Category Archives: SharePoint 2016

How to delete files from Sharepoint (Empty the Recycle Bin)

View, restore, or delete items in the Recycle Bin of a SharePoint site

The Recycle Bin provides a safety net when deleting documents, list items, lists, folders and files. When you or site visitors delete any of these items from a Web site, the items are placed in the Recycle Bin.

Overview

Items in the Recycle Bin remain there until you decide to permanently delete them from your Web site, or until the items are permanently deleted after a set number of days, which is based on a schedule defined in Central Administration. When you delete an item from a Web site, the item is sent to the site’s Recycle Bin. If you click Recycle Bin on the Quick Launch, you can see all of the items that you’ve deleted from your site. You can either restore or delete the item from the Recycle Bin. When you delete an item from the Recycle Bin, the item is sent to the Site Collection Recycle Bin.

 

1. End-user deletes the Agenda document from a document library.

2. The document is moved to the Recycle Bin for the site, where people can restore it or delete it.

3. If the file is deleted from the site Recycle Bin, it is sent to the Site Collection Recycle Bin, where an administrator can restore it or delete it permanently.

The Site Collection Recycle Bin gives the administrator of a site collection greater control over deleted items by providing you with a second stage safety net before an item is permanently deleted from a site. By default, a second stage Recycle Bin stores items that you delete from your Recycle Bin. When you delete an item from your Recycle Bin, the item is sent to a second stage Recycle Bin that the administrator of the site collection manages.

The Recycle Bin is enabled in a site collection by default, and is configured in Central Administration at the site collection level. When enabled at this level, the central administrator can specify how long items remain in the Recycle Bin before the items are emptied. The central administrator can also disable the second stage Recycle Bin, or disable the Recycle Bin in a site collection altogether.

As a site collection administrator, you can view and manage deleted items across a site collection from the Site Collection Recycle Bin page. From this page, you can view items that are currently in a user’s Recycle Bin and items that a user has deleted from his or her Recycle Bin (which is the second stage Recycle Bin). Users who delete an item in the Recycle Bin can contact you to restore the item back to its original location as long as the item hasn’t exceeded the original deleted date that the central administrator set. By default, items in the Recycle Bin are deleted automatically after 30 days. Regardless of whether or not an item is sent to the users’ Recycle Bin or to the Site Collection Recycle Bin, items are deleted automatically after the number of days that the central administrator specified.

View items in the Recycle Bin

  1. On the top-level site, click the Site Actions menu (or the gear icon in newer versions of Sharepoint) , click Site Settings, then click Modify All Site Settings.

    NOTE: On a site for which the Site Actions menu is customized, point to Site Settings, and then click the settings that you want to view.

  2. On the Site Settings page, in the Site Collection Administration section, click Recycle bin.
  3. On the Site Collection Recycle Bin page, in the Select a View section, do one of the following:
    • To view items that the user has sent to the Recycle Bin, click End user Recycle Bin items.
    • To view items that the user has deleted from the Recycle Bin and has sent to the Site Collection Recycle Bin, click Deleted from end user Recycle Bin.

Delete items in the Recycle Bin

  1. On the top-level site, click the Site Actions menu (or gear icon), click Site Settings, then click Modify All Site Settings.

    NOTE: On a site for which the Site Actions menu is customized, point to Site Settings, and then click the settings that you want to view.

  2. On the Site Settings page, in the Site Collection Administration section, click Recycle bin.
  3. On the Site Collection Recycle Bin page, in the Select a View section, do one of the following:
    • To view items that the user has sent to the Recycle Bin, click End user Recycle Bin items.
    • To view items that the user has deleted from the Recycle Bin and sent to the Site Collection Recycle Bin, click Deleted from end user Recycle Bin.
  4. Select the check box next to the items that you want to delete. To select all of the items at once, select the check box next to Type.
  5. Click Delete Selection.

    NOTE: When you view items in End user Recycle Bin Items, the items that you delete are sent to Deleted from end user Recycle Bin.

Keep in mind that only the Site Collection administrator can permanently delete all of the files from the Recycle bin and free up the storage space.

Posted in Sharepoint 2010, SharePoint 2013, SharePoint 2016, Tips & Tricks, Tutorial | Leave a comment

What’s New in SharePoint 2016

applauncher

SharePoint has come a long way since its inception in 2001. Whether your business adopted SharePoint and the Office Suite from the beginning, or you are brand new to this collaboration tool, the changes in 2016 can help your business use resources to their fullest. See what’s new to increase your workforce mobility and your document management efficiency.

Hybrid Deployments

One often-difficult business decision is whether to use on-site and cloud deployments. The easy solution is a hybrid of the two, and SharePoint 2016 offers a hybrid model. Instead of only having access to on-site or cloud servers, several hybrid deployments allow you to access sites and documents regardless of where they are stored.

Hybrid Search

Hybrid Search is a new option that searches content across both on-site and online sources for a complete Office 365 experience. This replaces the necessity to be logged in to the source at the time it’s needed and opens up a more consolidated search.

OneDrive Redirection

OneDrive Redirection integrates a OneDrive button into the navigation bar. When it or the Sites button is selected, users are redirected to Office 365 seamlessly.

Hybrid Team Sites

Hybrid Team Sites allow you to follow in one place. In conjunction with OneDrive redirection, your team sites are accessible, and you can link to Exchange Online and Delve.

Apps and App Launcher

As business becomes even more mobile, the ability to access information on the go is a necessity. SharePoint 2016 not only has a new, user-friendly look, it also has corresponding apps for all your employees’ iOS, Android and Windows devices.

In addition to the SharePoint app itself, configuring hybrid team sites or hybrid OneDrive enables users to see their app tiles within SharePoint. The App Launcher then allows linking to the appropriate location, whether it’s on-site or online.

Touch-Friendly Interface

If your team carries tablets, you’ll appreciate the new responsive user interface. To provide a seamless experience, SharePoint 2016 has a fresh, clean look that adapts to screen size and optimizes for your devices. It also integrates Delve and Office Graph with activity streams, recommendations and top links for user convenience.

Other Improvements

Although the following features aren’t necessarily new, they are improvements on the existing features from 2013 and before. They work hand-in-hand with the new emphasis on speed, mobility and access to create a friendlier user experience.

Upload Larger Files

Previously, file size was limited to 2 GB, but now, file size is unlimited. However, you may experience timing out if the files are greater than 10 GB.

Sharing Improvements

The invitation mail has been improved with one-click approval or denial of requests. There is also increased visibility of who the file has been shared with and when it was viewed, and this 2016 version includes sharing hints and the ability to create and share folders.

Faster Site Creation Time

After configuring PowerShell, sites can be created in one second rather than the 40 seconds in SharePoint 2013.

Better Durable Links

If files are moved or renamed, durable links ensure that users can still access the files they need.

Creation and collaboration of documents and projects have never been easier or more in demand. With these improvements and new features, SharePoint 2016 can help your business reach the next level of success.

Posted in SharePoint 2016 | Leave a comment

8 Benefits of Using Collaborative Software in the Cloud

Cloud technology was a global phenomenon just a few years ago, but it is now integral part of business operations. The cloud has been particularly helpful to companies that use collaborative software like Microsoft Office, specifically Excel and Access, as it allows for safe, quick and encrypted access to potentially sensitive data — from anywhere in the world.

If you are contemplating moving your collaborative software to the cloud, there are eight very clear benefits of doing so.

1. Reduced Hardware Costs

The cost of purchasing and installing sophisticated IT systems can be considerable, particularly for startups and small businesses. But using the remote servers of a cloud provider like Access Hosting means companies and relatively small organizations can bypass these costs and save money. There is no systems maintenance or management cost, but just a fixed monthly subscription that makes financial planning simple.

2. Reliable Security Features

The use of collaborative software can pose significant security problems. Several users all accessing and sharing the same data via different devices is a situation with inherent risk. But cloud storage providers offer protection from all the latest viruses and malware. And depending on the provider, there may be the option of two-factor authentication at login. Most cloud providers offer automatic updates, which means businesses don’t need to pay IT specialists to update several physical servers and devices with the latest protection.

3. Remote Working

This brave new world of cloud computing is making the traditional office environment increasingly obsolete. Users with access to collaborative software in the cloud can view, share and update files from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. That means you can collaborate in MS Access, Excel or even Quickbooks without having to physically be in the office. This can reduce costs, improve staff morale and boost productivity levels.

4. Reduced Operational Costs

Most businesses have fluctuating bandwidth costs, so there’s often a need to scale up and scale down capacity at short notice. Cloud storage allows businesses to pay for only the capacity they need, rather than wasting cash on excess storage and bandwidth.

5. Seamless Collaboration

The success of collaborative software — such as the many packages developed by Microsoft Office 365- relies on the ability to share, view and edit files in real time. Any updates made to files in cloud storage are immediately available to all users, so they’re able to make their own contributions in the knowledge that they have the latest information at hand. Best of all, our terminal services collaboration plans allow for developers to leave their MS Access Database as-is and move it into the cloud seamlessly.

6. Cost-Effective Disaster Recovery

Every business needs to prepare for the worst when it comes to data storage. A man-made or natural disaster has the potential to wipe out a business’s data in seconds, so having a plan to continually back up data — and restore lost data — is essential. However, this can be a complex and costly process, and it can put a huge financial and administrative strain on small organizations. Collaborative software in the cloud usually includes disaster recovery measures, saving businesses time and money.  Access Hosting takes daily backups of our architecture and you can add individual file backups for as little as $20/month.

7. Improved Competitiveness

Small businesses often struggle to compete financially with their larger competitors. Collaborative software in the cloud can level the playing field in this respect. Cloud computing is cheaper than installing and maintaining physical IT infrastructure, which makes it possible for smaller organizations to be competitive within their industries.

8. Restricted Access Based on Security Clearance

In an organization with hundreds of employees, it is inevitable that certain people will need to access sensitive files that aren’t for general consumption. Providers of cloud-based collaborative software offer varying levels of user access, so sensitive data remains private.

Cloud technology gives businesses flexibility, reliability and simplicity — and cuts the cost of doing business. This is why more and more organizations are transferring their collaborative software to the cloud.

Posted in Amazon Web Services, blog, quickbooks hosting, Remote Desktop Hosting, SharePoint 2013, SharePoint 2016, SQL Hosting, SQL Server 2012, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012 | Leave a comment

Getting Started with an Access Wep App in Sharepoint

Note : This article is written for an Access 2013 web app using Access Hosting’s Sharepoint 2013 Enterprise plan, you will need Access 2013+ and this subscription configured for Access services.

Access 2013 introduced a new way to make a database available in the browser, called the Access Web App. This first article focuses the general features and points for consideration when developing your Access database.

With the release of Access 2013, you can create now create two different types of database applications, the first is the traditional desktop database. This has traditionally been called an Access database and consists of one or more files stored on your computer, network, or remote server with Access or the Access runtime installed so that you can open and operate these databases.

The second type of database application you can create is called a 2013 web app (not to be confused with the Sharepoint 2010 Web Database). These Web Apps can only reside within Sharepoint 2013 Enterprise or newer.  They are not created and do not reside on your local computer.

No need to publish design changes!

A web app is cleverly designed so that everything is hosted on Access Hosting’s private cloud, so while you are using a desktop copy of Access to work on changing your design, all the changes you make once saved are automatically saved up to our Sharepoint solution. This means that there is no publishing process, but it also means that you can’t easily undo your changes (or mistakes). Keeping a backup of your own work is very important, but Access Hosting also backs up your entire site collection (not just the web app) every night so we can restore your entire site from a major blunder.

Your web app can be placed in your personal folder in Office 365, or created in a Team Site/Subsite. Team Site/Subsites allow for you to both collaborate with other licensed users and what are known as external users. An external user is someone with a FREE Microsoft Online account (easily obtained), and you are allowed between 500/10,000 external users depending on your subscription.

Access Web Apps run in your Browser

Access Web Apps run in your browser. This is where most of your users will interact with your application. Web Apps do not have the same robust design features as traditional desktop based applications.  When designing a web app you will find yourself switching between your installed copy of Access on your desktop computer and the runtime browser window.  You’ll have to have Access installed on your computer to make changes and design the Sharepoint Web App, but will often want to reload your browser to see your changes take effect and to visualize the end user experience.

Simplified Design Tools

The MS Access interface used to design web apps is very different than the traditional design tool so you will need to spend some time getting used to the new interface. It is relatively simple and offers standard form views and formats to get an Access web app up and running quickly in Sharepoint.

Tables and Lookups

When designing an Access Web App, it helps to forget everything you already know about designing a traditional ms access desktop database application.

Web Apps do not have the customization options and power of a traditional access application (if you have a powerful Access application developed for the desktop, you can look at our Remote Desktop hosting which lets you leave your robust database application or custom software as-is while you move it to our private cloud). Don’t worry though, your ms access database still stores data in tables. In an Access web app, you can easily jump from table to table using the navigation included on the left pane of the browser.  Tables can be re-ordered, hidden, have the captions changed and a graphical icon changed. This acts as the primary method of navigating between parts of your application.

access web apps table view

You relate your tables together using a lookup. For those familiar with desktop databases then think of a web app lookup as a combination of desktop lookups and table relationships. There is no place in the web app to view all the lookups together, these are managed individually as part of the table design process.

Once tables are linked by lookups, Access will automatically create views of the data which link the data together using the lookups. For example in an order processing system, an order will have a lookup to a list of products in that order. Access will then automatically create a view including a list of related orders for each product.

If you don’t use lookups, then you will miss out Access saving you time by the process creating views of your data automatically. Once you have these different views of your data, you will find that some of them are exceptionally useful for viewing data from a different perspective. If you find something that you don’t like, you can remove it that view from the web app.

anatomy of an access web app

Views for displaying your data

When you select a table, then on the top right of the main screen area next to the table selector is the View Selector for the chosen table. Microsoft Access will automatically create a List (Details) View and Datasheet View (Big Excel Sheet). You can then add to, remove, re-order, re-title and change the views.

Easy Data Search

access web app search

The default List View comes with a built in search bar feature. By default, your web app will search every field for whatever you type in. Once again, Access does all the hard work for you.

Restrictions on Primary Keys

A web app only supports one kind of primary key which is an auto-incrementing number (this is similar to the Autonumber data type found in a traditional desktop database and the Access Web Services 2010 primary key restrictions). The key field will automatically be named ID, but you can rename it.

Working with Existing Data

Access has great features for importing data, but you should note that upgrading a database to a Web App is very much starting from scratch; You can import your data into your web app, but you will have to design all your views, reports, forms, and other functionality from scratch (mainly because web apps can’t do everything that a desktop database can).  Before you try an import an existing desktop database, make sure that you change your desktop database so that every table has an autonumber primary key, and every foreign key is a long integer. If you don’t do this then you will run into problems.

Certain legacy data types are not supported, and those fields will not be imported. OLE Objects and Attachments are not supported. Instead there is a new Image data type which supports .gif, .jfif, .jpe, .jpeg, .jpg, or .png formats (notice that the bmp format is not supported).

If you have data in Attachments or OLE Objects, then these will need to be extracted and held outside the database in separate files, the exception is for supported image formats in

Data stored in SQL

The web app data is held in a SQL database on Access Hosting’s servers, these are automatically managed as part of your Subscription and hosting plan. You can create as many web apps as you like with our plan and are only restricted by storage (which can be upgraded at any time).

Programming Macros

To program a web app you use macros (VBA is not supported!). There are two different kinds of macros. User Interface macros manage how a user interacts with you application interface. Data macros are used to perform operations on your data.

Connecting your Web App to a Desktop Database

While Access Web Apps DO NOT support VBA programming or provide a browser based reporting capability, you can use the Access Desktop application to link to your data online to perform more complicated actions. You can quickly and easily connect to your Access Hosting Web App to create reports and more.  Check out this tutorial and video on how to use this feature.

Posted in Access 2013, Access 2016, SharePoint 2013, SharePoint 2016, Tutorial | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment