Microsoft Access Database Services
Every company has one — the Access database that runs quotes, jobs or stock, built by someone who left years ago. We rescue them, put them online, and migrate them to something that lasts — in that order, only as far as you need.
Discuss Your Access DatabaseRescue & Document
Nobody knows what it does anymore? We map the tables, queries, VBA and linked systems — then fix performance, corruption and the 'don't touch that' fragile bits.
Access → SQL Server
Keep your forms and reports, move the data. SQL back-end gives you real multi-user support, backups and security without a full rewrite.
Access Data, Online
A read-only web dashboard over your live database — check figures from anywhere without VPN, RDP or touching the Access app itself.
Full Migration
When Access genuinely can't scale: re-platform to a proper web app or move workflows into Sage, QuickBooks or a bespoke system. We run old and new in parallel until you trust the new one.
Reporting Layer
Reports Access can't produce — scheduled PDF packs, Excel exports, live dashboards on top of the same data. No more 'open it, run the macro, screenshot it'.
Key-Person De-risking
The bus factor problem: one person's mental model of a 15-year-old .mdb. We document and de-risk before the resignation letter arrives — it's always cheaper before.
The Honest Version of the Options
Most Access advice skips straight to "migrate everything". Here's what each route actually costs you:
| Option | Best when | Rough cost | What users see |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rescue + document | It works but nobody understands it | £ | Nothing changes — same screens |
| SQL back-end | Too slow / too many users for .accdb | ££ | Same Access forms, faster and safer |
| Web dashboard | People need remote read access | ££/mo | New browser view; Access untouched |
| Full migration | Access can't do what the business needs | £££ | New web app, Access retired in stages |
Access Database FAQ
Our Access database is slow — do we have to migrate?+
Not always. Access slows down when the file grows, when too many users share it, or when it's on a flaky network share. Splitting front-end/back-end, moving the data file to SQL Server while keeping Access forms, or fixing the worst queries often buys years before a full migration is justified.
Can we keep our Access forms but move the data to SQL Server?+
Yes — that's the classic 'Access front-end, SQL back-end' pattern. Tables move to SQL Server, forms and reports link via ODBC. Users keep the screens they know; you get real concurrency, backups and security. It covers most SMB cases at a fraction of a rewrite's cost.
Can people access the data from a browser without migrating?+
Yes — a lightweight agent alongside the database publishes a read-only web dashboard. No open ports, no VPN, no disruption to whoever still uses the Access app. It's the fastest route when you mainly need reporting, not data entry, from outside the office.
What if the person who built it has left?+
That's most of our Access work. We start by documenting what the database actually does — tables, queries, VBA, linked systems — before touching anything. If it's truly opaque we rebuild the workflows in something maintainable rather than reverse-engineering legacy VBA forever.
Access 2010/2013 file — is it still safe to run?+
Older .mdb and .accdb files run on modern Access but they're unsupported infrastructure. The risk isn't that it stops working tomorrow — it's that the one machine it opens on dies, or a Windows update breaks a dependency. We can convert, re-platform or archive it as a searchable read-only copy.
Tell Us What Your Access Database Does
Or just tell us it's "the one Dave built in 2009". We'll scope the least disruptive fix — rescue, SQL back-end, web access, or a real migration.