Chapter 33: Integrating Access with SharePoint
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SharePoint. These additional fields are listed in Table 33.2. It’s possible that you may be able to
make use of at least some of these columns, but by and large, they serve no purpose in an Access
application.TABLE 33.2
New Fields Added to the SharePoint List
SharePoint Field Name Data Type
_OldId Number (Double)
Content Type Text
Workflow Instance ID Text
File Type Text
Modified Date/Time
Created Date/Time
Created By Text
Modified By Text
URL Path Text
Path Text
Item Type Text
Encoded Absolute URL TextUsing SharePoint Templates
In this chapter, we examined the options available when an Access database already exists and
users require the same data on a SharePoint Web site. In its attempt to solidify the connection
between Access and SharePoint, Microsoft has provided yet another approach to integrating Access
applications with SharePoint.Rather than exporting existing Access tables to SharePoint, or linking to SharePoint lists, this alter-
nate technique involves building entirely new SharePoint lists within the Access environment.
Access 2010 provides SharePoint list templates, which contain all the details necessary to build
SharePoint lists, including column names and data types, and other list properties. When com-
pleted, the lists are already linked to Access and may serve as the basis for new forms and reports.The SharePoint templates in Access 2010 cover a number of important business functions:
Contacts, Tasks, Issues, and Events, as shown in Figure 33.15. In addition, the Custom list tem-
plate (near the bottom of the list) allows adding virtually any combination of SharePoint-
compatible columns to an otherwise blank list. The last item in the drop-down list (Existing
SharePoint List) provides the same linking capability discussed in the section titled “Linking to
SharePoint lists” earlier in this chapter.