Forum Discussion
Moving Away from MS Access
The organization I work for is wanting to move away from Microsoft Access databases where possible, and we have started exploring what tools our current Access databases could be moved to. Is there ...
@inda reminds me of using the macro recording tool in Excel or Word to write some VBA routine, and then adapting it for other use, such as running an automated step in Excel from an MS Access database. You still have to fix it up, but it does save a lot of typing to get you started.
That's a good analogy. I sometimes use ChatGPT to create a skeleton of a script which I can then customize. It almost never gets it right the first time, but generally you can just keep saying "that doesn't work" and providing it any error messages, and it will keep apologizing and making changes until you get something usable. Seems like it usually takes three or four tries before it provides a usable example for me.
Then you have to actually fix it for your real environment. Because of course, nobody is providing actual production data to ChatGPT... I hope.
Then you have to actually fix it for your real environment. Because of course, nobody is providing actual production data to ChatGPT... I hope.
The following is a link to a dialog with ChatGPT that comes to the same conclusions. For all the reasons that you mentioned, I would not trust ChatGPT to write code. It might be helpful for suggestions but expecting it to build anything trustworthy is a fool's errand.
http://www.dbfront.com/blog/post/2023-03-01-chatgpt-and-dbfront-handle-depreciation- How ChatGPT is different from a person:
1. ChatGPT has absolutely no knowledge or understanding of language syntax, set theory, data structures, indexes, etc.
2. ChatGPT cannot actually run a query against the DB and compare the output to expectations to confirm whether it's correct or not.
3. ChatGPT can create a query that looks perfect, but is wrong, and ChatGPT cannot tell that it is wrong.
4. ChatGPT can provide contradictory answers to the same question based solely on differences in phrasing the question.
ChatGPT is an impressive accomplishment and does amazing things, but it is not alive. It does not reason.
Regarding what the OP asked for, I see multiple helpful suggestions, and the OP has stated as much.
PowerApps, Sharepoint, and custom web apps with SQL Server have all been suggested. If Microsoft has another general purpose database platform, I've never heard of it.
The simplest way to get data out of Access and into a more reliable and performant platform is to keep the Access front-end and move the back end data to a SQL Server, and that suggestion was made. - How is that different to a person doing it?
I see no difference, except it does not bring a coffee. Or complain.
So here is an idea, upload MS Access and ask to covert it to a Web app!
Of course people would upload prod data, because they can.
I'm still waiting to see an actual advice for the OP's question. What I see is a lot of doubts, not actual experiences in doing it.
People are forgetting that Access app can be anything. Can be a rubbish app, or a top-notch!
But we just don't know that.
We are blind.
And yet, the reply from many is "it's complicated", "costs money and time", it's ugly, it does not address VBA...
The good advice in my books is this from Tom:
"Hence you start with a pilot project, and migrate a small percentage of the app. I probably would worry less about the data than the ability to create forms with identical functionality. "
POC is everything. If someone does not have a few hours to build the POC with no coding at all, that's a shame.
And yes, people do not care what are they are uploading. Only professionals do.
