Work Smart: What S New in Access 2013?

Work Smart by Microsoft IT

What’s new in Access2013

Customization note: This document contains guidance and/or step-by-step installation instructions that can be reused, customized, or deleted entirely if they do not apply to your organization’s environment or installation scenarios. The text marked by yellow highlighting indicates either customization guidance or organization-specific variables. All of the highlighted text in this document should either be deleted or replaced prior to distribution.

With Microsoft Access2013 database software, you don’t have to be a developer to quickly create custom browser-based apps. Access apps reliably solve business or departmental needs like contact management, customer billing, and order tracking. Access makes sure that end users can find features and commands, so you can focus on simple changes to fit your business needs.

You can control your Access apps by using a Microsoft SharePoint site in a browser, through Microsoft Office365 hosted productivity software. Data is stored in Windows Azure SQL Database or Microsoft SQL Server software to help keep your data secure and scalable.

Topics in this guide include:

Creating custom apps

In Access2013, you can quickly create custom web apps that help run your business or department. Get started by adding table templates that are relevant to your business needs, and then customize your app by using a drag-and-drop form designer before you start the app in a browser. You don’t need app development knowledge.

Getting started quickly

You can get started quickly and easily by creating a custom app, or get inspired by a collection of professionally designed app templates.

Choosing an app location

When you create an Access2013 app, one of the first steps is to decide where to store it. You can choose location or a team site that’s running Access2013.

When you’re finished creating the app, you don’t have to use any sort of compatibility checker or publish button. The app is already live—just tap or click Launch App.

When you open the app, it’s ready to use with navigation, forms, and a professional look and feel.

Using table templates

After you tap or click Custom web app, you can search from a library of table templates to help you track the people, things, events, or tasks that you care about. If you know what you want to track for your custom app, simply start typing it in the Add Tables dialog box, and then choose from relevant tables to quickly define fields, relationships, and rules between them.

If you don’t see a template that meets your needs, you can add a blank table.

NOTE: If you see a multiple-table indicator next to a template, Access will add commonly used related tables for you so that you can get started with creating a truly relational database. Access creates consistent views for each table, so you can view and edit the table data in addition to the related table data.

Importing data to create a database

If you import your data from a Microsoft Excel workbook, a SharePoint site, an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) database, or an existing Access database, Access will quickly create the database for you. Access adds the data, defines the database schema, generates views, and creates the navigation, all with a standard look and feel.

You can also create read-only links to SharePoint data to ensure that you’re always looking at the latest data.

Creating and running desktop databases

Even though Access2013 focuses on the web, you can still enjoy full support for your existing desktop databases (ACCDB/MDB), including Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). So you won’t lose the investments that you've already made in existing databases.

Creating apps

The new Office and SharePoint app model takes advantage of web services and gives developers a security-minded, scalable, and flexible way to build apps. Apps run outside the SharePoint process, hosted externally and exposed through Representational State Transfer (REST) APIs. Developers can build apps and services by using familiar development languages like Microsoft .NET, Windows Azure, JavaScript, or HTML.

Placing and moving controls

You can put controls where you want them without making adjustments to the layout first. Just drag a control—the other controls move out of the way to make room.

Using callouts to set properties

Settings are available via callouts that are located conveniently next to each section or control. So you don’t have to search through a property sheet for a particular setting.

Using the Action Bar for custom macros

The built-in views each have an Action Bar that contains buttons for adding, editing, saving, and deleting items. You can add more buttons to this bar to run any custom macros that you build, or you can remove buttons that you don’t want.

Navigating through apps

Access2013 apps automatically provide an attractive, easy-to-use interface and consistent user experience, so there’s no reason to get lost in the data. Access apps save you the trouble of building views, switchboards, and other interface elements. Your apps will continue to look professional as they evolve along with your business or department needs.

Table names appear in the left pane of the window, and the views (for example, List) for each table appear across the top.

All apps have a similar navigation structure, which makes them easier to learn. You can always add more custom views, such as By record detail.

Viewing data from a related table or query

The Related Items control provides a quick way to list and summarize data from a related table or query. Just tap or click an item to open a detail view for that item. You can peek at additional relevant information in the database without changing screens, so they have the right context when they’re reviewing or entering information.

Entering data

To help make entering data easier and less error-prone, the AutoComplete control provides menus and recommendations when you begin typing. Lookups allow for drawing relationships between records in different tables.

Viewing details quickly

You can use the Drill-Through to Details feature to quickly view details about a related item. When you tap or click a link, Access displays a pop-up window that contains the details. Access handles all the behind-the-scenes logic to make sure that the right data is displayed.

Controlling apps

You can use Access2013 as an end-user tool to rapidly build native SQL Server and Windows Azure SQL Database applications. You can easily deploy apps and control permissions on SharePoint sites through Office365 or on an on-premises server through a browser.

Storing data

The database part of Access2013 has been moved to SQL Server and Windows Azure SQL Database to allow for added reliability, robust security, scalability, and long-term manageability. Access2013 apps use standard Structured Query Language (SQL) syntax and a mission-critical back end, whether deployed on-premises or in the cloud. This means that databases that are designed for Access2013 can also be used by other standard SQL-based development environments, such as Microsoft .NET Framework, Java, and Java Database Connectivity (JDBC).

Accessing and managing apps

You can manage and monitor Access apps by using a SharePoint site through Office365. This enables the multiuser accessibility and permissions control, along with visibility on app usage.

SharePoint themes inheritance from the rest of the site keeps a cohesive look and feel across the end-user experience.

SharePoint has three default permission levels: Designer, Author, and Reader. Designers can make design changes to views and tables. Authors can change data but can’t change the design. Readers can only view existing data.

For more information

What’s new in Access2013

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access-help/what-s-new-in-access-2013-HA102809500.aspx

Access blog

http://blogs.office.com/b/microsoft-access/

Basic tasks for an Access app (Office.com)

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access-help/basic-tasks-for-an-access-app-HA102840210.aspx?CTT=5&origin=HA102809525

What's new for Access 2013 developers

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/jj250134(v=office.15).aspx

Work Smart by Microsoft IT

http://aka.ms/customerworksmart

Modern IT Experience featuring IT Showcase

http://microsoft.com/microsoft-IT