Microsoft recently announced that it will bring to a halt the Access Services for SharePoint Online. Come June, users won’t be able to create Access-based apps in SharePoint Online, while the apps that are still available will be shut down early next year. That being the case, it is recommended that users no longer make use of Access Services for new apps in Office 365.
According to Microsoft, this move will allow users with limited programming skills to come up with data-centric web applications. In light of this event, the company introduced a new feature that can be used to export the current data to a SharePoint list. You can know more about the transition here. In addition, the tech giant said that users can opt for PowerApps and Microsoft Flow as an alternative for Access Services.
SharePoint Shifts in Access Services
Access Services is used by those who would want to launch a SharePoint application through the Microsoft Access database management system. Then, this application becomes available in a Web browser. Despite axing Access Services in SharePoint Online, you can still use it with SharePoint Server 2013, SharePoint Server 2010, and other SharePoint Server products and future server releases. As a matter of fact, Microsoft assured the public that they will incorporate Access Services and Access Web Apps in the upcoming version of SharePoint server.
The latest trends in technology goaded the public to increase their expectations with Access Services. Basically, it provides mobile device support, business data consolidation, and professional developer extensions. But due to these high expectations, Microsoft found out that Access Services failed to hit the mark; hence, ending Access Services in SharePoint Online.
According to Venture Beat, Microsoft’s announcement yielded negative responses from users. Some of them think that the tech giant did not give them enough time to prepare for the transition and to adjust to the sudden changes. Moreover, there are also users who believe that PowerApps can’t do the job on its own.
In a statement, Chris McNulty, Microsoft’s senior product manager, said that the public’s feedback are all taken into consideration. He also acknowledged that ending Access Services for SharePoint Online can be “disruptive.”
