Integrating SharePoint 2013 with the Office Applications (part 6) - Microsoft Access

8/7/2014 4:51:49 AM

5. Microsoft Access

Microsoft Access is a small file-based Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). Microsoft Access is less powerful than, and does not scale for performance and enterprise use like, SQL Server, but it is portable and ideal for manipulation of small chunks of data in relational form.

Similar to SQL Server and other RDBMS applications, Access uses terminology to define certain features and functionality, as described in Table 3.

Table 3. Microsoft Access Terminology

Terminology	Description
Table	Stores all data, just like SQL Server and SharePoint lists. A table consists of columns and rows, where the columns define the data fields and the rows define the data itself (the records).
Queries	Think of queries like saved T-SQL queries in SQL Server. Queries produce result data by querying one or many tables, using T-SQL syntax.
Forms	Forms allow users to interact with data in tables. Defining a form allows a user to enter data into text boxes, check boxes, radio buttons, drop-down list controls, and the like.
Reports	Reports in Access, as in any other data reporting system, display data queried from Access in a readable format for end users.

With the terminology out of the way, I shall demonstrate how to export data in a SharePoint list to Access from SharePoint, and how to import lists in SharePoint to Access.

Open a SharePoint list at the default view.
Click the Library tab on the ribbon.
In the Connect & Export section of the ribbon, click the Open with Access icon.
Microsoft Access opens and displays a dialog, asking if you wish to link the list or export the data as a copy (Figure 14).

Figure 14. Open in Microsoft Access dialog

Note SharePoint disables the Open with Access button if you do not have Access installed. This icon does not exist at all for document libraries.

Link Tables in Access allow users to work with data, as they would any other Access table, except that the data does not reside in Access—in this case, it is within a SharePoint list. With Microsoft Access, SharePoint, and Link Tables, you could create a lightweight Access application that provides a business intelligent interface for entering data into SharePoint.

Connecting to SharePoint from Microsoft Access, and importing data, is just as painless as exporting from SharePoint.

1. Open Access.
2. Choose to create a blank desktop database from the list of templates (Figure 15).

Figure 15. Access—create a blank desktop database

3. Give the new database a name and location on disk.
4. Click the Create button.
5. Define a table that you will import into SharePoint.
6. Add some data; my table looks like that in Figure 16.

Figure 16. My table in Access 2013

7. Save the file.
8. Click the Database Tools tab on the ribbon.
9. Click the SharePoint icon on the ribbon.
10. Access opens a dialog, asking where to export data into SharePoint (Figure 17).

Figure 17. Export table to SharePoint dialog

11. Provide the URL to your SharePoint site.
12. Click the Next button.
13. Authenticate with SharePoint, if asked.
14. Access makes the necessary connection to SharePoint. If all goes well then Access shows a confirmation of completion dialog.

You now have a table in your Access database that connects directly with SharePoint. Your table data is no longer contained in the Access database, but in SharePoint, which is why Access created a backup database of your original database file.