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Microsoft Access Database Development

Many businesses have Microsoft Access databases storing important business data, and Office 365 still includes Microsoft Access as part of its product family. For a small business it can be a cost effective tool to store relational data.

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Microsoft Access is great for -

  • CRM Systems - storing customer data and making mail/email merge easy to do

  • Job Control - recording order and job data, and producing paperwork such as Invoices or Job Sheets

  • Stock Control - for recording stock, stock movements, and printing associated paperwork

  • Ad-Hoc databases - your business may have unique requirements where a custom database can be the data source at its core which can easily be changed as your business grows

Access Databases - How we can help

We can help with -

  • Design and development of Access databases - from a blank sheet of paper

  • Access database support and maintenance

  • Upgrading to Office 365 and 64 bit Office from previous Office versions

  • Migration of Access databases to 'the cloud'

  • Upgrading from Microsoft Access to Microsoft SQL Server

  • Integrating Access with Microsoft Power Automate and PowerApps

  • Adding new functionality such as advanced reporting, barcodes, merging to PDF and adding Email functionality

  • Integration with other applications and third party systems

Microsoft SQL Server Databases

We also with Microsoft SQL Server databases and can help with

  • Supporting and troubleshooting - including performance tuning

  • Upsizing from Access to Microsoft SQL Server Express

  • Integration with other Microsoft 365 Apps, PowerApps and Power Automate

  • SQL Server version upgrades

  • Migration of SQL Server to Microsoft Azure

Not sure if you need a database? Or unsure of what to do with what you have? Contact us to see if we can help.

Common Access Database Q&A

Is there a limit to the number of users an Access database can support?

We would recommend Access is used by a maximum of ten people concurrently. Obviously the design and functionality of the database can affect this. For more than ten users or for a heavily used database then SQL Server Express can be used to store data whilst retaining Access as the 'front end'. It is possible to move to SQL Server Express and we can help you with this process if your Access database is slowing down, simply get in touch.

 

I am upgrading to Office 365, will my older Access databases still work?

Yes Office 365 supports the older .mdb file format as well as the later .accdb file format. Some code changes may be required moving to a 64 bit platform.

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Can Access support barcode printing?

Yes it is possible to print barcodes from Microsoft Access (and on labels!).

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Can Access be linked to SharePoint?

Yes Access can pull/edit/report data in Microsoft SharePoint (and other platforms).

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My Access database keeps corrupting, what is the cause?

There are a few causes of Access corruption. Poor coding is one. Another is recent issue with Windows Server file shares and caching where a registry change is required to solve the problem. A recent Microsoft Office update also caused some problems recently however this was subsequently fixed.

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Do I need a license to use Microsoft Access?

An Access runtime is available which allows an Access database to be used on a machine without a Microsoft Office license. Including Microsoft Office 2019. However you cannot make changes to the design of the database.

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What Office License does Access come with?

Office Professional Plus 2019 includes Access, as does Microsoft 365 Apps for business and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. The older versions of Office Professional included Access as standard. Business Basic and Office plan E1 do NOT include Access.

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Have an Access question? Simply contact us and see if we can answer it.

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