Guide: databases
Microsoft Access database replacement: options, steps and effort
You replace an Access database in three steps: take stock of what is in it (tables, queries, forms, reports, macros and VBA), choose a route and move the data with an audit log. The three usual routes are SQL Server holding the data with your existing Access front end, a new web application, or standard software. Which one fits depends on who uses the database and from where. The effort comes mainly from forms, reports and VBA code, less from the number of records.
Friedrich Otto Krone, Managing Director · Last reviewed 18 October 2026 · 8 min read
Do you have to replace Access at all?
Not necessarily. In 2017 and 2018 Microsoft retired only Access web apps and web databases in Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Online. Access desktop databases (.accdb) were not affected, and Microsoft says it will keep investing in them (Microsoft: Access Services in SharePoint roadmap). A well-kept Access database with a few users in one office can keep running.
What matters is the version. According to Microsoft's lifecycle pages, support for Access 2016 and Access 2019 ended in October 2025, and for Access 2021 in October 2026. Access LTSC 2024 has mainstream support until October 2029. The file keeps working after the end of support, but the program that opens it should be a supported version.
Good reasons to move
- Access from anywhere: Access is a desktop program. People on site, in the warehouse or working from home need a web interface.
- More users, more data: an Access file is limited to 2 GB, minus the space needed for system objects, with up to 255 concurrent users (Access specifications).
- Knowledge tied to one person: the database was built years ago by someone who is the only one who understands the VBA code.
- New requirements: clients or members should see their own data, or other software should send or collect data automatically.
- Security: an .accdb file on a shared drive is easy to copy, and anyone who can open it sees all of it. If it holds personal data, the UK GDPR security principle applies.
Taking stock: what is in your Access file
Before choosing a route, list every part of the database. Access helps here: the Database Documenter under Database Tools produces a report on the objects you select, including the controls and code modules of forms (Microsoft guide to the Database Documenter).
| Part | What we ask | What it becomes |
|---|---|---|
| Tables and relationships | How many, how many records, which linked tables from other files? | the data model of the new database |
| Queries | Which are used, which change data (action queries)? | views, reports, rules |
| Forms | Which input screens, which validation? | screens of the new interface |
| Reports | Which printouts, mail merges, labels? | PDF output and exports |
| Macros and VBA | Which processes are programmed, for example exports or emails? | business rules, rebuilt or kept |
| Users and locations | Who uses it, how many at once, from where? | roles, permissions, hosting |
Three routes compared
Route 1 is described in Microsoft's guide Migrate an Access database to SQL Server: Access stays the front end and SQL Server becomes the back end. The tool for it is the SQL Server Migration Assistant for Access (SSMA). According to the same guide, SSMA mainly migrates tables and select queries without parameters; forms, reports, macros and VBA modules are not converted and stay in Access.
Route 2 makes sense when the database should grow beyond the office. As the successor to Access web apps, Microsoft recommends Power Apps for web and mobile solutions; Access data can be shared with Dataverse. The other option is a custom web application, as we describe under spreadsheet to database and web applications and client portals.
Route 3 pays off when the Access database mainly rebuilds something you can buy. Then the data migration is the main task.
| Route | What happens | Fits when | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. SQL Server, Access stays as front end | Tables move to SQL Server or Azure SQL; Access forms reach them through linked tables. | the interface works and the issue is data volume, stability and backup | every workstation still needs Access; VBA stays |
| 2. New web application | Database on a server, interface in the browser; logic from forms and VBA is rebuilt. | you need access on the move, several sites, roles, integrations or a client login | new development, so it is done in stages |
| 3. Standard software | Data moves into an existing product, such as a CRM, a stock system or a membership database. | the Access database mirrors a standard process | your specifics must fit the product |
Data migration: the tricky parts
Whichever route you choose, the data has to move cleanly. Microsoft's guide to migrating to SQL Server points out, among other things:
- Attachment fields: the Migration Assistant does not migrate tables that contain an Attachment column. One option Microsoft names is to extract the files and store links to them in the new database.
- Multivalued fields: SQL Server does not support a multivalued data type, so Microsoft warns that extra design and conversion work may be needed. A separate linking table is often the cleaner solution.
- Primary keys and indexes: each table needs an index and a primary key, and linked tables need a primary key to be editable.
Cleaning data on the way
Then there is what collects in every old database: duplicate customers, empty required fields, free text instead of fixed choices, phone numbers and company numbers that have lost their leading zero. We clean these cases during the move and log every change. Our cleansing tool, which runs locally in your browser, shows how that looks; its interface is in German. More under data migration and cleansing.
The IDs from Access (AutoNumber) are kept or recorded in a mapping table, so links between tables and references on old printouts stay traceable.
Running in parallel and switching over
Keep the parallel phase short, because entering everything twice is itself a source of errors. Where accounting records are involved, check how long the old file must stay readable. HMRC expects limited companies to keep records for 6 years from the end of the last financial year they relate to, longer in some cases; your accountant can confirm what applies to you.
- 1Trial run: all data is moved using a copy of the Access file.
- 2Reconciliation: records per table, totals and samples are compared between old and new.
- 3Test phase: selected people work in the new system while the Access file stays the master.
- 4Cut-over: final extract from Access, import, sign-off. The Access file is then archived read-only.
Effort and how the price is set
Figures without looking at the file would be guesses. These factors decide the effort:
| Factor | Increases effort | Reduces effort |
|---|---|---|
| Forms | many, with nested subforms | a few simple input screens |
| VBA and macros | lots of code with business logic | hardly any code |
| Reports | exact print layouts, mail merges | simple lists |
| Data | many duplicates, attachments, multivalued fields | well-kept tables |
| Integrations | exchange with accounts, shop or Outlook | none |
| Route | new web application | SQL Server with the existing Access front end |
How we work
We start with the inventory as a stage of its own: you get an overview of tables, forms, reports and code, a recommendation for one of the three routes and a picture of the state of your data. After that we quote a fixed price for each stage before any code is written. Each stage can be tested, and if you wish we then take over hosting and maintenance on servers in Germany (hosting and maintenance, in German).
Still working in spreadsheets rather than Access? See turn your Excel spreadsheet into a database.
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft discontinuing Access?
Microsoft retired Access web apps in Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Online in 2018 and says it will keep investing in Access desktop databases. Older versions such as Access 2016, 2019 and 2021 no longer receive support.
What can we use instead of an Access database?
SQL Server or Azure SQL as the data store with Access as the front end, Power Apps with Dataverse, a custom web application, or standard software such as a CRM. The right choice depends on users, locations and how much logic sits in forms and VBA.
Can we keep the Access interface?
Yes. On the SQL Server route, forms, reports and VBA stay in Access and only the tables move to a server. Microsoft describes this as Access as front end and SQL Server as back end.
Does Access run in a browser?
No. Microsoft switched off the browser version for Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Online by April 2018. To work in a browser you need a web application, for example with Power Apps or custom development.
How big can an Access database get?
An .accdb file can be at most 2 GB, minus the space needed for system objects, according to Microsoft. Up to 255 users can be connected at the same time.
How long does a replacement take?
It depends on the route and the scope. After the inventory we give you stages, dates and a fixed price for each stage.
Does this fit your project?
Tell us in 30 minutes what it is about. No obligation; afterwards you will know whether and how software can help.
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