It is slow or freezes constantly.
Queries crawl, forms lag and the file feels heavier every month.
Explore migration options →
25+ Years of Experience with Access and VBA
SQL Server, Amazon RDS, Azure SQL, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Dataverse, Power Apps, .NET or SharePoint: we migrate the data, rebuild the forms and reports that depend on it, and keep your business running throughout. No lost records, no guessing which platform fits.
Access Database Migration
Data, logic and workflows
Database & Data Migration
Tables, relationships and validation
Forms, Reports & VBA
Rebuilt to fit the chosen platform
Testing & Cutover
Planned transition and validation
A migration path selected around your users, budget and business logic.
Quick answer
Migrating an Access database means moving your tables to a real database engine, most often SQL Server, on-premises or in the cloud. You then either keep your Access forms as a lightweight front end, or rebuild them on a new platform such as Power Apps, Dataverse or a custom web app. The right path depends on your number of users, your budget and how much of your VBA logic the business depends on.
Why teams migrate
Recognise the warning signs before database problems begin affecting your team's daily work.
Queries crawl, forms lag and the file feels heavier every month.
Explore migration options →"Unrecognised database format" errors, or a file that will not open one day.
Explore migration options →Access has a fixed file-size ceiling that no setting can raise.
Explore migration options →Multiple simultaneous users can cause record-locking conflicts.
Explore migration options →If the file lives on one machine, its failure can stop the business.
Explore migration options →Choose your migration path
There is no single correct destination. Below is the honest trade-off for each path, explained the way we would in a scoping call.
Access → SQL Server
Your tables move to a SQL Server back end, while your Access forms and reports keep running as a linked front end. It is the fastest, lowest-risk first step off a struggling database.
Microsoft's free migration tools move tables, relationships and indexes, and your forms and most VBA keep working against the linked data. Corruption, size limits and locking problems go away without a full rebuild, and you can retire the Access front end later or keep it.
Access to SQL Server Migration →Access → Azure SQL / Cloud
Azure SQL follows the same path as SQL Server, but the database lives in the cloud, giving remote and multi-site teams one live database without VPNs or in-house servers.
Schema and query logic transfer directly. What changes is operations: automatic backups, patching and the ability to scale up or down without buying hardware.
Access to Azure SQL Migration →Access → AWS / Amazon RDS
Amazon RDS hosts SQL Server, MySQL or PostgreSQL for you, which suits organisations that already run on AWS rather than Azure.
RDS is a managed service, not a new engine. You still choose the database underneath, and the same migration tools apply. AWS handles patching, backups and failover.
Access to Amazon RDS Migration →Access → .NET / Web App
This is a full rebuild. Your tables move to a professional database, and your forms, reports and VBA logic are rewritten as application code, with no Access licence needed for users.
No automatic converter exists, because Access forms and VBA have no mechanical web equivalent. It is genuine software development: data layer, business logic, interface, testing. It is the highest-effort option and the one with the highest ceiling.
Access to Web Application Conversion →Access → Power Apps
Power Apps replaces Access screens with modern, browser-based forms, usually on a Dataverse or SQL Server back end.
It is the closest like-for-like upgrade to Access's biggest weakness, its dated desktop interface. Heavily customised VBA may need Power Automate flows alongside it.
Access to Power Apps Migration →Access → Dataverse
Dataverse is the managed data platform behind Power Apps, offering a governed, secure, multi-user database with roles and an audit trail built in.
Your tables are remapped into Dataverse's own model, which is a genuine design exercise. In return you get enterprise-grade security and integration with Microsoft 365. Licensing should be budgeted early.
Access to Dataverse Migration →Access → MySQL
MySQL can be reached through ODBC connectors, but Access-specific features do not map one-to-one, so a data-type and query audit comes first.
Attachment fields, OLE objects and multi-value lookups need a deliberate replacement strategy, and Access SQL and VBA are rewritten in standard SQL. MySQL is common when Access is replaced by a PHP or other open-source web stack.
Access to MySQL Migration →Access → PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL follows a similar path, but its stricter data rules tend to expose years of accumulated data-quality problems during the move.
That is inconvenient at first and valuable afterwards: mismatched dates, orphaned records and inconsistent text get fixed once instead of carried forward. It suits complex reporting and heavier queries.
Access to PostgreSQL Migration →Access → SharePoint
Microsoft retired Access web apps in 2018, so moving to SharePoint now means linking Access to SharePoint lists, or moving the whole application to Power Apps and Dataverse.
SharePoint lists work as a simple backend for small, low-complexity apps, but they have row-count and throttling limits. For anything larger, Power Apps on Dataverse is the supported path.
Access → LibreOffice Base
LibreOffice Base is a free alternative that can import your tables, a genuine option if licensing cost is the real problem.
Queries, forms and macros do not come across automatically, and macros must be rewritten because Base does not use VBA. It suits modest, well-understood databases rather than ones where VBA does heavy lifting.
Our migration process
Step 01 / 06
We inventory every table, relationship, query, form, report and line of VBA.
Step 02 / 06
We compare the trade-offs with your team size and budget, and decide together.
Step 03 / 06
Tables, keys and data types move across, with validation passes.
Step 04 / 06
Forms, reports and VBA are rebuilt for the new platform.
Step 05 / 06
Side-by-side comparison with the original, including record counts and calculations.
Step 06 / 06
A planned go-live with a rollback path, plus training for your team.
Compare your options
| Destination | Best for | Multi-user | Effort | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SQL Server | Fast relief from corruption, size limits, locking | Yes | Low–Moderate | After audit |
| Azure SQL / Cloud | Remote or multi-site teams | Yes | Low–Moderate | After audit |
| Amazon RDS (AWS) | Organisations on AWS | Yes | Low–Moderate | After audit |
| .NET / Custom Web App | Core business systems | Yes | High | After audit |
| Power Apps | Replacing the interface | Yes | Moderate | After audit |
| Dataverse | Governed Microsoft 365 platform | Yes | Moderate–High | After audit |
| MySQL | Open-source web rebuilds | Yes | Moderate | After audit |
| PostgreSQL | Integrity and complex reporting | Yes | Moderate | After audit |
| SharePoint | Simple shared lists | Limited | Low–Moderate | After audit |
| LibreOffice Base | Licence-cost savings | Limited | Moderate | After audit |
Timelines vary with table count, form and report complexity, and VBA logic. Request a free assessment for a scoped estimate.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about moving, upgrading and replacing Microsoft Access databases.
Send us your .accdb or .mdb file, or just describe what it does. We will audit it and recommend a specific migration path, with no obligation and no generic pitch.