I trying to create an application using vb 2010.This application handles booking of airline customers. i am using ms access 2007 where i have created a table that stores customer information and another that stores and updates seats available in different flying classes. Am trying to develop an interactive application in visual basic 2010 where customers can book. i want to add this data to the database in real time and communicate to customers the seats available,prices and so forth. In otherwards the application communicates with database and updates accordingly. Firstly how do i connect to my database? I tried ADO.net but seems better equiped to work with sql server which i have no idea how to use. Is there a tool that can make my interaction with the access seamless? or are there any useful resources which can guide me with working access 2007 and vb.net?
There's this step-by-step by Microsoft on how to use vb.net to connect to a access database. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/821765.
I agree with David and Ken, why not use SQL Server Express or MySQL, they are free and easy to use, and much better to work with multi-users.
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I'm starting a new project where we are expecting to migrate desktop based Access 2016 applications (with a lot of backend VBA and relationships between the tables) into SharePoint 2016 on-premise and very soon, SharePoint Online. From what I've been told, we'll be given site permission to a SharePoint site that we can do whatever we want with. I am hoping that with SharePoint 2016 on-premise and eventually SharePoint online means that there is a SQL Server and eventually Azure SQL Database that I can migrate the Access backend tables and queries, as I know SharePoint lists will be inadequate for this, despite the false notion that SharePoint lists are an equivalent substitute for database tables.
My concern is how to build the custom forms, perform the needed business logic, perform CRUD operations, and upload data in the form of Excel files from the SharePoint site to the backend.
I'm new to SharePoint and given that it does not support VBA, that Microsoft cut out Access Web Apps earlier this year, and they are phasing out SharePoint Designer 2013 and InfoPath, some research over the past week indicates my best options are building custom web application using ASP.NET Core and somehow deploying that to the SharePoint site and subsites that we have control over, or developing a lot of HTML, CSS, and JS to create the front-end interface. I had read about the Business Connectivity Service to get and post data to / from the SharePoint site front end and the DB backend, as well as using Javascript and AJAX calls to do CRUD operations between the database and the frontend. I looked into PowerApps and those seem insufficient, and I'm still trying to distinguish between SharePoint web parts and SharePoint add-ins.
Is any of the above even a feasible option? Could someone chime in on a better path to go about this? What technologies would I need to best go about this?
Support for moving tables from Access to SharePoint remains a choice and option.
So all of your VBA code etc. will work as before. The only real question is if you want to move your data to SharePoint tables in place of using SQL server.
SQL server tables are far faster than SharePoint tables.
However, you can certainly consider moving your tables to SharePoint. When you move your tables to SharePoint (or SQL server), then Access code, forms, reports etc. and EVEN your VBA code will work as before. What this means is that you continue to deploy the Access application to each desktop. The only difference is now your tables are on SharePoint, or SQL server.
The above choice does not result in a web based application.
So you can move the data, but your application will remain a desktop application.
If you looking to build a web based application, then Access is the wrong tool – you need to adopt something like Visual Studio.
So you can continue to use Access, and put the data tables into the cloud, or on-site SharePoint - but the application will be still desktop based.
I have used the following extensively over the last couple of years and I am happy with the experience:
Azure SQL Database as a back-end
Flow for automation and as an interface to the DB
PowerApps for forms, desktop apps and mobile apps
Excel for reporting (Get & Transform aka PowerQuery and DAX), especially for printing reports
Power BI for dashboards (limited use)
Yes, PowerApps has drawbacks, but there are a lot of realistic workarounds out there and new features/improvements are being added regularly.
I have also used SharePoint lists as data sources, but almost always then migrated to Azure SQL Database.
We have an SQL Express database with an Access 2003 front end which we can convert to Access 2010 or 2013. The database has a lot of forms, queries & tables & complex VBA code.
What is the procedure to make this web enabled so a limited number of our customers can logon and update information in the forms
Will it require VBA coding from scratch, some minor changes or I don't need to change the VBA code at all?
Please note that I am talking about access web based database which
can be hosted on SharePoint site. I am not talking about php, java or
.net bases full fledge web application. So i think a person having
expertise in MS Access can answer this question.
Thanks in advance!
Is it possible to use use SharePoint to custom develop a GUI for an SQL Server backend for updating the data? Thanks.
If you are using SharePoint 2007 you might want to take a look at the Business Data Catalogue - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms563661(v=office.12).aspx
Not sure what the comparable feature (if any) in 2010/2013 is...
EDIT:
In 2013 it is called Business Connectivity Services - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj163782.aspx#BCSoverview_Whatcanbcsdo
Look at "Business Connectivity Services" and "External List".
SharePoint Designer can make the process pretty simple or you can develop a Visual Studio project:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee558778(v=office.14).aspx
If you want to do the legwork try building an Access Application in SharePoint 2013.
It is much better than 2010 but requires more setup. This will encapsulate a database within a SQL database, very versatile super quick and you can do all your SQL fun stuff from there.
This is a low or no code solution.
SharePoint 2010 Access apps use lists as back-end repositories, you can interact with the data in the SharePoint WSS_Content database, but it is not supported and no advisable.
A client wants to host their MS Access 2003 backend database into SQL Server 2008 that resides in a different server. They will be using upsizing wizard to move their databases and tables into SQL server.
A client also has MS Access front end application written in VB. After upsizing their database tables to SQL, they want to use SQL server to read/write data and also use adv. programmability features of SQL Server like stored Procs, functions etc. My team will host their SQL database.
Client will have a growing # of users entering data. So what would be the best option for our team to provide access to our SQL server so that they can use only their databases in our SQL Server?Is there a way to provide them a connection string or something like that so that they could test it in their front end application to see if they could connect to our SQL Server to read/write?Basically I want to know What are the different avenues to connect MS Access 2003 front end application written in VB to connect to SQL Server database hosted in a different server so that a user could read/write to SQL database tables? Any thoughts? Thanks.
Actually, how this setup works is not any different than if your developers were using c++, vb.net, c# or even asp.net. At the end of the day these software development tools such as c++, or FoxPro or MS Access are simply tools that let you write software. The ability of Access to connect to MySql or Oracle or insert your favorite X database brand has existed from day one.
As long as your database supports what is called "open database connectivity" then you are off to the races. And how you setup that database server to allow some software written in say c# or FoxPro or MS Access will not really change much of anything to my knowledge.
So Access is just like any other software tool such as c++ or vb.net – it is a tool that lets you write code and you connect that application and user interface to some database system you choose.
The connection technology that Access uses here is based on industry standards and thus your setup and maintains of the server side will quite much be the same for any other application(s) that you have running on premises that utilize SQL server now.
About the only relevant issue here is that in Access you have a choice of two data object models, ADO and DAO. Right now, since Microsoft is depreciating ADO and they are continuing investment in DAO and also recommending to use open database connectivity. For example, Access 2010 ships with support baked in for SQL Azure (cloud sql), and that support is based on open database connectivity.
So at this point time as it did back in 2003 the recommend data object model in Access is to use DAO.
You can read about the depreciation of ADO support in SQL server here:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlnativeclient/archive/2011/08/29/microsoft-is-aligning-with-odbc-for-native-relational-data-access.aspx
While a for good number of general exports and imports and that of linking to SQL server can occur 100% inside of Access, those users will STILL need a set of client tools beyond Access to effectively work with SQL server if over time they going to start using SQL server features. This thus suggests they will need some edition of SSMS (Sql server management studio). The free express version of SSMS should more than suffice in this case.
So I am just getting started with this. New to .NET, SQL Server, C#, VB.NET, etc and the closest thing I have to related to this is some experience with MS Access and the VBA that relates to that and MS Office automation.
So I do have Visual VB.NET 2008 Express installed, SQL Server 2005 express installed, and I do know how to start a brand new project in VB.NET, and then add the database to the solution explorer, modify the tables/fields, etc. I know how to create a WinForm, add some controls (and name them and whatnot).....
So in MS Access I know how to use VB in the Code-Behind-Form to use the form in an unbound manner, and insert data into the tables via Visual Basic with SQL statements. I am looking to be able to begin the same sort of thing here, because I guess I have to start somewhere?
This may be a bit overwhelming, but I'd start with the videos here: http://windowsclient.net/learn/
and in particular, look for the data videos at the bottom of this page.
http://windowsclient.net/learn/videos.aspx