Professional Access 2013 Programming

2

Designing Tables

WHAT'S IN THIS CHAPTER?

• Reviewing the new process of creating tables
• Using Nouns
• Importing from external sources
• Linking SharePoint lists
• Identifying changes in data types

One major change Microsoft introduced in the new Access web app architecture is that the tables for each app are contained in a SQL Server database created exclusively for that app. Because of that tight linkage between the app and the database, the structure and design of Access web app tables need to have one-one parity with SQL Server tables. In the past, when you linked to SQL Server tables from an Access client solution, you would have to account for differences between SQL Server and the JET/ACE database engine. This is no longer the case in an Access web app, which means you need to know how things have changed so you can use the SQL Server tables to their best advantage.

Another thing Microsoft introduced in Access web apps was the ability to quickly create commonly used tables for a new app. This new functionality is called “Nouns.” The idea behind Nouns is that common entities — such as people — have common attributes such as first name, last name, and date of birth, which are frequently a part of a table. Instead of searching for an existing Access file template from which to retrieve prebuilt tables, or building common tables from scratch, you can select templates for tables by Nouns that reference them. For example, you can use a people noun to add a new table representing people. ...