Office "12" PROview: MS Access
Microsoft Access has come a long way from its start as a basic database application, and the release of Access "12" brings a wealth of new features that make Access much easier for the novice, while also adding some great new tools for developers.
New Features in Access
New Office Ribbon UI - Easier access to common tasks.
Single Document Interface - One click navigation between objects.
Updated Navigation Pane - Drag and Drop fields to forms and reports.
Data collection via email - Automatically update a database from email data.
WYSIWYG report authoring - Preview a report with live data in layout mode.
Export to PDF - Full PDF support for exporting your Access documents.
Updated Themes - Finally, some new themes, including an Aero type theme.
Modern image support (gif, jpg, png, etc.) - Add stunning graphics to reports and forms.
Native rich text data - No ActiveX control needed.
Access "12" also comes with strong support for SharePoint services, enabling Access data to be viewed live in a SharePoint list, or allowing an Access file to be stored within SharePoint.
Upon opening Access "12", the user will see a completely redesigned UI. The new Getting Started page is simple, functional, and provides a number of Tracking Application templates to help users get started. These Tracking Applications are fully extensible, but are designed to be used without needing any user modifications. Currently there are a number of new Tracking Application templates, with more to come. Access "12" incorporates these Tracking Applications to make use of the power of SharePoint services combined with the client abilities of Access. From the Getting Started Page, users can also connect directly to Microsoft Office Online to download the latest Templates and Training materials.
Current Access Tracking Application Templates
Accounting and Finance – A Time and Billing application.
Assets and Inventory – An Asset and Inventory tracking application.
Budgeting - A Sales Pipeline application.
Education – Faculty, Students, and Gradebook applications.
Human Resources – Recruiting and Membership tracking applications.
Marketing – A Marketing Campaigns application.
Office Management – A Contacts tracking application.
Project and Team Management – Events, Issues, Project, and Task applications.
Access "12" has received a complete facelift when it comes to navigation. Gone are the days of navigating through long menus. The new
Office Ribbon UI is more context sensitive, and gives the user much easier access to the tools needed for the current task. Another welcome feature is the use of a
Single Document Interface (SDI) which allows all forms and reports to be opened in a tab, making one-click navigation between them possible. The new Navigation pane is now docked on the left, and lets users view the contents of their databases by tables and views, object types, or by user customizable views.
Have you ever wanted to update your contacts database without having to spend a lot of time collecting and entering the data? With Access "12"’s new
Data Collection via Email feature, you can now send an email to anyone, as an InfoPath or HTML form, which they then fill out and send back to you. With the integration of Outlook and Access, when you receive a reply with the completed form, the data is automatically inserted into the associated database. You make one form, send it to your friends, family, or co-workers, and as the responses come in, your contacts database is filled for you.
Reports and Forms in Access "12" are highly customizable, and the user can visually enhance them with rich text data and wide array of graphic formats. When working with forms there is a new split form view which allows viewing of the form and datasheet at the same time. Reports are now even easier to create and format by allowing the user to see what the report will look like with actual data while using the layout mode. New to this version of access is the ability to drag and drop fields from the task pane to reports and forms, with the ability to choose fields from multiple tables and queries.
For previous users of Access, the new UI may take a while to get used to, but it has been designed for ease of use, and both Power users and new users will find navigation much less time consuming. Microsoft is committed to making Access the database of choice for home users and small businesses that do not need the complexity of an SQL database, and Access "12" certainly has features that will help it succeed.
In-house
Also see:
Office "12" PROview: MS Word
Office "12" PROview: MS Excel
Office "12" PROview: MS InfoPath
