Microsoft Access database developers
If your business depends on an Access database, we can fix it, change it, speed it up and look after it, including a database built by someone who is no longer around.
What people ask us to do
Most enquiries start with something specific that has gone wrong or needs changing:
- A form or report that worked last week now fails, often after an Office update or a move to a new PC.
- The file will not open, or Access reports an unrecognised database format.
- The database has become slow, or locks, now that several people use it.
- A change is needed, such as a new field, report or export, and the person who built the database is not around to make it.
- VBA errors appear: a compile error, a missing reference, or a message nobody in the office understands.
- The database was written for 32-bit Office and fails on 64-bit Office.
- The data should move to SQL Server while the Access screens stay as they are.
None of these means the database has to be replaced. Each needs someone who knows Access to read it, find the cause and fix it.
What we do first
Whatever the request, the work starts the same way.
We take a backup copy of the file exactly as it is, and from then on work only on copies. This matters most with a damaged file, because a repair attempt can itself lose data.
We run compact and repair on the copy. That clears some problems outright and shows how much damage remains.
We check whether the database is split. A split database keeps the tables in a back-end file on the server and gives each person their own copy of the front end, which holds the forms, reports and code. A single file that everyone opens at once is a common cause of both slowness and corruption, and splitting it is often the cheapest improvement available.
Then we read the VBA and the queries. Access databases are rarely documented, so the code is the only record of how the business rules work. A missing reference, an API declaration that needs changing for 64-bit Office, or a query that pulls a whole table across the network usually shows up at this stage.
Honest limits
A badly corrupted file with no backup may not be fully recoverable. We can often get the tables and most other objects out by importing them into a new file, but we cannot promise it, and we will tell you what was lost.
Access also has limits that no developer can remove. It is a file-based database made for a small team on a local network. It is not suited to many simultaneous users, it performs poorly over a VPN, and a single file cannot grow beyond 2 GB.
Ongoing support
Once the immediate problem is fixed, you may want someone to call when the next one appears. We look after Access databases under a maintenance arrangement: a tested backup routine, changes when you need them, and help when an Office or Windows update breaks something.
When we would advise moving on
We will not push you off Access while it is doing its job. We would advise moving when more people need the database at once than it can cope with, when staff need it away from the office, when the file is near its size limit, or when you need individual logins and a record of who changed what.
The usual first step is to move the tables to SQL Server and keep the Access screens, as described on our Microsoft Access page. If the screens need to go as well, see replacing an Access database and our fixed-price Access to web application package.
Talk to us
Describe the system and what you need. You will hear back from someone who can answer technical questions.
Discuss your Access database 0800 433 7990What we are asked to do
- Fix what has stopped working
- Forms, reports and buttons that fail after an Office update or a move to a new PC, traced to the cause and corrected.
- Repair and recovery
- Files that will not open or report an unrecognised database format, recovered from a backup or rebuilt in a new file where possible.
- Changes and additions
- A new field, form, report or export, made by someone who has first read how the existing database works.
- Speed with several users
- Splitting the file, adding indexes and reworking forms and queries that load more data than they need.
- VBA and 64-bit Office
- Code errors diagnosed and fixed, and a database written for 32-bit Office updated to run on 64-bit Office.
- SQL Server behind the same screens
- Tables moved to SQL Server and linked back, so users keep the Access forms and reports they know.
What we do first
Take a backup copy
The file is copied exactly as it stands before anything else happens. All work is done on a copy, never on the only one.
Compact and repair the copy
Access's own repair tool is run on the copy. It clears some problems outright and shows what remains.
Check how it is set up
We establish whether the database is split into a front end and a back end, where the files are kept and how each person opens them.
Read the code and queries
We go through the VBA, the queries and the table relationships, so we understand how the database works before changing it.
Fix, test and hand back
The fix or change is made and tested on the copy, then put into use at a time that suits you, with the previous version kept.
A good fit when
- A form, report or button has stopped working and nobody in the business knows why.
- The database has become slow or unreliable now that more people use it.
- You need a change and the person who built the database is no longer available.
- The database does its job and you want it looked after, not replaced.
Probably not for you if
- You want training in how to build Access databases; we fix, change and support them.
- You need many people in it at once, or access from home or from a phone. That calls for a different kind of system, and we will say so.
- The file is badly corrupted and there is no backup of any age. We will try, but a full recovery may not be possible.
Questions we are asked
Can you fix a corrupted Access database?
Often, but not always. The usual routes are restoring from a backup, running compact and repair on a copy, or importing the tables, queries, forms and code into a new file. A badly damaged file with no backup may be only partly recoverable, and we will tell you what we could and could not get back.
Can you work on a database someone else built?
Yes. We maintain software written by others as a matter of course. We read the tables, queries and VBA before changing anything. We do need the original .accdb or .mdb file: if all you have is a compiled .accde or .mde file, the forms, reports and code in it cannot be edited.
Do you offer Access training?
No. We fix, change and support Access databases. If you want someone in the business to be able to make small changes safely, we can write down how the database is put together as part of the work.
Should we move away from Access?
Not necessarily. Access is a current product, and Access 2024 is supported until 9 October 2029. For a few people in one office, a well-kept database is a reasonable tool. We would advise moving when many people need it at once, when staff need it away from the office, when the file is nearing the 2 GB limit, or when you need a record of who changed what.
Can several people use an Access database at once?
Yes, within limits. It works best when the database is split, each person has their own copy of the front end and everyone is on a wired office network. The more people writing at the same time, the more locking and corruption you can expect, and Wi-Fi and VPN connections make it worse. Moving the tables to SQL Server removes the shared data file that causes most of the trouble.
Tell us about your system
Say what it does, what it is built on and what is worrying you. We will reply with what we would look at first and whether we are the right people to help.