Replacing an old Microsoft Access or FileMaker database
Short answer: Start by writing down what the old database actually does (tables, forms, reports, the queries people rely on, and who uses it from where), because that list decides the replacement. Your options run from keeping the desktop file but moving the data to the cloud, through low-code tools such as Power Apps or FileMaker's own web features, to an off-the-shelf SaaS product or a custom web app. Migrate in steps: clean the data, rebuild the most-used screens and reports, run both systems side by side briefly, then retire the old file.
Why these systems become a problem
Access and FileMaker built a generation of small-business software: job tracking, quoting, stock, membership lists, case files. Many still work. The trouble is the world around them:
- One computer, one office. The file lives on a shared drive or a single PC. Remote staff use remote desktop or don't use it at all.
- One person understands it. The person who built it has retired or moved on, and nobody dares change a form.
- Phones and tablets are second-class. Field staff phone the office to look things up.
- Integrations are manual. Data is re-typed into accounting software, email or the website.
- Fragility. File corruption, version mismatches after Office updates, and backups that may or may not exist.
It's worth knowing what Microsoft has said about the web side of Access. Its own roadmap page states that Access Services web apps and web databases were retired from Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Online, with remaining ones shut down by April 2018. Desktop .accdb databases were not affected, and Microsoft says it continues to invest in them, while recommending Power Apps as the alternative for web and mobile business solutions. So desktop Access is still a product; it just doesn't give you a web app.
Step 1: The inventory worksheet
Fill in one row per item. This takes a few hours and saves weeks later.
| Area | What to record |
|---|---|
| Tables | Name, number of records, which ones change daily, obvious junk tables |
| Relationships | Which tables link (customers → jobs → invoices) |
| Forms / layouts | Which screens people actually open weekly; who uses each |
| Reports | Which printouts or exports are essential; who receives them; how often |
| Queries and macros / scripts | Calculations and automations that encode business rules |
| Users | How many, which roles, where they work (office, home, on site) |
| Integrations | Imports, exports, mail merges, links to Excel or accounting |
| Pain points | What breaks, what's slow, what people work around |
| Must-keep history | How many years of records must stay searchable |
Then mark each form and report: keep, change or drop. Systems that have grown for 15 years often have a third of their screens unused.
Step 2: Choose a direction
| Option | What it means | Good when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep the front end, move the data | Leave Access as the desktop front end but move tables to a server or cloud database | Users are mostly in the office and like the current screens | Still desktop-only; still depends on the Access file and the person who knows it |
| Power Apps with Dataverse | Microsoft's low-code platform; Access tables can be migrated into Dataverse with Access's export feature and migration tool | You're already on Microsoft 365 and needs are moderate | Microsoft notes Dataverse doesn't support every Access data type and some limits differ; licensing and complexity grow with users and features |
| Stay on FileMaker, go web/cloud | Host on FileMaker Server or FileMaker Cloud; use FileMaker WebDirect to run apps in a browser | You're on FileMaker and the app is in good shape | Still a specialist platform; you'll need FileMaker skills to maintain it |
| Off-the-shelf SaaS | Replace the database with an industry product (job management, CRM, practice management) | Your process is standard for your industry | Your custom rules may not fit; migration of history can be partial |
| Custom web app | A purpose-built web app with its own database, logins and integrations | Your process is your edge, you need mobile access and integrations, and you expect to keep it for years | Higher upfront effort; needs ongoing maintenance by a developer or studio |
A common middle path: move the data first into a proper database, keep the old front end running briefly, and build the new web or Power Apps screens on top of the same data.
Microsoft's migration guide adds a useful point for the Power Apps route: after migrating, Access users can keep using their existing desktop client against data now in Dataverse, which gives you a gentler transition.
Step 3: Migration steps
- Back up the current file and take a copy to work on. Never migrate from the live file.
- Clean the data: remove duplicates, fix inconsistent values (state names, job statuses), fill missing keys. This is where most surprises appear.
- Design the new structure from your inventory, not by copying every table. Fix shortcuts the old system forced on you.
- Build the top screens and reports first, the ones marked "keep" and used weekly.
- Migrate a test copy of the data and let two or three real users try their normal week on it.
- Write down the business rules hidden in old queries and macros, and check the new system produces the same answers on real examples (a quote total, an overdue list).
- Run in parallel for a short, fixed period: enter work in the new system, check against the old.
- Cut over on a quiet day; make the old file read-only rather than deleting it.
- Train people on what changed, not on everything.
- Archive the old file and any exports somewhere safe and documented.
FAQ
Is Microsoft Access being discontinued?
Microsoft's roadmap page says desktop Access databases were not affected by the retirement of Access web apps and that it continues to invest in them. The pressure to move usually comes from remote work, mobile use and integrations rather than from Access disappearing.
Can we move our FileMaker app to the web without rebuilding?
FileMaker WebDirect, available with FileMaker Server and FileMaker Cloud, runs FileMaker apps in a web browser. Whether the experience is good enough on phones depends on how your layouts were designed.
How long does a replacement take?
It depends on the number of forms, reports and rules. The inventory gives you a realistic picture; phasing the work means users see the first improvements early.
Do we lose our history?
Not if you plan for it. Migrate the records you need searchable, and keep a read-only archive of the old system for everything else.
If your business still runs on an Access or FileMaker file and you want a clear plan for what replaces it, share your inventory or a description of the system.