Sharing report formatting with other users?

[swedgeoh]

I am using Microsoft Office Access 2003 and am fairly new to building queries
and reports. My question is this: I have created a report based on a query
I built and now I want to share the report formatting with another user of
Access 2003 in my office so she does not have to create the report from
scratch. I sent her the sql code for the query so that she could run the
query on her computer - no problem, but I can find how to share the report
formatting? Is this event possible? I sure hope so because if each user has
to build the same report, that would be a total waste of time! PS. Our data
resides in a ODBC database that we all have access to. Any help is
appreciated!

Steve

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Steve

A couple options...

One would be to create a new empty .mdb and import that one report. Give
her the small .mdb and have her import the report from that into her Access
database (note that the report design belongs inside Access, not "on her
computer").

Another option, if you want to eliminate the potential maintenance headache
every time you modify a report and 27 other folks all want a copy, would be
to create an Access .mdb file that contains the queries and reports, links
to the back-end data, and gets "called" from a front-end (whether on your
desktop or user 2's or user 99's).

Good luck

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

 

[swedgeoh]

Thanks Jeff. I like option 2, but really unsure how to do what you are
suggesting. Can you help guide me on this? Not sure what you mean by gets
"called." If I create this new Access .mdb file, where does it reside? on
our server? on my desktop? another location?

 

[Jeff Boyce]

If you want one set of reports shared, the server is the place.

But I'm not clear on whether your other users want to report on the exact
same set of data, or just like the layout of the report you created and want
to use it on their OWN data.

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

 

[swedgeoh]

The reports and queries I am building will become standard for my company and
we all share the same ODBC data. We do not have Access on our server (only
on the local machines) and the data is not on our server. It is housed on an
offsite server and we access the data through the web. Make sense?

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Steve

Are you using MS Access to connect to that "offsite server", or how are you
"access[ing] the data through the web"?

The generic description of the approach I mentioned is:
* a front-end on each user's PC
* a "middle-end" (my terminology) on a server
* each front-end uses a Reference to see the "middle-end"
* the front-ends (and the middle-end) connect to a back-end data set
* the middle-end contains queries and reports based on those queries
* the front-end(s) have code behind a <Print Preview> command button that
calls a function in the middle-end that opens the report in the middle-end.
* the command button is on a form used to "order" a report. It uses a
combobox/listbox pair to list available reports. The selected report is the
one that the <Print Preview> button runs.

Is that confusing enough?!<G>

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

 

[swedgeoh]

Jeff,

We are us MS Access to access the offsite database. I set up the ODDBC
datasource on each computer through the control panel (administrative
tools...dsn tab).


--
Steve

Steve

Are you using MS Access to connect to that "offsite server", or how are you
"access[ing] the data through the web"?

The generic description of the approach I mentioned is:
* a front-end on each user's PC
* a "middle-end" (my terminology) on a server
* each front-end uses a Reference to see the "middle-end"
* the front-ends (and the middle-end) connect to a back-end data set
* the middle-end contains queries and reports based on those queries
* the front-end(s) have code behind a <Print Preview> command button that
calls a function in the middle-end that opens the report in the middle-end.
* the command button is on a form used to "order" a report. It uses a
combobox/listbox pair to list available reports. The selected report is the
one that the <Print Preview> button runs.

Is that confusing enough?!<G>

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

 

[swedgeoh]

Jeff,

A little confusing only because I am a true Access novice. So, If the
queries and reports reside on our in house server, does Access need to also
be installed on the server?

On my computer, I use Access to directly access the back end data,
beautifully I might add, but the queries and reports I have created are
within Access on my computer.


--
Steve

Steve

Are you using MS Access to connect to that "offsite server", or how are you
"access[ing] the data through the web"?

The generic description of the approach I mentioned is:
* a front-end on each user's PC
* a "middle-end" (my terminology) on a server
* each front-end uses a Reference to see the "middle-end"
* the front-ends (and the middle-end) connect to a back-end data set
* the middle-end contains queries and reports based on those queries
* the front-end(s) have code behind a <Print Preview> command button that
calls a function in the middle-end that opens the report in the middle-end.
* the command button is on a form used to "order" a report. It uses a
combobox/listbox pair to list available reports. The selected report is the
one that the <Print Preview> button runs.

Is that confusing enough?!<G>

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

 

[Jeff Boyce]

No, you don't need Access on your server to put an Access .mdb file on your
server.

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

Jeff,

A little confusing only because I am a true Access novice. So, If the
queries and reports reside on our in house server, does Access need to
also
be installed on the server?

On my computer, I use Access to directly access the back end data,
beautifully I might add, but the queries and reports I have created are
within Access on my computer.


--
Steve

Steve

Are you using MS Access to connect to that "offsite server", or how are
you
"access[ing] the data through the web"?

The generic description of the approach I mentioned is:
* a front-end on each user's PC
* a "middle-end" (my terminology) on a server
* each front-end uses a Reference to see the "middle-end"
* the front-ends (and the middle-end) connect to a back-end data set
* the middle-end contains queries and reports based on those queries
* the front-end(s) have code behind a <Print Preview> command button
that
calls a function in the middle-end that opens the report in the
middle-end.
* the command button is on a form used to "order" a report. It uses a
combobox/listbox pair to list available reports. The selected report is
the
one that the <Print Preview> button runs.

Is that confusing enough?!<G>

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

The reports and queries I am building will become standard for my
company
and
we all share the same ODBC data. We do not have Access on our server
(only
on the local machines) and the data is not on our server. It is housed
on
an
offsite server and we access the data through the web. Make sense?
--
Steve


:

If you want one set of reports shared, the server is the place.

But I'm not clear on whether your other users want to report on the
exact
same set of data, or just like the layout of the report you created
and
want
to use it on their OWN data.

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

Thanks Jeff. I like option 2, but really unsure how to do what you
are
suggesting. Can you help guide me on this? Not sure what you mean
by
gets
"called." If I create this new Access .mdb file, where does it
reside?
on
our server? on my desktop? another location?
--
Steve


:

Steve

A couple options...

One would be to create a new empty .mdb and import that one report.
Give
her the small .mdb and have her import the report from that into
her
Access
database (note that the report design belongs inside Access, not
"on
her
computer").

Another option, if you want to eliminate the potential maintenance
headache
every time you modify a report and 27 other folks all want a copy,
would
be
to create an Access .mdb file that contains the queries and
reports,
links
to the back-end data, and gets "called" from a front-end (whether
on
your
desktop or user 2's or user 99's).

Good luck

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

I am using Microsoft Office Access 2003 and am fairly new to
building
queries
and reports. My question is this: I have created a report based
on
a
query
I built and now I want to share the report formatting with
another
user
of
Access 2003 in my office so she does not have to create the
report
from
scratch. I sent her the sql code for the query so that she could
run
the
query on her computer - no problem, but I can find how to share
the
report
formatting? Is this event possible? I sure hope so because if
each
user
has
to build the same report, that would be a total waste of time!
PS.
Our
data
resides in a ODBC database that we all have access to. Any help
is
appreciated!

Steve