   Microsoft Office 97 Intranet Product Enhancement Guide: New
            Features in Detail in Microsoft Access 97

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New Features in Detail in Microsoft Access 97

Hyperlinks

Microsoft Access 97 has integrated hyperlinks throughout the
application.

Hyperlink Datatype

Microsoft Access 97 is one of the first desktop databases to
support the storage of hyperlinks as a native datatype. The
ability to store hyperlinks in a database adds many benefits.
For example, an applicant's name stored in a job candidate
database can become a permanent hyperlink to the candidate's
resume. A supplier's name in a database of product offerings can
become a hyperlink to that supplier's Web site. Both of these
scenarios give the consumer the option to explore further,
without requiring the owner of the data to do any additional
work, except to create the hyperlink.

The ability of Microsoft Access 97 to help users organize and
manage data further enhances the value that stored hyperlinks
provide. Databases provide the structure in which to store
related pieces of information and the tools to find and manage
that data easily. But gathering and entering all the pertinent
data can be an arduous task. Combining the powerful
organizational ability of Microsoft Access 97 with the
low-maintenance data collection mechanism that hyperlinks offer
makes for the best of both worlds. Hyperlinks provide an
easy-to-locate single-click access to relevant data, requiring
only minimal data entry.

Supporting hyperlinks as a native datatype has further
implications for databases created in Microsoft Access 97.
Command buttons with hyperlink properties can now connect as
easily to an external Web site as they do to other Microsoft
Access forms in previous versions. Labels and images can serve
as navigation controls to sources both inside and outside the
database itself.

Editing a Hyperlink to a Microsoft Word document in Table
Datasheet View

Hyperlinks in Office Documents

Microsoft Access supports hyperlinks that go to URLs as well as
to locations in other Office 97 documents.

Hyperlinks also allow connectivity between various objects
within a Microsoft Access 97 database. Entire databases can be
built using hyperlinks as the mechanism to connect objects. This
method alleviates the necessity to create and then execute
Visual Basic for Applications code, as was previously required,
offering users an added performance benefit.

Hyperlink used to connect objects within a database

Save to HTML

In April 1996, Microsoft introduced the Internet Assistant for
Microsoft Access  95. This add-on was the beginning of the
integration between Microsoft Access and the Web, and made
Microsoft Access the first desktop database product to natively
support output of static data to HTML. In Microsoft Access 97
this functionality has been integrated directly into the
product. Users can share static views of their data on the Web
by clicking the Save As HTML/Web Formats command on the File
menu.

Microsoft Access outputs table, query, and form datasheets as
well as formatted reports directly to HTML. All output in
Microsoft Access 97 makes use of the latest HTML specification.
The formatting options employed are identical to those chosen
for the object inside Microsoft Access 97. Datasheet font,
color, and size are maintained, along with datasheet cell
background color and sizing.

When outputting reports, Microsoft Access recognizes that
reports may consist of more than one page and creates multiple
pages of output connected by hyperlinks, allowing the viewer to
see the report on the Web as it was originally intended.

Hyperlinks stored in a database remain intact during the output
process.

Activating the Save to HTML options in Microsoft Access 97

Output to IDC/HTX

The output of static data from a database is extremely useful,
especially when the information seldom changes. However, today's
users are interested in more than that; they need to publish
information from a dynamic data source, so that users can return
to the same location and always receive the latest information.

Leveraging the Internet Database Connector functionality that is
native to Microsoft Internet Information Server and Microsoft
Personal Web Server, Microsoft Access 97 provides an easy way
for users to share their structured data in a workgroup or over
the Internet.

Users select the objects they want to publish and provide a few
basic pieces of information, and Microsoft Access 97 does the
rest. In seconds, Microsoft Access creates the query files (ICD
files) containing information about the view of data to publish,
and the templates (HTX files) that contain information about how
to format the information that is returned.

Parameterized Queries

Parameterized queries created in Microsoft Access 97 can also be
published. This type of query requires the user to specify the
criteria that is used in selecting the appropriate set of
records. Extending this paradigm to the Web presents a
datasource that is not only dynamic, but also interactive. Any
user can request only the information relevant to them, and be
assured that they will receive the most current response to
their query.

Parameterized query

The ability to publish dynamic database information easily on
the Web allows all users to share information regardless of
their proximity. Information that was previously restricted to a
local machine or the corporate LAN can be shared with users
around the globe or down the hall.

Publish to the Web Wizard

The new integrated Web technologies found in Microsoft Access 97
empower users by removing the remaining barriers that separate
them from the information they need. The Publish to the Web
Wizard provides a tool that automates that publishing process
even more.

The Publish to the Web Wizard allows users to publish any object
in their database either statically or dynamically. It allows
for custom HTML formatting using templates, and retains all of
the settings used to output the objects in the form of a
configuration.

Users might choose to output some objects statically and some
dynamically or choose a different template for every object in
the database. The Publish to the Web Wizard integrates with the
Microsoft WebPost Wizard to automatically move the published
objects to the selected Web server on the Internet or corporate
intranet.

Simplifying complex tasks has been a defining trait of Microsoft
Access. Extending that capability to the world of database Web
solutions means that millions of users will be able to instantly
combine the power of a database with the accessibility of the
Web, to obtain the best of both worlds.

Publishing database objects to the Intranet using the Publish to
the Web Wizard in Microsoft Access 97

Templates

To achieve the rich formatting that is the hallmark of most HTML
documents, the Publish to the Web Wizard  uses templates. A
template is an HTML document that contains formatting
attributes, images, and other elements that are applied the
document being output. Using a pre-designed template, users can
define what the output will look like in a WYSIWIG fashion and
reuse their design later. Any data residing in a Microsoft
Access 97 database can be formatted with the corporate image or
other graphics elements.

HTML Importing and Linking

Most users of Microsoft Access initially import their
information from another format: a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet,
a delimited text file, or a client/server database such as a
Microsoft SQL server. The recent emergence of HTML for
distributing data has led to improvements in the Import/Export
Wizard. In Microsoft Access 97, not only does the wizard read
and import delimited and fixed-width text files, but it also
imports data from HTML tables.

Users can point to an HTML document containing a table of data;
the Import/Export Wizard reads the information and either
imports it directly into a new table or appends the records to
an existing table. If there are multiple HTML tables or lists on
a single page, Microsoft Access 97 allows users to select the
appropriate table to import. Once the data is imported, it
becomes native Microsoft Access data just as if it had been
entered through the Microsoft Access user interface.

Importing HTML data into Microsoft Access

Linking to HTML Tables

Typically, information residing on an HTML page changes
regularly, but importing the information from the HTML page over
and over again is not the most efficient way to get that
information into Microsoft Access for further analysis. For that
reason, Microsoft Access 97 allows users to link to an HTML
table on any Web page. This readonly link makes it easy for
users to incorporate the rich data from the Web into their
existing Microsoft Access applications.

An HTML page as a linked table in Microsoft Access 97

Internet Replication

In Microsoft Access 97 the functionality of Briefcase
Replication is extended to the Internet. Using Internet
Replication, changes to data in either the master or replica
databases are transferred via ftp (file transfer protocol) to
the appropriate location (client or server). Then the
synchronizer will merge the appropriate changes with the
database, ensuring that both databases have identical
information. This allows users to keep their data up-to-date via
the most efficient connection available, regardless of their
current location.

Connecting Databases Over The Internet

Traditionally, Microsoft Access has provided the ability to
connect users with information residing in other databases via
the corporate LAN. The Internet provides an unfounded level of
accessibility and connectivity between users. Microsoft Access
97 takes advantage of this new paradigm by allowing users to
link tables residing in the most popular database formats not
only via a local or remote access network connection; but via an
Internet connection as well.

The installable SAMs that allow for the linking of databases in
formats other than Microsoft Access have all been enhanced,
allowing for connectivity via the Internet. A user simply
selects the appropriate ftp site from the linking dialog, and
then chooses any compatible database object. The ability to
connect databases across the Internet allows users easy access
to the information they need, regardless of its location.

Linking to a database table via the Internet in Microsoft Access
97


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