Replacing Microsoft Access: your options
Your Access database still works, but it is aging badly: support has ended, remote work is impossible, only one person understands it. Here are the options, from simplest to most durable.
By Jean Lussier · 2 min read
Why talk about it now
Microsoft Access still exists, but every version has an end-of-support date. Access 2016 and 2019 stopped receiving support on October 14, 2025, and Access 2021 on October 13, 2026. Without support, there are no more security patches.
Then there are the problems you may already know: the database crashes when several people use it, it becomes unusable remotely or over VPN, and the person who built it left long ago.
Option 1: stabilize it
Fix what breaks, update it, add a real backup. It is the fastest and cheapest solution, but it solves neither support nor remote work. It mostly buys time.
That is in fact what we did first for a pharmaceutical company: the database was fixed so operations could continue, then the new web version was built afterwards, without pressure.
Option 2: keep Access, move the data to SQL Server
The data leaves the Access file for a real database, and Access becomes only the interface. The data is more reliable and better backed up, but Access stays installed on every computer, with its end-of-support dates.
Option 3: Power Apps and Dataverse
Microsoft offers to migrate Access data to Dataverse and rebuild the screens in Power Apps. It is a good option for simple needs, but expect a per-user licence every month and logic that quickly becomes hard to maintain.
Option 4: a custom web application
The data and business rules are carried over into a web application, accessible from anywhere, on a modern database. It is the most durable option: no per-user licence, usable remotely, and it belongs to you.
How a migration happens without downtime
- Discovery: we review what your team actually uses. Features nobody uses anymore stay behind.
- Data migration: everything that can be migrated automatically is. For badly stored data, you choose who handles it.
- Parallel run: your team uses the old database and the new application side by side for about a month.
- Planned switchover: on the date you choose with us, the new application becomes the only one in use. The old database stays available read-only.
Not sure which option fits your database? The assessment is free and takes one call on Teams.