Ruven Gotz gave a presentation at the 2013 Kansas City SharePoint Saturday event. He discussed the history of Microsoft Access and how Microsoft has tried to improve it over multiple versions. The latest version, Access 2013, integrates Access with SharePoint and SQL Server databases. Gotz provided a demonstration of building an app in Access Services and highlighted some of the benefits it offers, such as a consistent interface and use of SQL Server databases. However, he also noted limitations in customizing apps and the inability to interact with SharePoint lists. Gotz concluded that while Access has potential, it is not yet ready to be broadly used by end users and power users to build solutions in SharePoint.
SPS Kansas City - MS-Access and SharePoint - The new old thing - November 2013
1. SPS EVENTS
KANSAS CITY 2013
Access
The New (old) Thing
for SharePoint
Ruven Gotz - Avanade
2. Thank You for being a part of
SharePoint Saturday Kansas City!
• Please turn off all electronic devices or set them to
vibrate
• If you must take a phone call, please do so in the hall
• Wi-Fi is available, you will need your Guest
ID/password
(at registration desk)
• Feel free to tweet and blog during sessions.
Remember to follow @SPSKC and tag #whattheheck
in your tweets!
27. My Assumptions
• We are looking at Access as a power-user tool
• We are not looking at manipulating the underlying
code for Access
• In today’s talk, I am examining the likelihood that
you will want to use Access to build solutions or to
release to your power users to take the load off of
IT
30. A new architecture
Classic Desktop
Architecture
Jet Desktop Database
File Based
Requires Access or Access Runtime
Access Services
Architecture
SQL Server Database
Runs in Browser
Redistributable as an App
31. The new architecture
View and Edit Data
Database Design
Advanced Reporting & Integration
•
•
•
•
•
Desktop Access Reports
Excel
Power View
Crystal Reports
Custom Websites (.NET, PHP, etc.)
32. The new layout structure
2. Choose view
1. Choose table
3. Search and filter
4. Add and edit items
Presents a polished, consistent interface. But flexible?
33. Access services on Office 365
O365
Browser
Browser
Browser
runtime
Web app 1
Web app 2
design
Web app 3
Access IDE
…
SQL Azure
34. Access services on premises
SP On Prem
Browser
Browser
Browser
runtime
Web app 1
Web app 2
design
Web app 3
Access IDE
…
SQL Server
76. What is good about Access?
• Microsoft has created a really slick tool
• They tried to protect the user from him or herself
• Very structured page layouts
• It uses SQL Server for back-end safety,
management and performance HUGE
• Comes with a bunch of pre-built objects that can be
very quickly snapped together and slightly modified
• It RUNS in most BROWSERS HUGE
77. What are the downsides
• Very difficult to change things from the Microsoft
design template
• The pre-built items have capabilities that are very
difficult to figure out: Creating your own custom
entities has limitations
• You can’t read/write to SharePoint lists (read-only)
• Can’t run SP workflows, can’t send an email from
an action
78. My hope:
Squeeze some additional juice out of SP
• Access would be a great ‘form builder’ tool
for power users, allowing them to create
good looking forms with relational lookups,
enhanced validation, parent-child
relationships, etc.
79. Meeting the
burden:
• I said to you up-front:
In today’s talk, I am
examining the likelihood
that you will want to use
Access to build solutions
or to release to your
power users to take the
load off of IT
81. Conclusions
• I contacted a few MVP’s and others and asked
them: Do you see great use-cases for Access
Services in SharePoint?
• It’s too disconnected from SharePoint
• It’s too unintuitive for power users to figure out
without wasting a lot of time
• As is, it’s just not ready to be a broad-based enduser or even power-user tool for
82. But
• Don’t lose faith
• Microsoft is hearing us
• The ‘cadence’ of delivery
is changing
• New SP capabilities &
features are rolled out
all the time
• I am hopeful that Access
will, in the not too distant
future, be the tool we
always hoped