Microsoft Access to web app migration
Access databases replaced with web applications on .NET and SQL Server, using the database itself as the specification.
63Digital replaces Microsoft Access databases with web applications on .NET and SQL Server. For Slanj Kilts we extracted two in-house Access systems (425 queries, 189 forms, 133 reports and almost 23,000 lines of VBA), used them as the specification, rehearsed a migration of thousands of hire records, and matched prices and printouts before staff moved over.
What we do
Extract & document
Every table, query, form, report and line of VBA pulled out and written up as the specification, with the people who built it.
A proper database
A normalised SQL Server schema with real relationships, designed around how the business actually works.
Repeatable data migration
A migration tool you can rehearse again and again: de-duplicated customers, traceable records and validation that decides when you're ready.
Proven parity
The same orders driven through old and new systems until every total, report and email matches.
A gentle switch-over
Familiar paperwork, safe parallel running and staff moved over in stages.
How to, from jobs we've done
How to extract forms, reports, queries and VBA from a Microsoft Access database
Before replacing an Access database, we take a copy and read everything out of it: tables, saved queries, forms, reports and the VBA code behind them. That gives a searchable record of how the system really works, which becomes the specification for its replacement and shows where the business rules actually live.
How to migrate data out of Microsoft Access into SQL Server
Move Access data with a repeatable process you can rehearse, not a one-off import. Load it in a sensible order, split all-in-one rows into proper records, merge duplicate customers carefully, keep a link from every new record to its original, protect real email addresses until cutover, and let validation decide when you're ready.
How to prove your new system matches the old one
Treat the old system's behaviour as the specification and check the new one against it. Put the same orders through both and compare every total, check what the old code actually does before trusting a stored value, reproduce reports in their old layout, match every automated email, and re-check the old system just before switching over.
How to run old and new systems side by side, and cut over safely
Let staff enter real work in the new system while the old one stays the official record, but make sure the new one can't contact customers until you decide. Keep the paperwork and spreadsheets people rely on, decide how order numbers continue, move people over in stages, and switch over from a fresh copy that passes validation.
Is it time to move off Access?
A good fit when
- ✓More than one shop, branch or team needs the same live data
- ✓The database has become something only one or two people fully understand
- ✓Staff, customers or suppliers need to use it from anywhere
Probably not when
- –It's a small single-user tool that still does its job well (keep it)
Related: Bespoke platforms, System integration
Common questions
Can you migrate an Access database to SQL Server?
Yes. We extract the tables to files and load them with a repeatable migration tool into a properly normalised SQL Server schema, with every record traceable back to its Access original.
Will we lose the business logic in our Access forms and VBA?
Not if it's extracted first. We pull out every query, form, report and VBA module and document the rules from the code itself, so they carry across rather than being rediscovered.
How long does an Access migration take?
It depends on the system. On Slanj's, the extraction tool was running the day after we received the database, and a repeatable data migration was in place seven weeks in, alongside building the new system.
Can staff keep the same paperwork?
Yes. We reproduced the Access reports and printouts in their familiar layouts, down to keeping the main order form on one page.
Do we have to switch over in one go?
No. The old and new systems can run side by side, with people and features moved over in stages.
Running the business on Access?
Tell us about your database and who relies on it. We'll extract it, document it and show you what moving it would take.