Nov 25 2020 01:14 AM - edited Nov 25 2020 01:18 AM
I am using Microsoft 365, I have MS Access but I can't find the "globe" on the templates to create a web app. Do I need SharePoint? Would greatly appreciate your support.
This is what I am trying to do.
Nov 25 2020 05:59 AM - edited Nov 25 2020 06:00 AM
Web App are dead. Microsoft has killed off every web component of Access.
Depending on what exactly you are trying to achieve, there are a variety of options available to you
RDP
CITRIX
Terminal Services
SharePoint Backend (but this has major limits)
Use Azure as your backend
If your needs are simple enough PowerApps could be another option.
but truthfully, if the web is your goal, Access is simply the wrong tool for the job! You should use proper web technologies, such as PHP, .Net, MySQL, Azure, ...
Nov 25 2020 08:48 AM
Microsoft deprecated Access Web Apps some years back. Unfortunately, traces of them linger on here and there, potentially misleading people into thinking they might fill a niche.
You can, as Daniel suggests, abandon Access in favor of some variety of browser-based web apps, if that meets your organization's needs and you if you have the time and resources to invest in attaining sufficient proficiency with the relevant development tools.
However, depending on your needs, Power Apps might be a viable complement to your existing MS Access relational database application.
In that scenario, you would have to move your data from an accdb into a data storage type that Power Apps can also work with. For example, if you migrate your data from the accdb into SQL Azure and link the Access FE to that Azure database, you can ALSO link the Power App to that same database and have both options available: a desktop experience for in-house users and a mobile device experience for off-premises users.
So, depending on your specific requirements, this might be a viable option.
If you have remote DESKTOP users, the options are those listed before, but also using SQL Azure as the common database for accdb FEs for users at those locations.
Nov 25 2020 08:15 PM
@George Hepworth @Daniel_Pineault
Thank you so much for your reply. I appreciate your support. I am not a computer specialist but a school leader. I run my independent school and would like to add some IT systems to it.
Basically, what I want to do is to create a database that would have all data (Student Information/Management System), (Staff Management System), Client Information, etc...) All on the same database so that we can work with all data from one place. Also to be able to assign roles and permissions to who can access/change what.
If changes/access can be made online then my team from their remote locations can work on the systems. Also, if those systems can be put on a website, then even clients can add their information, requests etc..
I apologize for the long message. I hope you understand my situation and guide me on how I can do this.
Thanks.
Nov 25 2020 08:16 PM
Thank you so much for your reply. I appreciate your support. I am not a computer specialist but a school leader. I run my independent school and would like to add some IT systems to it.
Basically, what I want to do is to create a database that would have all data (Student Information/Management System), (Staff Management System), Client Information, etc...) All on the same database so that we can work with all data from one place. Also to be able to assign roles and permissions to who can access/change what.
If changes/access can be made online then my team from their remote locations can work on the systems. Also, if those systems can be put on a website, then even clients can add their information, requests etc..
I apologize for the long message. I hope you understand my situation and guide me on how I can do this.
Thanks.
Nov 26 2020 07:13 AM - edited Nov 26 2020 07:18 AM
There are templates in MS Access that can help you get started with Student oriented relational database applications, although none of them that I am aware of would fill all of the requirements you mention.
As noted, your choices include a hybrid, with an Access interface to a remote database containing the data, and a full-blown web-browser based application in which the interface is created as web pages and a remote database containing the data.
Neither option is simple, unfortunately. Both require a properly normalized database as their foundation.
Not to discourage you from tackling this yourself, but if you intend to include clients of your school and remote staff as users of the relational database application, I think the wise choice is to either purchase an off-the-shelf system or hire a competent developer to create a custom application for you.
I speak from experience here. I tried to create such a relational database application for my daughter's school nearly 20 years ago. It was a mess. The school was disappointed and I was embarrassed.
Again, if you want to make this relational database application available to people who are paying you for your services as a school, they are not likely to be highly tolerant of a first-time attempt. It's worth the cost, in my opinion, of a professionally done job.
Nov 26 2020 12:28 PM
Nov 27 2020 06:19 AM
Given the fact that this relational database application is intended for external use, as well as internal use, Access is a non-starter as a stand-alone solution. You can't expect your clients to use Access.
That said, there is room for a hybrid solution, IMO, with an in-house Access FE through which you can manage administrative tasks, create reports and similar functions using the same remote data source as the one driving your website.
Having implemented such a solution 12 or 12 years ago for a major University, I can say with confidence that a well-designed relational database solution combining the strengths of a desk-top Access interface and a web-browser interface can make for a strong solution.
Again, though, the fact that your clients will judge the competence of the school on their experience means to me that this is not a suitable "first-time in Access" project.
Nov 27 2020 06:36 AM
Nov 27 2020 08:09 AM
Nov 27 2020 05:16 PM
Nov 28 2020 07:10 AM
I should have been more clear. For the Sports Equipment testing lab at a major university, only internal users had the Access FE, linked to two SQL Server databases, one on-premises, the other on a remote host. The Access FE was used to collect and manage incoming test data. It then pushed summary data to the remote SQL Server database via a series of pass-thru queries and linked tables.
Their separate web app used that remote, or "cloud" database to collect requests for testing from clients and to present test result data to their clients and to any member of the public who wants to see the status of various pieces of equipment they might be considered for purchase.
Access has a big role to play here, as does the web-browser based application.
Nov 30 2020 06:00 AM
Nov 30 2020 06:04 AM
Nov 30 2020 09:43 AM
Jul 16 2021 04:52 PM
Jul 16 2021 05:34 PM - edited Jul 16 2021 05:38 PM
@MSquarek Microsoft only ever allowed the ability to download the data from Access Web Apps, and only for a period of time after they were deprecated.
"forms" in an AWA were based on html and, IIRC, JavaScript or another browser based language, and had nothing in common with forms in an accdb. They wouldn't be exportable.
Sorry.