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Recent articles

Published 
5 min read

Data entry made easy 

In Access 2013, we've made a lot of changes so that you can quickly make a great user interface for your web databases. First, Access 2013 will automatically generate useful views based on your data. Second, you'll be able to use special controls for dealing with related data—the related items control and the autocomplete control. With this interface, the people who use your app will have easy time entering data. Erik Kennedy, a Program Manager on Access explains in a video.
Published 
3 min read

Managing tasks in SharePoint 

<p>Almost any project we work on is collaborative these days.  A restaurateur might be working with his staff and publicists to develop and advertise a new menu.  A wedding planner might be working with florists and venue coordinators to make someone’s dream wedding come true.  You need a way to coordinate to-dos, easily communicate status, and stay in sync with your team without leaving your favorite tools. In the next version of SharePoint, you can add task management capabilities to enhance any team site so you can get organized, plan and track tasks, and communicate deadlines, all in the same place you store documents and notes.</p>
Published 
3 min read

New file format options in the new Office 

<p>In the next release of Office, we have added two additional formats for use: Strict Open XML and Open Document Format (ODF) 1.2. We have also added support for opening PDF documents so they can be edited within Word and saved to any supported format. By adding support for these standardized document formats, Microsoft Office 2013 provides users with more choice for office document interoperability. Regardless of your preferred document file format, the new Microsoft Office gives you more options for sharing, collaborating, and archiving office documents. This post explores the details of the support for these standards in the new Office.</p>
Published 
6 min read

Modern shapes in the new Visio: org chart, network, timeline, and more 

<p>Visio users tend to do one of two things after creating their diagram--share it or present it to others. Both of these scenarios require your diagram to look visually appealing. So, unsurprisingly, one piece of feedback users continually told us was that they wanted to make professional and modern looking diagrams. This week, we'll give you an overview of the changes we've made to Visio templates and shapes--what we call "content". Ultimately, when you combine Visio's new features with new content, it's easier than ever to produce professional and modern diagrams.  </p>
Published 
3 min read

Unlock PDFs with Word 2013 

<p>We’ve all received PDF files with content that we wanted to reuse. This means that most of us have been disappointed by the difficulty of getting good content out of a PDF. For example, if you try to copy and paste table rows from a PDF viewer into Word, you frequently end up with a collapsed single line of text.  Most existing PDF viewers, in essence, limit people who use PDF’s to a “look but don’t touch” experience.  PDF Reflow, a new feature in the upcoming release of Word, changes the landscape by letting you convert PDFs into editable Word documents.</p>
Published 
4 min read

Access 2013 and SQL Server 

<p>Access 2013 web apps feature a new, deep integration with SQL Server and SQL Azure. In Access 2010, when you created a web application on SharePoint, the tables in your database were stored as SharePoint lists on the site that housed the application. When you use Access 2013 to create a web app on SharePoint, Access Services will create a SQL Server or SQL Azure database that houses all of your Access objects. This new architecture increases performance and scalability; it also opens up new opportunities for SQL developers to extend and work with the data in Access apps.</p>
Published 
3 min read

New themes, variants and styles in Visio 

<p>As we started working on the new version of Visio, we heard from you that it should be super-easy and fast to create professional looking diagrams in Visio. To help achieve this goal, we redesigned our themes, and created new formatting options and effects that can be quickly accessed using themes. Each theme also comes with four unique variants, giving you more flexibility to fine-tune your diagrams. If you want even more control, a set of styles is provided for each theme, allowing you to format any individual shape, using professionally designed styles and colors.</p>
Published 
7 min read

Upgrade from Hotmail to Outlook.com 

<p>Since we launched the Outlook.com preview a few days ago, we've been humbled and amazed by the reception and by the number of people who have upgraded. In fact, in just the first few days alone, we've seen several million people upgrade to Outlook.com. Over the next week we'll write a series of posts covering upgrading and using Outlook.com, starting with this post covering upgrading from Hotmail, and then followed by posts discussing upgrading from Gmail, Yahoo, and other services. These are all written by Dick Craddock, who runs the Program Management Team for Outlook.com.</p>
Published 
4 min read

Automatically relink Microsoft Access tables 

<p>Automating the relinking of tables just makes good sense. This is especially true if you are distributing your database to others. It can save you a lot of headaches, trouble, travel, and time. You do not have to be physically present, nor do you need to remotely access another computer. Additionally, you do not have to enter the names of your back end database(s) or your linked tables. In this post, guest blogger Patrick Wood shows you how you can call a single procedure using just a little code to automatically relink your back-end tables, even when the database files have been moved to a different folder. The procedure will also relink the tables in multiple back-ends. And best of all, you don't have to know much about writing code to make this work. </p>
Published 
11 min read

The new Outlook Web App extends to tablets and phones 

<p>The primary purpose of Outlook Web App (OWA) is to give Exchange users access to their mailboxes from anywhere through the same Outlook UI and functionality they already know and love. In this release, OWA has evolved to reach not only laptop or desktop computers, but also tablets and phones. As we did with desktop browsers, we’ll continue investing in wider and richer support for tablet and phone platforms in the future. You can try our latest release by signing up for the Office 365 Customer Preview Small Business Premium or Enterprise plans.</p>