access Microsoft Access Database on confluence page

[Sam_Proud-McKIbben]

Hi everyone,

I have been asked by my boss if we can access a Microsoft Access Database via a confluence page.

We have a database with login detail for douments we send to other office and when the office require these details they have to contact my boss who then provides the the login details to the user.

My Boss would like to have a page on confluence were a user can access the database so they do not have to contact him all the time.

I have looked on atassian answers and see we can setup a new SQL database which can be link to a page and use a SQL for Confluence macro to  to query the database.

is there any other why I can still you thus Access database to save time???

Thanks in advance

[Adrien Ragot 2]

Why not use Play SQL Spreadsheets for Confluence? (Disclaimer: I'm the author, but this looks like the ideal usecase for Play SQL Spreadsheets).

• It's not a way to reuse your Access database, 
• But you could create the tables inside of Confluence,
• Whenever the other office requests access, they can lookup the data, even perform queries if necessary or export into Excel,
• You can structure your tables the way you want, add columns, etc.

Here's what it would look like. Records can be displayed as forms:

2 - Forms - Edit copy - 580x330.png

Or as tables, with formula support:

1 - Formulas 1840x900.png

Cheers,

Adrien

[Sam_Proud-McKIbben]

Hi Adrien, Thanks for your reply, Just some question! Would Play SQL able to create a simple form in which the user would have to enter their user details and the Reference number of the doucument they need to open. This would log the users details and also just show the login details to that douctumet? So I would setup a page just for the users to access and one for my Boss so he can see who is requesting the login details!! Thanks Sam

[Adrien Ragot 2]

They would be able to enter those details, but there is no scripting in Play SQL. It means you can't check their credentials, or display the document after they validate the form.

[Sam_Proud-McKIbben]

Thanks everyone for your help on this I will go and do some homework and look at it again. Thanks Sam

[Trinity Domson]

Hi Sam, did you manage to get this working? I'm currently doing something pretty much the same, as i'm trying to integrate microsoft access database into confluence, and it has a form as a front end for login in and it does not seem possible after doing some research. thanks

[Davin Studer]

Theoretically you could do it if you have a JDBC driver for Access. UCanAccess is an open source JDBC driver for Access. I have not tried this at all, so I cannot say for certain if it will work, but theoretically it should.

[Sam_Proud-McKIbben]

Thanks David, I forgot to mention that the access database has form front end which is the what my boss need on confluence would the JDBC driver theoretically work? also this is all new to me so any guides whould help greatly thanks Sam

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

The JDBC driver would be for reading just the data. Whatever the front-end is, it's a totally different story. If it's a web-service, you could use an iFrame, or write some Confluence code to pull it in. Or you could try to replicate some of it by using Confluence add-ons that can read via JDBC and configure them to look like it. I think you need to decide if you want direct access via a Confluence system, or just to be able to link to or go to the front-end. (I'm loathe to call Access a database because it really isn't, but that's just a technical quibble)

[Sam_Proud-McKIbben]

Hi Nic, If we can access the front end via confluence that might work. the front end is just a form with in access so my boss has a shortcut on his desk top to the access database which brings up access and the form view. how can I get confluence to show the access this? Thanks in advance

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

There's not a lot we can tell you about "front end is just a form". What does that mean? What is serving that up? Where is it available? Where does the bosses shortcut actually go?

[Sam_Proud-McKIbben]

Hi Nic, what would you recommend on creating a new SQL database and getting access via confluence .

[Davin Studer]

If your bos REALLY want's to use Access to see the data then you could put the tables on a SQL server and make and ODBC connection in access to the data and still use the form in Access to view the data. With the data in a SQL server is becomes exponentially easier to display the tabular data in Confluence. You're not going to get the Access form to display in Confluence ... just not possible. But you could use something like Bob Swift's Run Self-Service Reports for Confluence add-on to create a form that would let you dynamically search the data. However, if you've gone to that trouble then you might as well just ditch the Access database all together and just have everyone use the Confluence page.