Share a database over the Internet

[edupi]

Good Morning.

I just created a pretty simple database to manage our clients details and now I need to allow our offices in Colombia and Nepal to access the database, add clients and edit current clients details.

As I'm a beginner in working with access I have no idea how to do this, or if it is possible at all. I've been reading some Access books but I haven't found any information on how to share a Database over the Internet and allow users to login and manage the database.

If someone knows a way of doing this I would really appreciate it! we really need to start using this.

One more question:

1. We also have a sort of Contract in a word document for our clients to sign, the word document containts around 4 pages and we need to print the contracts with each client's name and also with how much they are gonna be charged, and how they are planning on paying us. All these details are in the Access database, but I don't know how to link the Name, Costs fields in word to be filled with the details from the database... is this possible whatsoever?

Thanks a lot for your help! I appreciate it.

Kind regards,

German D Salamanca

 

[HiTechCoach]

Welcome to AWF!

I will start with the Word document.

You have two options. 1) Use some type of mail merge with Word. or 2) Create an Access report. I do lots of contract management systems. I also do any type of contracts as an Access report to be sure that the text in the document is correct.


Can an Access database's forms and reports be shared over the internet using a web browser? The answer is NO.

If you do not want to rewrite the database, then you would want to use some type of remote access. I have used Terminal servers and LogMeIn.

Otherwise you will need to set up a web server/web site. If you use an SQL server back end, then you can use Access as the front end. You could also create a new web based front end.

 

[edupi]

HiTechCoach, thanks a lot for writing back. I'm reading the tutorial I found on the link you gave me so I hope I can work something out.

If not, we will just need to do it in a different way.

Hey, about the WORD document, the mail merge option is great for me, but the director here just want to be able to click a button on access and that after clicking that button (on each client) it opens the whole report (the contract) with the client's info on it. Is it possible to create a Report in Access that containts about 4 pages? I've heard that it is not possible. If it is possible I can just type in the Contract and have access to fill the client's info on each one.

Thanks a lot. I appreciate your help.

Regards,

German Salamanca

 

[boblarson]

One other option is available too.

1. If you do not have a large database (tables under about 65,000 records)

2. If you have SharePoint or SharePoint Server available and are using Access 2007 (potentially 2003 will work too, but 2007 has been more optimized for SharePoint 3)

You can use SharePoint linked tables and then you can have login security (although you do need to set up code to manage referential integrity) and your users just need a copy of the frontend which then, as long as they have an Internet connection and have a SharePoint login, can use the database. (I've implemented this for one client at my last job).

 

[vb9063]

One other option is available too.

1. If you do not have a large database (tables under about 65,000 records)

2. If you have SharePoint or SharePoint Server available and are using Access 2007 (potentially 2003 will work too, but 2007 has been more optimized for SharePoint 3)

You can use SharePoint linked tables and then you can have login security (although you do need to set up code to manage referential integrity) and your users just need a copy of the frontend which then, as long as they have an Internet connection and have a SharePoint login, can use the database. (I've implemented this for one client at my last job).

Hi Bob,
I have created my acccess 2007 database which has forms and tables but I need to store it somewhere where others can access it. We have a hosted sharepoint site which I have tried to store the access file in a normal shared folder. This works but if the database gets larger it will be more and more difficult to check it in and out. I tried disabling the check in/out but this then causes problems with saving the file to local drives. THere is an option to "publish the site to sharepoint" but if I try and put in my sharepoint site URL it doesnt do anything. I have read the posts about creating sharepoint lists to access the backend of the database but I dont really have a clue as to how to start and I stumble at the first step when access asks for the site URL. Do you have any idea as to how I could get this started??
Thanks again VB

 

[boblarson]

1. You can't share an Access 2007 (or prior) database from SharePoint. It just will not work.

2. If you want to be able to share the frontend with people via SharePoint as well as store data in it, I would suggest going to SharePoint 2010 and Access 2010 as that is set up to do it.

3. Access 2007 does not work well with SharePoint 3. It is very slow and cumbersome and it can only handle very small amounts of data.

 

[vb9063]

Darn, thanks Bob I guess I will have to go with 2010 although I dont see that happening. Do you have any preferences with designing web enabled databases? Do you know what is the difference between asp.net and vb.net? Thanks again, VB