Access database modernization, tested against the app you have.
Your Access app holds rules nobody wrote down. We identify them, decide with you what to keep and what to fix, and then repair the app, move it in stages, or rebuild it as a web app that has to pass tests you approved.
Signs it's time
- Only one person can change it, or nobody can.
- It lives on one PC or a shared drive, and several people using it at once causes locking or damaged records.
- It needs 32-bit Office, or something breaks after Office updates.
- It links to files on someone's PC, like the exchange-rate table in our sample.
- You need it on the web or on phones, or connected to your accounting or CRM.
- Money or compliance depends on it, and nobody has checked its arithmetic in years.
Three ways forward
The X-ray recommends one of these, and tells you when a rebuild isn't worth it.
| Path | What happens | Good when |
|---|---|---|
| Repair | Fix the defects that put money or data at risk, in the app you already have | The app does its job and only a few things are dangerous |
| In stages | Move the data to a proper database server first, keep the Access screens for now, then replace them one at a time | Several people use it at once, or the budget is spread over time |
| Rebuild | A new web app, accepted against your old app's behaviour, with the acceptance guarantee | Nobody can change the app safely, or you need it on the web |
What a rebuild includes
- A web app in Python (Django) on PostgreSQL by default, so it runs in a browser with nothing to install
- Every rule in the catalogue you approved, with each known defect kept or fixed as you decided
- Your data migrated, with checks that the totals come out the same
- The printouts and reports the business relies on, as agreed in the scope
- Acceptance tests built from scenarios recorded in your old app
- Two weeks side by side with the old app before you switch, then a full handover: code, database and run instructions, yours once the final payment is made
How we prove it
Before we build, you approve an acceptance matrix: the rules we've identified, the scenarios recorded from your old app, and the results the new one must reproduce. You pay the final 40% only when it passes. How the guarantee works.
What it costs
- X-ray: free for one qualifying app, two business days after we accept your submission (what qualifies)
- Diagnostic: $1,500, credited in full if you sign the rebuild within 90 days of receiving it
- Rebuild: from $6,000 for smaller applications. The diagnostic establishes the full scope, timeline and fixed price before implementation begins.
- Repair or staged work: quoted after the X-ray
What we need from you
- A copy of the app file (
.accdbor.mdb), plus the back-end file if the data is split - Any linked files it uses, such as spreadsheets or other databases
- Any password it needs to open
- Someone who uses it every day, for a short call
If you only have a compiled .accde or .mde file, tell us first. Compiled files don't contain the source code, which limits what an X-ray can show.
Start with a free X-ray
Tell us about the app. We reply within one business day to say whether we can take it on.