If
you want to create an Access Web App, or AWA, you need two components:
1)
The MS Access Application, version 2013 or
2016
2)
An Office 365 Account which includes Access
Services
Of
course, if you work in a large organization which has deployed SharePoint 2013
or 2016 internally, you can use the Access Services provisioned on it (assuming
that has been done). Many of us don't have that option. We can, however, get a
cheap O365 account for our purposes. And that’s what I am going to talk about
today.
Obviously, to create an ACCESS database or
web app, you need MS Access. I think most people get that point without a lot
of effort. Further, it’s pretty easy to understand that you need either the
2013 or 2016 version to support AWA’s. We’re used to versioning in software
applications.
It's the second component
that gets murky, which Office 365 Account do you need and why?
Business Plans
Here’s the page for Office 365 Business Plans. Microsoft’s website listing the basic plan options
for Business. It used to be called “Small Business Plans”, it’s now just “Business
Plans”, as opposed to "Enterprise Plans" or "Personal Plans".
Enterprise Plans
There’s also a page for Office 365 Enterprise Plans. I won’t go there today, but if you need the services and
products offered in any of those plans, the higher costs for them are
worthwhile.
Detailed Comparison of Plans
Here's a page with detailed comparisons of the plans.
What Do You Get in an Office 365 Plan?
So, the first thing we see for Office 365
Business Plans is that two of the three plans include the “Standard” Office
applications, which means Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. None of
them include the Access application itself. This will be the 2016 version of
those applications; I believe you can opt for the 2013 version, but I also don’t
understand why anyone would do that.
The absence of MS Access means, however,
means you have to obtain a license for MS Access, the application, elsewhere. Regardless
of which Business Plan you choose, you don’t get the Access Application.
Getting Access Services
The other component we’re looking for, Access
Services, on the other hand, IS included in all three of these plans.
Good News! If you have a licensed copy of
MS Access 2013 or MS Access 2016, all you need is the lowest cost plan Office 365 Business Essentials at $6.00 per month, or $5.00 per month if you buy an
annual license.
This is important information for anyone
looking to move their Access databases “into the cloud”. For $60.00 a year
(annually) or $72.00 a year (monthly), you can have any number of Access Web
Apps on the web. In my opinion, that is a very good deal.
Pass it on.
Thanks.
