Access Apps in SharePoint 2013 - Part 1

What is Access Services? What are Access apps and why would I use them?

Those are two questions I have been contemplating for a while now. Last month, I spent a day trying to figure out the answers but didn't make much progress. Then last week, I made another attempt and had some success. As promised, I'm going to share with you what I have learned so that you don't have to start from scratch.

In a workshop I attended in April, I learned that the Access Service Application is one of the many service applications that received enhancements for 2013. A TechNet article on Access Services - SharePoint 2013 states, “Access Services in SharePoint Server 2013 allows people to host Access databases in SharePoint within the context of an Access app” (Lussier, 2013). Thus, Access Services is the tool that allows Access to run in SharePoint, and an Access app is how you can view your Access database in SharePoint.

Before we get into the how-to, let's discuss some requirements. If you're not the technical person or farm administrator, you might want to take a second to send that person a link to this blog post. I'll wait. Ready? Ok, let's continue. There are three requirements I want to make clear. First, your SharePoint server must be configured as a SharePoint app server. Second, the Access service application requires a SQL Server 2012 application database server. The rest of your SharePoint environment can use SQL Server 2008R2. Finally, because Access apps are built using the Access desktop client, you must have Access 2013 running on your Windows 7 or Windows 8 machine. (For the full list of requirements, see the Access Services - SharePoint 2013 article on TechNet.)

How do you build an Access app? There are three possible methods: build a custom web app, use a web app template, or download a web app from the Office store. In Part 1 of this blog series, we will build a custom web app from scratch. In parts 2 and 3, we'll explore the other methods.

To build a custom web app, the first thing you do is open the Access 2013 client on your computer. After you select Custom Web App, you'll be prompted to name the database and enter a location for your SharePoint site.



If you're using Office 365 (as I am), you'll be prompted to sign in. Once Access opens, you'll see two options. At the top of the screen, you can search for a template. At the bottom of the screen, you can choose an existing data source, such as an Excel file or a SharePoint list. To create a new table, within the text to the right of the table search, click the link for add a new blank table.

Access will create a new table for which you can then create fields, define data types, and provide descriptions. After you save the table, switch to datasheet view to enter data. Create as many tables as necessary.

Finally, you are ready to view to your Access app in SharePoint. To do so, click Launch App from the Home ribbon. For each table, there will be a List form view and a Datasheet form view. The List form view is displayed by default. You can click Datasheet to switch to that view. Both form views can be edited in the Access client.

 

 

 To view a different table, click on the table name on the left side of the screen.

 

Now that you know how to build a custom web app in Access 2013 and publish it to SharePoint 2013, what will be your first database?

 

In part 2, we'll take a look at using the web app templates.