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Access Online Share Your Microsoft Access Database Online I get asked this question all the time: "How can I put my Access database online so other people can use it?" There are several different things you can do to put your database online, depending on who your users are, what kind of security you need, how much work you want to put into development, and what you want the end-result to look like. File Sharing ServicesFirst of all, a lot of people tell me they are trying to share their Access database using Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox. Do not do this! This is a big no-no! Access databases will not work reliably over these file sharing services. You will most likely lose information at best, and corrupt your database at worst. Very bad. I love Google drive. I use it all the time myself, but don't use it for an Access database. If you are the ONLY user working on the database AND it's relatively small AND you have good Internet, and you want to be able to copy the database back and forth between your home and your office, that's OK. But don't run the database out of your shared folder. Copy it to a local drive, use it, then copy it back up. See this video for more information: Using Access with File Sharing Services. SharePoint
SQL Server Online
Remote Desktop
Access Database Cloud
New: Access Form Profiles
You can use the same database on your big monitor, your small travel laptop, and your cell phone. All by setting up different form profiles.
Additional InfoIf you require additional copies of Microsoft Access for your users to work with your database, you don't need to pay for full versions of Office. You can just get the free Access Runtime Edition. If you're planning on using one of the remote desktop options, and you want to learn how to design Access forms so that they appear the right size for your tablet or cell phone, check out my Access on a Phone video. If you are planning to use SQL Server to host your data, in addition to connecting your Access front-end database to it, you can also connect your web site as well. I have a full series of classes that teach web programming using Active Server Pages. That's what my web site uses, and my site is very heavily database-driven. Access Web AppsAny time people ask about using Access online, this topic always comes up: Access Web Apps. As of 2019, Microsoft removed Web Apps from Access. If you see any web sites talking about them, they're dead. They were never very good to begin with. And be careful what you read out there. There are some misleading sites that are claiming that Microsoft has discontinued Access and will no longer be supporting it. No. That's not true. They discontinued Access Web Apps which was one feature of Access. Access isn't going anywhere. My RecommendationsI only recommend SharePoint if you're already setup with it and using it. If you want to use Access as a desktop database and also to share data on your web site, use SQL Server. If you, and you alone, want to use your database when you're travelling and you don't mind leaving your home/office computer on while you're away, use Chrome Remote Desktop. If you want to share your database with your employees but don't want to have to migrate your data or learn how to work with SharePoint or SQL Server, then I recommend the fully managed Access Database Cloud service. If your users want to have remote connectivity via a web browser, tablet, or phone, use Chrome Remote Desktop if they can connect in to their home/office PCs, or Access Database Cloud if you want to have your database online. If your database needs full-scale public access, with user account creation, logons, shopping carts, and the works, then I recommend an ASP Web Site with SQL Server. What do I use? When I'm on the road and I want to get into my database, I use Chrome Remote Desktop. I can use my laptop or Android phone/tablet. For my web site, I use an ASP Web Site connected to SQL Server. I love to program in ASP. It's fast, easy (for me), and secure. However, I'm just a lone gunman, and I'm a nerd. I don't have any employees. I don't work in a team. I love to program. So it's easy for me to just leave my home PC running when I'm travelling so I can connect into it. However, if I was just a normal business owner, I wasn't a database guru, I had employees, and needed to share my database with a team, I'd use Access Database Cloud. But that's just my opinion. I've only been doing this for... about 30 years. :) Practical Case StudyMost emails I get from people asking me what they should do tend to go something like this: "I have a database to run my business. I need to be able to share it with people who work remotely. What's the best way to set something like this up?" Here are the three solutions I recommend for most situations:
What option is best for you depends mostly on your budget and how much time and effort you're willing to spend on learning Access, SQL Server, ASP, and whatever else is necessary. I've got the courses to teach you all of this, but you have to ultimately decide what's best for you. Your Comments & QuestionsIf you are interested in learning more about any of the topics mentioned above, then leave a comment below and let me know exactly what your needs are. The more people that comment, the higher the priority I give specific topics.
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Keywords: access web database online sharing shared sharepoint hosted sql server amazon workspaces remote access virtual pc access over the internet access on the web onedrive google drive dropbox PermaLink How to Share Your Microsoft Access Database Online |