How can I generate an online reports from tables data in my Access Database?

Question

Good Day, I am new to web development using PHP: I intend to split an Access Database into (Desktop: Tables & Forms) and (Server Side. Reports PDF format), I want to use an access database to store data into tables through forms, at desktop, in OFFLINE mode; but when the user want some reports from these data tables. data should be sent to a server to generate the report at server side to view in desktop application? How is it possible. Please guide me.

Answer 1

Well, you likely want to move the data to sql server, as that plays a lot better with a web site. You can keep the existing access database "as is" with very few changes, and all of the forms/reports and code in Access will continue to work as before.

You then of course need a web server. However, if you going to render reports on the web server, then it makes a VERY LOT of sense to adopt something with at least some kind of report writer or tool that will let you build + create reports web site without having code each report. (coding up HTML with rows of data by hand is really too old school, and is too time consuming.

So, as a first step I would migrate the access "back end" tables to some server edition. You next issue and choice is of course what kind of web server you have (or are going to run).

So, whatever tools you use, you should adopt some set of tools that gives you some kind of report writer.

Due to my VBA skills, then I adopted vb.net, and the free edition of Visual Studio (express). I found the coding and approach similar to Access.

So, take a typical report developed in Access (with wizards) and a bit of layout, and you get a report like this:

Now, to re-produce this as a web page, I created web form, and dropped in the reportviewer. Followed the wizards, and the result is this:

And the above took no code. And the web wizards actually generated the "+" signs to expand and contract parts like this:

Now, I don't really care what platform you adopt, but adopting SQL reporting services, or even the free Visual studio in which I built the above web form in minutes is really nice. And the above report can be consumed as excel, word or even a PDF by all users (once again, you don't want to have to write the code).

I thus suggest moving data to SQL server, but to be fair, the above report and tools from Visual Studio would have worked just as well using a accDB file, but once you data is "in" sql server, the working with web based technologies is going to be not only less hassle, but you will open up more options. So for example, you might not have a web server, and choose Azure. Again, you can/could keep your existing access front end, but once the database in on Azure, then both your Access front end, and the cloud hosted web site would work from the same single database.

So, be it development tool "x" or "y"?

Do adopt something with reporting tools - as it simply too much work and hassle to cobble together reports by hand when good web reporting tools exist.

So you can't really use Access to create or build the web reports. But by having both the web site and Access use a common database, then all your efforts on the web site are not application code, but that of building some web reports, and exposing the web server to your internal network. The result is reporting can be used by anyone, and even those without Access.

Answer 2

I personally use FineReport, which is a reporting tool. Although my database is MySql, I think it supports Access since I remember it supports almost all mainstream databases, you can check on its website:[www.finereport.com/en][1][1]: http://www.finereport.com/en/

It has a feature called 'Schedule' that you can automatically trigger tasks based on frequency or conditions. In this way, you can set push the tasks to the platform and generate reports when the server is on.