Any tools availabe to display Microsoft Access reports on the web?

Question

We're looking for an easy way to display Access reports on the web. These reports have been written and viewed internally for years. They are not simple tables, but more complex charts and graphs. But, now people outside the organization need to see them. All of the data is in access. And, except for reporting everything else is working fine.

We have a web server that has permissions to see the Access database. However, the Access database server cannot be the webserver itself. So, the question is how do we view these reports on the web? This excellent solution, which I reference in case it helps others, (http://www.4guysfromrolla.com/webtech/042600-1.shtml) does not apply, as it requires you to be on a company intranet . (Although, it may be possible to implement the solution outside of an intranet, so many security holes would be opened up that the developer leading this project would surely be fired.) If possible, we also do not want a solution that expects every client to install code, for example, the access runtime.

1. Is there a tool that can read the access reports when requested? OR
2. Is there a tool that can upload the data from the Access database on a periodic basis and based on the last retrieved data - it can display the report that was written in access?
3. Other solutions ...

Thanks!

Answer 1

print the reports to pdf and then copy the pdf files to the webserver

Answer 2

Options:

1. output to PDF.

2. output to Access snapshot format and force users to use the snapshot viewer.

3. wait for Access 2010 with Sharepoint 2010 and Access Services and you're home free (as long as you can rewrite your reports to be full web reports, i.e., not VBA and only using the capabilities of web reports in A2010).

Answer 3

We deliver an Access app (and reports therefore) over a Terminal Server as a WebApp.