Web front end for SQL Server?

April 24, 2012 5:30 PM

Are there really no web front end design environments that are as stupid simple as MS Access form design for a SQL Server back end? I can write a real clever stored procedure for SQL Server and assign cute and short aliases to every element of the result set and crank out an Access form or forms in no time and distribute it as a light weight front end with only execute permission required. Is there some analog for a web front end?

In Microsoft Access I can create a nice svelte data project, publish it as an ade (Access Development Extension, I think?) and users on our network can have a tiny little client that is 1-5MB in size and serves up the data they need without any (known)credentials or even read access to the back end data on SQL Server. They simply have execute permission on the stored procedures on which their forms are based. If they have MS Access, fine. If they don't we can facilitate installing the runtime redistributable and all these light and elegant front ends work just the same. Ok, now that we've thinned the crowd down substantially, here's my question: Isn't there something that will let me create quick forms based on back end stored procedures using the web browser as the UI? It seems logical that I should be able to. Here are the credentials and location specifics to access the back end. Here is the stored proc I want to base the form on. Can I please have a little tool box to drag UI controls to a web-based form and a drop down to pick which parameters/aliases match up to each control? Maybe format one control and then copy and paste it and assign it to another parameter? Please?

posted by Rafaelloello to computers & internet (4 answers total)

Look into sharepoint with sharepoint designer. I have used it to easily create new forms that are associated to some workflows and databases. It was, compared to anything I had ever used before, the closest calibration between simplicity and flexibility.

Some things about it are just extraordinarily stupid though.
posted by roboton666 at 5:42 PM on April 24, 2012

If the base SharePoint + Designer functionality doesn't work for you check out the licensed version of SharePoint that adds InfoPath Form Services (web rendered info path forms) and Access Services which you guessed it is web rendered Access databases.
posted by mmascolino at 6:37 PM on April 24, 2012

Yes, Infopath was designed for this.
posted by wongcorgi at 7:08 PM on April 24, 2012

Infopath is part of what I meant with that, so thirded on the infopath!
posted by roboton666 at 8:05 PM on April 24, 2012