- Quick Overview of Microsoft Access 2010
- The Many Faces of SharePoint 2010
- The Bottom Line for Web Databases
- References
The Bottom Line for Web Databases
Cost isn't the only affliction suffered by Access Web databases; they don't support Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code or accommodate all Access 2010 macro actions. But Access 2010 improves the previous release's performance with SPS list data sources by caching the data in local tables, more efficient bulk query operations, and reduced Web service calls. So you might start by linking conventional Access front-end applications to SharePoint Foundation 2010 lists when you must implement role-based data security. Chapter 22 of Microsoft Access 2010 In Depth, "Collaborating with SharePoint Foundation 2010," provides full coverage of SPS list exporting, importing, and linking operations.
In case you decide to plunge ahead into Web databases, Access 2010 includes a wizard to detect and log incompatibilities of database design elements, such as the presence of VBA code modules, before publishing a project to an SPS 2010 site by clicking a button. Fortunately, Access 2010 lets you practice with customizable assets, charitable contributions, contacts, issues, and projects Web database templates. Microsoft Access 2010 In Depth's Chapter 23, "Sharing Web Databases with SharePoint Server 2010," delivers the details of designing and publishing Web databases.
The conclusion: No matter how you cut it, Access Web databases are orders of magnitude more useful than their now-abandoned Data Access Pages forebears.