Provide a MS-Access connector to PowerApps and Flow
We have a webservice on which we have a PowerApp connector that enables PowerApps to run any macro, vba procedure/function, opening of a form to fill in text-fields and/or perform the equivalent to buttonclick-events in an Access Application. If MS-Access out of the box could configure and enable a webservice on the machine it's running and thus would enable a PowerApp to be a cloudfirst/mobilefirst frontend presentation layer, MS-Access 2019 would really become something new. When the Access application has linked SQL-tables to SQL-2016 or up, it can easily delegate the creation of JSON to SQL-server, but I wouldn't be surprised VBA already has JSON functionality in Access 2019.
Rob Koelmans
shared this idea
We have presented in a recent user group session about an investment we are making in building a CDS Connector within the Access application, to successfully move your data to and from CDS; which will power a variety of Power App and MS Flow applications.
Check out the presentation here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_o3F89EcBI, and scroll to the latter half of this video to hear more about CDS/Power Apps.
10 comments
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Rob Koelmans
commented
If you have a Power Automation Connector that Desktop Access, Word and Excel can connect to at its behind side you could easily provide a VBA function caller to anything in PowerAutomate. Access FE versions (that are cleaned out of code and data that should run behind a wall) can use the http action initiator to use their BE-versions to generate JSON on behalf of the WebAPI that Power Automation effectively provides. This way developers can have the BE deployed in an Azure Virtual Machine and thus have a structure to get their application 3-tier and GDPR-compliant. The VBA-code would would of course also become available automatically to PowerApps en other front-end environments. This is simular to how a Power Automate MySQL-connector from Microsoft or some third party works. Call it the 'Desktop Office Automation Connector' :-)
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Anonymous
commented
Provide a MS-Access connector to PowerApps and Flow
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Rob Koelmans
commented
I think not a single MS-Access programmer is waiting to move access or sql data to CDS to get their access applications not working anymore. You can only afford to extend with PowerApps/Flow, not replace years of Access development. A MySQL like Flow connector would also make a huge benefit (a connector that builds up a gateway to Flow/Automation from premises to Flow). We extended the reverse proxy as described in my suggestion above with VBA code that uses the Jscript COM Add-In to handle incoming and outgoing JSON. Incoming JSON fills a manually created ADO object which is being assigned as record source in form OnOpen events. Works like a charm. We plan to make that Odata V4 compatible, not just for data but als actions/methods that call vba functions/procedures.
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Ernesto Manríquez Mendoza commented
YES. Please, I'm waiting for this.
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Isidro Centelels
commented
It will be really useful could use Access for ETL and provide clean data on Power Apps.
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Rob Koelmans
commented
Hi Anders,
Essentially I'm asking for a webservice optionally installed along with MS-Access that enables a webservice client to do everything a human could do with an Access Application (so, start MS-Access instance, load adm/accdb, use user-defined-functions/procedures/macros, open forms/reports, read/write form/report controls, trigger events or effectively equivalent). -
Anders Ebro (TheSmileyCoder)
commented
I'm not sure. Are you asking for a way to connect your Access desktop app to a PA or flow webservice? Or for a way to connect your Power App to a desktop database file?
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Miguel Rigo 'Neckkito' (Access MVP)
commented
Having AWA's deprecated plus noting the effort MS is putting on PowerApps development it sounds logical that Access developers can enjoy an easier way to connect their Access applications to PowerApps and Flow. As "cool item" we're receiving new data connectors for Dynamics 365 and SalesForce, so, why not PowerApps and Flow? Very good idea, I believe.
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PowerApps and Flow are the future. We seriously need this.
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Rob Koelmans
commented
This would also enable Flow to perform scheduled jobs in a MS-Access application. A MS-Word/Excel like macro recorder would top it off.
