Open the database

The report we're going to create together in this tutorial is known as a static HTML page -- a web page that doesn't change. If the information in your database changes and you want those changes to be reflected on your web page, you'll need to repeat this process. Microsoft Access can also create two other types of web pages: server-generated HTML and data access pages. Server-generated HTML removes the middleman -- web users will automatically see the most recent data contained in the database.

Data access pages take the interactivity a step further and allow web users to work with the information in your database. We'll explore both of these concepts in the coming weeks.

Let's get to work! If you recall, a few weeks ago we created a report together that listed the home telephone numbers of our organization's employees. If you missed that tutorial, you might want to try it now. If you're not in the mood, don't fret. You'll be able to work your way through this tutorial regardless.

For the purposes of our example, we'll once again be using the Northwind sample database and Microsoft Access 2000. If you haven't used this sample database in the past, there are simple installation instructions located on this site. Select it from the menu shown below and click OK to continue.

Open the item you wish to publish

We're working in the same database that we used in our reports tutorial, so the Employee Home Phone List report should show in your list of reports. If it's not there or you didn't complete that tutorial, simply select one of the other reports to use for this tutorial. (Actually, you can also publish tables, queries, and forms using this method. We'll use a report to keep things consistent.) Go ahead and double-click on the report name to continue.

Begin the export process

Pull down the File menu and choose the Export option.

The next window to appear allows you to choose the export format and filename. From the "Save as type" pull-down menu, select HTML Documents to convert our report to web format.

Most Internet users prefer to use short filenames to keep things simple and ensure compatibility with older systems. For this reason, we're going to change the default filename to "phones". Access will take care of adding the necessary HTML extensions for us. Once you've completed this step, click the Save button to continue.

Microsoft Access allows the use of HTML templates to add automatic formatting options to reports. This is especially useful if you publish a lot of reports to the web and wish to maintain a similar "look and feel." We don't have any templates defined, so simply click OK to continue. An information window will briefly appear while the web pages are being generated.

The HTML files are now stored on your computer. (Note: if the report was lengthy, Access may have divided it into several smaller files to make it more readable on the web.) You now need to use an FTP program or similar tool to upload the files to your web server.

You're done! Double-check your web site and ensure that the finished product was properly posted. You might want to compare it to our sample results, shown below. Note that the data may vary if you have made changes to the default tables provided by Microsoft.