Access 2013: The Missing Manual

Chapter 22. Linking Access to SharePoint

Even in the most dysfunctional companies, people need to get along. Businesses that have efficient ways to share information are more successful than those that keep quiet. SharePoint is a Microsoft product that’s explicitly designed for this sort of office teamwork, and you’ll find it at work in many blue-chip businesses.

You already met SharePoint in Chapter 20, when you learned to create Access web apps. Web apps use a single, specialized SharePoint 2013 feature, called Access Web Services. But Access also has a simpler and more general ability that lets you edit SharePoint lists.

SharePoint users create lists whenever they need to store any sort of structured information. For example, a manager might create a list of prioritized tasks for a project, while a sales person might compile a list of potential customers at a sales conference. In fact, a list is much like an Access table, but dressed up a little differently.

Here’s where Access’s list linking feature comes in. Using Access, you can retrieve the data from any SharePoint list, and edit it without leaving the comfort of the Access window. Even better, you can view, analyze, and manipulate list data by using your favorite Access tools, including queries, reports, and forms. In this chapter, you’ll learn how.

Note

Unlike the web app feature, which requires SharePoint 2013, Access’s list-linking feature works with the free version of SharePoint (called SharePoint Foundation) and the older ...