31, 2018Iron Contributor
It was recently reported that Microsoft was reorganizing into just two major "uber-groups". I wonder what the implications may be for Access, Office 365/2019 and Office Development Platform (VBA, VBE), and Access integration/data connectors with other products from the other group.
If I understand this major Microsoft reorg correctly, Microsoft is now split into 2 (vs 4) major divisions, which are:
- Devices & User Experience
- Combining groups for:
- Windows & Devices
- Microsoft Office
- Including:
- Office 365, Office Online
- Access, Excel, VBA, VBE
- SharePoint, OneDrive, Skype, Exchange
- Surface, Windows OS
- Led by Rajesh Jha (Office EVP)
- Combining groups for:
- Cloud & AI
- Combining groups for:
- Cloud & Enterprise
- AI & Research
- Including "Business Applications, Platform & Intelligence" (BAPI)
- Azure, Power BI, PowerApps, Common Data Service (CDS), MS Flow, Dynamics, SSRS, SSAS
- Led by CVP James Phillips
- And including:
- Visual Studio, .NET, SQL Server, Dynamics, MS Graph
- Led by Scott Guthrie (Cloud & Enterprise EVP)
- Combining groups for:
It seems interesting that Office is being lumped together with Hardware & OS, despite the recent focus in Office on Office 365 and Office Online.
I wonder what the implications may be for Microsoft Access, Excel, Office & VBA, especially with the following products/technologies split across different Microsoft divisions:
- Office Online/365, OneDrive, SharePoint & Exchange (in Devices)
- vs. Azure & Dynamics (in Cloud)
- vs. Azure & Dynamics (in Cloud)
- VBA & VBE (Visual Studio fork) (in Devices)
- vs. Visual Studio, .NET, VB, MS Flow
- vs. Visual Studio, .NET, VB, MS Flow
- Access & Excel (Online) and (presumably) Power Query & Power Pivot (in Devices)
- vs. PowerApps, SQL Server, Azure SQL, Common Data Service, Power BI
As Klaus Oberdalhoff had alluded to, this reorg might already have had some impact on us finally getting a 32-bit version of SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) for Access (as reported by Juan Soto). This is something that's been long requested, with a 32-bit version being far more commonly needed than the 64-bit version (as it has to match the version of Office installed, and 32-bit Microsoft Office is recommended during install even on 64-bit Windows, in order to ensure add-in compatibility).
Considering that the Office EVP was promoted to leading the combined Devices & User Experience group (vs. Surface, Mobile, Windows leadership), and the many recent Access advancements (from SSMA and charts to Accessibility, Big Int, Templates, New charts and inclusion in most Office editions) now, despite Microsoft's recent cloud focus, around the time of this reorg, maybe - despite combining with Hardware & OS, separate from the division with Visual Studio / PowerApps / Dev Tools / Azure - this reorg could be good news for Access database developers?
Anyone have thoughts or speculation on the potential impact of this reorg on Access and Office?
- Frank_RotoloApr 22, 2019Copper Contributor
This explains why we have not seen anymore feedback from the Access Team in Access UserVoice since March, 2018. Microsoft is making a big mistake in assuming that everyone is going to migrate to "Everything in the cloud" and pay subscriptions. Several non-MS alternatives are available.