Extend Microsoft Access Applications to the Cloud

Build new Access cloud web apps and migrate desktop databases to the cloud

This is your complete, practical guide to creating Microsoft Access web apps and migrating existing databases to the cloud. Access MVP Andrew Couch guides you through the entire web app life cycle, from design through deployment and upgrades. After introducing Microsoft Office 365 and the web app development environment, he reviews key issues associated with moving data into a web app or creating cloud apps with new data. Next, he drills down into app construction, from table design to integration. You’ll learn how to extend Access with Microsoft Azure SQL, PowerPivot, Visual Studio 2013, SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), and Apps for Office, and master important new enhancements in Office 365 SP1.

Learn best practices and techniques to:

• Capitalize on key Office 365 features in your Access web apps
• Design and integrate all the features of Access web apps
• Make your desktop databases compatible with web app table structures
• Implement and test business rules by using the Macro Programming Tools
• Understand how your app design translates to objects in the cloud-based Azure SQL Database
• Use Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) to connect with and manage web apps
• Improve reporting with PowerPivot, Visual Studio 2013, and SSRS
• Extend Access web apps with Apps for Office features
• Capitalize on Office 365 SP1 improvements in change deployment, intellectual property protection, and integration

Get all code samples, including complete apps, at: http://aka.ms/AccessApps/files

About This Book

• For experienced Access developers who want a deep understanding of web app design and implementation
• For new web app developers who want to develop Access web apps with Office 365

Table of Contents

Introduction     i
Chapter 1    Finding your way around Office 365     1
Office 365 subscriptions     2
Office products in a browser     5
Getting started with Office 365     5
Team site, personal site, and public site     7
Installing Office Professional     10
OneDrive and OneDrive For Business 2013     13
Creating a web app using a template     19
Opening a web app with Access     23
Saving a web app as a package     24
Uploading a web app package     26
Editing a web app package     30
Displaying a web app in a browser     32
Sharing a web app with external users     32
Creating sites and subsites     36
Creating site collections (Enterprise subscription)     39
Applying a theme     45
Document storage and libraries     47
Microsoft Azure SQL Database, Office 365, and Access     51
App Catalog     53
Summary     55
Chapter 2    Finding your way around Access 2013     57
A new way of building applications     57
Create a custom web app     61
Importing data from Access     62
Using the navigation pane     64
Working with tables, lookups, and relationships     65
Displaying data in a browser     68
Working with different views     71
Controls available in a view     73
Autocomplete control     74
Related items control     75
Subview control     76
Action bar     77
List control     77
Hyperlink control     78
Multiline Text Box control     79
Web Browser control     79
Overview of macro programming and data macros     80
Upgrading and deploying a web app     82
Side-loading a web app     96
Designing and commissioning with existing data     96
Summary     98
Chapter 3    Converting a desktop database to a web app     99
Tables and primary key fields     99
Relationships and lookups     102
Table and field properties     108
Boolean data     112
Value-based lookups     112
Multi-value data     113
Importing different data types     113
Long Text (memo data)     115
Calculated fields     115
Image data type     115
Attachments and OLE objects     115
Reporting     116
References     119
Quick conversion to external writer     120
Attachment and OLE data     121
Uploading multiple files     122
Extracting attachment files     123
Uploading image files     125
Summary     132
Chapter 4    Creating a blank web app and using templates     133
Creating a blank web app     133
Adding template tables     134
Creating a new table     136
Editing the design of a table     137
Creating lookups and relationships     139
Adding indexing     142
Adding validation rules     143
Adding calculated fields     145
Summary     146
Chapter 5    Displaying data in views     149
Customizing the table selector     150
Customizing the view selector     151
Creating a pop-up window interface     152
Datasheet view     156
Views and record sources     164
Duplicating views     167
List Details view     169
Summary view     173
Standalone view     177
Related items control     180
Subview control     182
View controls     186
Combo box control     187
Combo box synchronization     188
Autocomplete control     190
Web browser control     191
Adding color to controls     192
Summary     193
Chapter 6    Creating data sources by using queries     195
Creating basic queries     196
Adding criteria to queries     198
Adding calculations to queries     200
Adding parameters to queries     202
Totals and queries     208
Top value queries     209
Unique values in queries     212
Summary     214
Chapter 7    Programming a web app by using macros     215
Macro-programming capabilities     216
Macro editor and standalone user-interface macros     219
User-interface events for views and controls     222
User-interface macros     227
Named data macros and stored procedures     228
Data macros and triggers     239
Data macro tracing     247
On Start macro     249
Transactions and recursion     250
Indirect recursion     250
Direct recursion     251
Presenting a view for printing     253
Creating a cross-tabulation of data     262
Side-loading a web app     267
On Deploy Macro     274
Using an alias with a macro action     287
Summary     288
Chapter 8    Managing security and a public-facing web app     289
Creating a public website     289
Creating a public-facing web app in Office 365     291
Managing security in a public web app     292
Summary     300
Chapter 9    Looking under the hood at Microsoft Azure SQL ¿Database     301
SQL Server Management Studio     302
ODBC drivers     303
Connecting to Microsoft Azure SQL Database     303
Schemas     308
Security in SSMS     309
Linked Microsoft SharePoint lists     309
Manually creating an ODBC DSN connection     310
Linking from the desktop to use an ODBC connection     317
Creating DSN-less connections with program code     319
Extracting information on relationships     321
Displaying structural information using data access objects     323
Displaying structural information using ADOX     327
Displaying structural information with a query     330
Validation rules     330
Data macros under the hood     331
Views and table-valued functions     336
Summary     338
Chapter 10    Other techniques for reporting     339
Excel and data connections     339
Excel PowerPivot     344
Creating a report for SQL Server Reporting Services     351
Publishing a report to SSRS     360
Linking a web app to an SSRS report     363
Using Visual Studio 2013 with a web app     364
Summary     374
Chapter 11    Using apps for Office with Access     375
Apps for Access concepts     375
Consuming apps for Access     377
Developing apps for Access     381
Summary     386
Index     387

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