By Mark Steffen and ChatGPT

Can data from other systems and databases be brought into your Microsoft Access database? Can Microsoft Access insert data into external systems and databases via a technology called Application Programming Interface (API)?

An API is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate and interact with each other’s data. It defines the methods and data formats that applications can use to request services from each other and exchange information.

Microsoft Access itself does not have built-in functionality to directly send calls to APIs. However, you can achieve this by writing Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code within Access. VBA is a programming language that can be used to extend the functionality of Access.

To send calls to APIs from an Access database, you would typically use the HTTP requests to interact with the API. You can use libraries like Microsoft XML or WinHTTP to make HTTP requests, or you can use third-party libraries like RestSharp or WebClient.

Here's a general outline of how you can accomplish this on your own, just keep in mind WSI can make your life easier and do this for you:
1. Open your Access database and navigate to the VBA editor by pressing Alt+F11.
2. Create a new module or open an existing one where you want to write the code.
3. Import the necessary libraries or references for making HTTP requests. For example, you can go to "Tools" -> "References" and select the appropriate library.
4. Write VBA code to construct the API request, set request headers, and handle the response. You will typically use functions like CreateObject to instantiate HTTP objects and methods like Open, Send, and ResponseText to send requests and process responses.
5. Test and debug your code, handling any errors that may occur during the API communication.
6. Once your code is ready, you can trigger it from within Access by associating it with a button click, a form event, or any other suitable trigger.

Remember that the specific implementation details will depend on the API you're working with, as different APIs have different authentication mechanisms and request/response formats. You may need to refer to the APIs documentation to understand how to construct the requests and interpret the responses.

Overall, while it is possible to send API calls from Microsoft Access using VBA (Why would you want to if WSI can do it for you?), it requires some programming knowledge and understanding of HTTP requests.

Contact WSI to do the programming for you.