Migrate Access DB to Cloud

[Hitesh_Jansari]

We are in process of moving access db file from on-prem to cloud due to 2008 servers. Need to do this soon and as a tactical decision. 

Does anyone know if they are workable in Azure VM with Map drive solution. Also if there is any migration tool for offering?

Appreciate for a quick response on this.

H

@gra

[#2]

@Hitesh_Jansari It is possible to move your data from access to SQL Azure, yes. There is a tool that does this, called SQL Server Migration Assistant.  You can obtain an Azure account for this. I am not sure whether an Azure VM would be the appropriate way to go. There are numerous considerations to account for. 

Among other things to think about is performance. It's going to be impacted so don't just plunge into this decision without researching the options Azure offers.

[#3]

Hi George,

Thanks for the quick update on this.

Do you know if we move the Access DB into Azure VM and map a drive to end users. By testing it it will work. Are you foreseeing any blockers with this?

Best Regards,

Hitesh

[#4 · Accepted solution]

@Hitesh_Jansari 

Blockers? Probably performance is going to be the most significant.

I've done something like this for a handful of clients and that has always been the number one problem.  However, we did not use an Azure VM; we connected directly to the Azure database. Therefore, I can't say that a VM would or would not make a difference. And, of course, we didn't try to map a drive in that configuration. 

Keep in mind, with any cloud solution, you're pushing and pulling data across a much longer wire.  Also, network performance, internet connectivity and all that tend to be more critical to success. 

[#5]

@Hitesh_Jansari

Did you make use of the Azure VM? I am having the same problems regarding our Access database. Could you please assist me with your findings?

[#6]

@RuleendeBeer We manage to do a PoC which seems that Azure VM can support AccessDB but wont be supported from Microsoft I believe as it is been deprecated. The only issue we faced was with the performance as we dont have express route in-place which can mitigate this issue.

Hope this helps,

Best Regards,

Hitesh

[#7]

@Hitesh_Jansari Using a VM to host the Access and trying to map it is a bad choice.

Access is very touchy when it comes to network, it want's it to be solid,fast without any lag,so Internet is a no go as moving your file server to the cloud.

The 2 options are

1. RDS, host Access to it and RPD it...pros : it would be very fast and convenient, cons: then license price

2. Cloud BE, you will migrate the tables to SQL ,pros : a lot, cons : it requires quite some work to make it work as it should...remember SQL is not a file server, so don't treat it like one.

[#8]

@tsgiannis Agree, not great using AccessDb in the cloud. We are looking using PowerApp to remediate some of these for tactical solution.