access web app
55 TopicsFuture 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 Access & Office Dev Platform teams (ranging from PowerApps & Common Data Service integration to VSTO Add-in dev, VBA & VBE) here. I've also recapped the recent Microsoft reorg changes along with thoughts on potential implications for Access & Office. Also, if at all possible, any glimpse the Microsoft Access and Office Developer Platform (VBA, VBE IDE, Office.js, VSTO) teams could provide us with into what they are considering (even if not confirmed yet) as possible future enhancements, fixes and data connectors for Access and improvements for Access developers (automation/macros/add-in development) for Access 2019 / Office 2019 (expected Q2 2018) onward would be greatly appreciated. Promising Trend of Access Updates vs. Cloud-first Focus & Dropped Web Support Considering, on one hand, the number of promising recent Access updates (summarized below, per Access Day) and, on the other, the deprecation of Access Web Apps (AWA & Access Services for Microsoft-hosted SharePoint Online going read-only by April 2 '18) and Microsoft's recent Cloud-first focus (PowerApps, Common Data Service, Azure) and Cloud vs. UX reorg. shakeup. Microsoft Reorganization (Cloud vs UX Shakeup) Implications Also, I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts on possible implications of the just-announced Microsoft "Cloud vs. UX" reorgization on Access, Office development and Microsoft Office / Office 365 in general. Specifically, as I will detail in my next post, Microsoft has combined their 4 groups into just two groups, essentially splitting by Cloud vs. non-Cloud - a "Cloud & AI" group, including Azure, PowerApps, Power BI, Dev Tools/APIs, among other things vs. a "Devices & User Experience" group, including Office, Windows, Surface & Mobile. Recent Access Features & Updates I'd like to start off by recapping all the recent advancements we've seen with Microsoft Access, at Access Day and beyond. Considering all the features removed from Access in recent years and toying with removal of Access from most Office editions, it's really great to see that Microsoft ended up (after the user backlash) adding Access to almost all Office & Office 365 editions instead! More than that, its really incredible to see all the new Access updates, such as new Data Connectors (Microsoft Dynamics & Salesforce), Large Number (BigInt) support, an upcoming bringing back dBase support, Access Templates on Office.com (experimentally) and 32-bit SSMA release (with the SQL Server Migration Assistant for Access previously only usable with uncommon 64-bit Office installs). Also, I'm glad to see the Access Accessibility Updates (Screen reader, F6 navigation, high contrast, etc.), which even as I understand, helped lead to Microsoft receiving the USBLN Accessible product design award for tech enabling the over 1 Billion across the world with disabilities. Congrats to the Access, Office and Accessibility teams on that achievement! Access Team's Support & Updates I also very much appreciate the new content and support from the Access team. For those not familiar with all of it, that includes new resources under and Access Help Center with Docs and Video Tutorials, as well as Access Templates on Office.com and the attention the Access dev team is providing to Feedback & Suggestions on User Voice pages for Access and User Voice for Office Developer Platform (VBA, VBE, Add-in Dev), as well as all the activity in the the new Access blog and Access forums here. Upcoming Features for Access and Access Day Revelations I was exciting hearing about the upcoming support for New Chart types and R2 update of Access Redistributable 2016, all covered at Access Day 2018 by Access Program Manager Michal_Bar, as seen in her Access Day presentation video (thanks to ArmenS and his post on the new charts). Access Dropped from Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) for .NET Add-in Development However, there are a few things long-missing or rarely updated which I would love to see to simplify life for Access developers and enable better integration with or taking advantage of the latest, Cloud-focused Microsoft product and developer tool/API advancements. For example, I, and many others as seen in this LinkedIn discussion, would really like to see at least Access supported with VSTO for add-in development again, as well as modernizing development tools/APIs for macros/automation. Specifically, it would be great if at some point in the future we could see updates to the VBE / VBA IDE (eg. adding tabbed documents, both forward/backward edit navigation, etc. as missing most VS updates since forked from VS around VB6), updates to VBA language (which hasn't seen much in the way of updates since VB6 it was based on), Visual Studio use for VBA (for macro coding, debugging & edit-and-continue), Microsoft Flow automation (eg. using On-premises Data Gateway or VPN connection or OneDrive), Office.js API, and/or VB.NET / C# / .NET for macro coding. VBE (VBA IDE) Issues There are also long-standing issues with VBE (VBA IDE) like it being unable to handle multiple monitors with different resolutions without ghosting when resizing tool panels. And missing modern text editor features (let alone modern Visual Studio features) like Tabbed Documents, Forward & Backwards edit navigation/history, etc. We ended up seeing and dealing with this for example (in addition to encountering it all the time myself) even during the presentations at Access Day. Automation (Macro & Add-in Development) API Limitations For Add-in developers and VBA Macro/Automation developers, Access could really benefit IMO from adding events, like for OnAppExit, OnSave globally and for each object/window, access to multiple objects selected in Navigation Sidebar, defining hotkeys via code (vs AutoKeys), extend the Nav sidebar context menu - to name a few. I will likely post a compiled list of suggestions later on regarding Access and VBA/VBE Automation APIs. Documentation & Samples Missing However, developer docs and content is completely missing for Access from samples on Office Developer site and training videos at the Office Dev Center for Access, and Official Office Roadmap (which only has 3 entries for Access: Salesforce + BigInt as completed, and Dynamics 365 connector shown as still WIP/Still Rolling Out) as well as Office Add-in Development docs, Visual Studio Office Development docs and project templates in Visual Studio. Content missing from those last three places is likely due to Access being dropped entirely from VSTO for some reason, but even then there are other ways (eg. COM APIs, 3rd party wrappers, etc.) that could at least be mentioned there, or even include older VSTO docs. People are developing add-ins with Access, regardless of it being dropped from VSTO, but there is no documentation on how to do that. Making the Access Templates Experiment Permanent Also, Access Templates should definitely be kept permanently and shown to everyone all the time. As Michal had pointed out, Access Templates end up being shown randomly (for A/B testing) just for some users on the Office Templates site. However, after refreshing 2 dozen times, trying with a dozen Incognito sessions across several dozen sessions it took dozens of attempts to finally see it, so I'm not sure it's shown as often may be though. Cloud Data Connectors (Common Data Service and Graph) like Excel & other Office Apps Similarly, I would love to see Common Data Service and Microsoft Graph support (and maybe direct access to Power BI-embedded data) in Microsoft Access. As Juan Soto had pointed out, Excel and other Office and MS apps provide Common Data Service support, with just Microsoft Access as the one missing out. Access Web App "Replacement" PowerApps Supports Everything Except Access For other improvements beyond Access/Excel/Office Macros and Developer Tools/API, I'd really think it valuable for PowerApps, Microsoft Flow, and Power BI Online (beyond just Desktop version, for Service / Premium / Report Server / Mobile / Gateway, and without import Desktop to Service hack) to provide direct support for Access databases. On-premises Data Gateway: Possibility for Using Access from PowerApps & Power BI for Web & Mobile It's frustrating not even being able to setup the On-premises Data Gateway (installed on local PC for "File System" access, shared by PowerApps and Power BI) to support Access databases in PowerApps - just Excel workbooks. Concerns Regarding Microsoft Priorities for Azure & PowerApps vs. Access However, considering how even Access Services (for SharePoint-Access integration via Access Web Apps (AWA) as well as earlier Access Web Databases) being deprecated and going read-only (April 1, 2018), I wonder how likely that might be that we get further Cloud/Web/Mobile features. Considering this and how Microsoft attempted to even remove Access from most Office editions recently, as well as their Cloud-first focus, it's a bit concerning. It seems like with Access being included in Office there is a lot less revenue to be made from it compared to billing monthly (and by usage) with PowerApps, Power BI, Azure, etc. I can understand Microsoft's business priorities there, but, considering Access is often used for prototyping databases for SQL Server and Azure SQL, as well as quick, end-user-editable front-ends for them, I think it would make more sense IMO to expand Access' integration with Azure and Cloud Services versus trying to drop it from Office editions and replace with PowerApps which can't even connect to Access (pushing use of Excel spreadsheets for data storage and queries instead, for file system connectors). There is little-to-no support for even connecting to Access Databases from PowerApps and Power BI and even OneDrive/Dropbox deployment not being feasible (unlike Excel, now with its real-time multi-user collaborative desktop editing enabled when deployed that way, let alone Excel Online deployment). Remaining Deployment Options: VPN File Shares & Remote Access (RDP, RemoteApps, Citrix) Considering this, the we are limited for multi-user deployment toNetwork Shares over VPN (not feasible if want clients or customers to be able to use, or access from home for many) and Remote Desktop (RDP - though RemoteApp is a pretty good option), or Citrix & other RDP-like options (now that Azure RemoteApp hosting is deprecated). Questions for Access & Office Dev Platform Teams To sum up, my primary questions (and suggestions) for the Access development team are the following: Is there any chance we may see Microsoft Access integration with PowerApps, Common Data Service, Azure, Microsoft Graph, Power BI Online, SharePoint, Office Online, On-premises Data Gateway, OneDrive, Dropbox and/or Microsoft Flow? Any other possibilities to simplify Web, Mobile, Cloud Drive (eg. making OneDrive feasible to use, like with Excel for multi-users), or otherwise simplifying Multi-User use and deployment for Microsoft Access? Is there any chance we could get Access added back to Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) for officially supported and documented (complete with Visual Studio project templates) for .NET Add-in development for Access, like with Excel and other office apps? Any possibility of updates to VBA, VBE IDE, or support for Visual Studio for VBA or C#/VB.NET for macro coding, or JavaScript (eg. Office.js), or even Microsoft Flow (eg. via Gateway, VPN, or OneDrive) for automation?Solved27KViews6likes6CommentsSnapshot of Access Web Database for Legal purposes
Hi - There are times at our institution where we may need to get snapshot of users files for legal reasons. I can export the content of OD4B using Sharegate, but it doesn't export content stored in an Access Web App. When I connect to the web database using Access 2016 I can "Save As" and select snapshot. I end up with an App file, what do I do with the App file? Can I open it up with Access 2016 somehow or do I need to add it as an App to another SP or OD4B site? Thanks - GregSolved4.9KViews3likes5CommentsAccess web apps will be read only on April 1st, please plan accordingly
A year ago Microsoft announced that Access Service in SharePoint will be discontinued. We hope you've had a chance to migrate your app, but if you haven't here are some of the platforms you can recreate your application into: PowerApps - Web App Microsoft Access - a "regular" Access file that is not a web app Another web technology such as php or .Net Other platforms Which technology you pick will depend on: Your IT department's guidelines on applications, some may prefer .Net or don't have any preference Your budget to re-architect the solution, some platforms, such as PowerApps, are easy to develop but are not as powerful, others such as .net are more powerful but much more expensive to develop, with Access in between the two Your time constraints: Given the short period between now and April 1st, you may need to put together an Access application instead of .Net just because it's faster. What you should absolutely not do is wait, the time to act is now if you do have a mission critical access web application.Solved4.1KViews3likes13CommentsCreating a 'Unique record' count in Access Web App
There is a situation where I am trying to find a count of how many unique values are associated with an item on a related table. How can I find this? Here's the scenario Business Opportunities 1 ACME Widgets Quotes Generated 1 Quote 1 for ACME Widgets by Paul 2 Quote 2 for ACME Widgets by Paul The desired output for Paul is Business Opportunities: 1 Quotes Generated: 2 However, when I run COUNT for opportunties, it shows 2, because two quotes are tied to the opportunity--disregarding that there is only 1 unique business opporutnity. How can I overcome this obstable and achieve the desired output in bold?747Views2likes0CommentsNavigation Pane Size Constraint Glitch
For some odd reason, when I drag to re-scale the Navigation Pane in Microsoft Access 2016, the pane becomes minuscule and Iam unable to view anything. It makes sense to be able to hide the Navigation Pane by clicking the arrow to hide/show the pane (and this works perfectly fine prior to encountering this glitch), but the arrow to hide/show is no longer visible once the Navigation Pane is scaled down to this size. Usually, when you drag the slider all the way to the left, it automatically hides it, BUT if you drag it all the way to the left, but then move it slightly to the right, it will "glitch out" and you are left with a show-only version of the Navigation Pane that is unreadable, unscalable, and unhideable. The scaling arrows disappear/no longer exist, and the show/hide arrows are gone as well. It is still possible to open tables, queries, and other database essentials using the navigation pane, but it is impossible to read the names unless scrolling through (which is hard to do in itself). Please fix this bug, or add a way to reset the size and layout of the Navigation Pane. I've included the image at the top to show you how small the pane is, and the unavailability of the expected features. Thank you, -ZachSolved2.5KViews1like6CommentsI can sense a signal of life in Access Web Apps
Hi. From an AWB App, online, if you click the gear botton (top right) , there is a new command "Export to SharePoint Lists" this creates a subside with the name as in App name, creates tables with relashionships as in AWA App, and copies (i think copies) the data. this has been the first signal of life of AWA development team since years. i wish this is serious and wish see linking not copying to sharepoint lists, plus tens of other new fearures in AWA.2.1KViews1like5CommentsHas Microsoft forsaken Access? (by an "amatuer" Access developer)
It seems to me that, over the past eight years or so, Microsoft has increasingly underestimated and misinterpreted the benefit of Access. For example, I can't understand why MS would develop an application like Forms without creating the functionality that would allow for the easy export of data collected in a form to an Access database application. For me, the Forms app is useless if I cannot easily figure out how to dump the data I collect using Forms into my Access database application. For the record, I am not an Access developer. I am merely a lawyer who lacks proficiency in any programming language but understands the concept and benefits of relational databases. My understanding was forced to evolve over the past twenty years as a result of my numerous needs to collect, mine, and utilize clean data in the most efficient manner available that also integrated into daily operations and, thus, minimized the creation of additional data-entry tasks that would inevitably be ignored whenever things got busy. In most cases, the "amateur" applications I created to collect and mine critical data -- originally intended as an interim solution -- became the "permanent" solution after I left the particular project. Not surprisingly, this happened because other colleagues were not able to sufficiently communicate their detailed needs in a format that professional application developers could understand. Over twenty years have passed since I began working with Access, and yet, based on my observations, this vast communication gap between the end user and the application developer continues to be a significant barrier to progress. This is remarkable in light of the fact that the costs of the hardware/software required to realize greater efficiency have reduced dramatically over the same period. I have often explored other options for creating and maintaining a relational database application tailored to my specific needs, but Access remains the easiest and most cost-effective option -- especially when my needs demand more complex functionality. My experiments with pre-packaged applications have always led to the same conclusion: Access enables me to design an app in far less time that does more at a lower cost and that can be more easily adopted by other end users in my office. I have often explained it to both developers and end users in this way: Access enables me to compose complex musical pieces to be performed by a small orchestra without first having to learn to read music. Unfortunately, it appears to me that MS fails to appreciate the significant benefit this attribute could provide to countless new users. Another under-valued benefit that only Access can provide to smaller organizations: when end users learn to create simpler database applications in Access, their ability to communicate complex functionality needs to professional application development teams simultaneously and exponentially improves. This, in turn, reduces unexpected costs, frustrations, and disappointed expectations that too often result from ineffective communication between the end users and the development team: an all-too-frequent experience that leads to long-term negative consequences of increased costs associated with end-user training and adoption; increased resistance to change and innovation; reluctance among leaders of smaller organizations to pursue further development projects. For the foregoing reasons, I urge MS to re-evaluate the significant needs that could be fulfilled by promoting Access as a cost-effective tool for small businesses, organizations, and innovative grant-funded projects all of which typically lack both the financial resources to hire a professional developer and the time/capability required to communicate needs during the development process. I also hope that MS will pursue functionality that allows amateur developers/end users like me to easily integrate data collection from newer applications like Forms with the storage and querying functionality provided by an Access database application. To promote Access for use in smaller organizations, MS should, in my opinion, design training materials and experiences for beginners that present design and functionality concepts in a manner that is tailored to the varying perspectives of different categories of end users. For example, paralegals and attorneys working in a small law office would immediately grasp the benefit of a system that eliminates the need to repeatedly type the same information into multiple documents throughout their workday. As such, I suspect a training class that took these users through the process of creating an Access database app and integrating the app with Word to allow for the export/merging of field data to multiple legal document templates would both be well received and ignite a desire to pursue other projects.445Views1like3CommentsSet default value in ComboBox from a SQL query
Hello everybody! I'm creating a DB and I have a problem with a form. In one of the ComboBoxes I use, I would like to put as default value the result of a SQL query, the problem is that it does not work because it does not detect it as a function. Is there any other function that allows this? is it possible to do it through VBA? Thanks in advance to all!Solved5.7KViews1like11Comments