Access 2013 on SharePoint 2013 Online - Multiple Questions

Question

Very long time since I even look at Access.. but on SPO, with a database on Azure it seems really nice ... wondering tho..

1. Any way to remove that left pane with the Databases from the UI?

2. Set a list button to go to a URL formatted using selected column fields in the row?

3. Join in oData datasource like SharePoint Online List? Validate against SharePoint list Data? set dropdowns to lookup using SharePoint list data?

4. Any file upload control and upload to a sharePoint Library? A way to add metadata to a file and do some validation - like does file exist with this metadata. Dynamically rename files to some unique string.

5. Perform complex field validation with REGEX?

6. Secure the application and database to SharePoint groups.

7. What's the business language of choice? Not clear on how to edit and save macros. Can it make calls to webservices?

8. Any way to change that obsure url you get for the App in SharePoint 2013 Online?

Answer 1

1. Any way to remove that left pane with the Databases from the UI?
   No, but there is a workaround. Right click on the tables you don't want to be visible, and select the option to hide them individually. You can also rename the table-views in that pane, so they appear to have more user-friendly names for your end-users.

2. Set a list button to go to a URL formatted using selected column fields in the row?
   The best way to achieve something like this would be using a hyperlink control attached to a calculated column in your table/query where the URL and display text are computed and linked together automatically. If you need list functionality, you can allow the user to select an item in the list, and have that automatically update a separate hyperlink control to provide the link functionality.

3. Join in oData data source like SharePoint Online List? Validate against SharePoint list Data? set dropdowns to lookup using SharePoint list data?
   Access 2013 Web Apps cannot pull external data at this time. Access 2013 Web Apps only accept incoming data connections e.g. a MS-SQL or oData service can use industry-standard methods to connect to your Access Web App and validate data.

4. Any file upload control and upload to a SharePoint Library? A way to add metadata to a file and do some validation - like does file exist with this metadata. Dynamically rename files to some unique string.
   The only file support currently provided by Access Web Apps is in the form of images uploaded to an image field inside a table. This is useful to add people's photos to their records in a "contacts" table, and things like this. Other than that, you will need to use a custom SharePoint library interface for this type of functionality.

5. Perform complex field validation with REGEX?
   Not currently supported to my knowledge.

6. Secure the application and database to SharePoint groups.
   This functionality is handled within SharePoint, not within Access or SQL Azure. Secure your SharePoint site collection as needed, and these security settings will apply appropriately to read and/or write operations by SharePoint users within your database. e.g. a SharePoint "visitor" (read-only access) will not be able to edit any data in your database - only view it.

7. What's the business language of choice? Not clear on how to edit and save macros. Can it make calls to web-services?
   In Access 2013 Web Apps, VBA is no longer supported. Macros have to be written using the GUI "wizardy" macro interface, which greatly limits the scope of available operations. As a result, you cannot perform more complex tasks, such as making calls to external web-services. However, for basic data operations and UI operations, the GUI macro interface serves the purpose well.

8. Any way to change that obscure URL you get for the App in SharePoint 2013 Online?
   The URL is randomly assigned when you create an Access 2013 Web App, but is guaranteed to never change after it is assigned. Therefore, you could reasonably use your DNS/web-host to "mask" the URL with a CNAME or other type of HTTP redirection. There are many ways to do this, and they are all external to SharePoint and Access 2013 Web Apps, so it's up to your DNS and web providers to support this.