Forum Discussion
Transitioning From Access To Web Sites
I have a question for the individuals out there that are moving to a web interface from Access
What it the best app/program to use to make the move from using Access to using web pages?
I've been tasked with converting the Access app that I have been working with for years to make it a web "site", which would be converting the entire application - forms, reports, etc. so that it can be used via web browser instead of MS Access.
I am in no means a website developer, but I'm always open to learning new things.
Mind you, one of the databases has in excess of 12K lines of VBA. I want to be able to use some of the same techniques as what I've done with VBA and to be able to create a good user experience on the front end plus create some additional enhancements.
Al of my searches have not yielded anything helpful.
Thanks in advance.
Jeff
Hello all,
almost 2 mths after, I'm exited to announce that our solution is now added to the Windows 10/11 App Store.
So for anyone looking into "make it a web "site", which would be converting the entire application - forms, reports, etc. so that it can be used via web browser instead of MS Access."
- this is exactly what we did.
And a lot more!
https://apps.microsoft.com/store - search for Jam.py
And the next App release will be spectacular imo.
Anyways, trust Microsoft, not me....Re:
"Mind you, one of the databases has in excess of 12K lines of VBA. I want to be able to use some of the same techniques as what I've done with VBA and to be able to create a good user experience on the front end plus create some additional enhancements."- here is the Reddit link:
https://www.reddit.com/r/vba/comments/lbndea/transitioning_from_vba_to_python/
I just tried to find an VBA example for the RFM Analysis. There is none. This is where Python shines, there are a number of RFM libraries, most will create a nice graphs.
Since this thread has gone silent, would be good to know what the OP decided 🙂
Thanks
PS
Quite interesting read:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MSAccess/comments/1fe8wgp/help_with_multiuser_database/Part of the difficulty in addressing a question like this is the fact that "web" and "cloud" and "internet" can mean several different things, depending on the context, the goals and objectives of the organization, and even the organizational structure. So, please start with Tom's question and help us understand the reason behind this project.
To offer one possible example. Sometimes organizations want to make the database application accessible to remote workers, i.e. workers who are at different locations, without direct connection to the organization's network. Perhaps some or all of the functions in the Access database application need to be available to them. That's one plausible scenario.Another might be that the organization wants to make some of the information in that database application available to anonymous users, perhaps potential customers. That's a different plausible scenario.
The tools and approaches might overlap or they might not. In order to offer usable feedback, it'll help to understand those things.
- Let me see if I can elaborate on this.
The WHY - I have been asked for years to convert it to a web app so that we are not reliant on Access, but have it run entirely through a browser. There is a software/licensing that would require a user to have the software installed on their machine in order for the application to run.
From my standpoint, if the application was built in pages, new update should not have to be deployed to each user vs pages being updated on the site, unlike updating the app using Access
There's also a speed issue - currently users are connected to the db with Access in various office/remote locations. There is noticeable speed degradation based on using a vpn vs local connections. Using a website should eliminate the need for the vpn and local connections, if I'm not mistaken.
The audience will be expanded from the number of users using the local version and a web version.
Since I'm not a web developer, I have to learn from scratch (just like I did with Access MANY years ago). Starting with the forms would be a great place to start. I would like to take the existing forms and transform them as close as possible to the originals, since the users are already using them as they are. And, there is VBA code behind some of the fields that will update or fire something off based on what is entered. I'm sure that's all possible, but I don't know where the best place is to start. I know there are many options out there, but I need something that is not going to break my brain trying to make this conversion.
Hopefully this explains a little more behind the methodology of the project.Thank you.
So, one motivation is to move away from Access. It might be interesting to know why that is the case, but not really informative as to the approach needed to "use a browser interface".
The more relevant factor, IMO, is that you have a dispersed work-force, some users remoting in via VPN to use the database application. I don't know if the assumption regarding the use of a browser-based application necessarily would address that, but it certainly is important.
Updating a website, page by page, is different from updating an accde front end.
I don't know if the comment about expanding the audience applies to your own employees, or to anonymous -- i.e. public -- users. If the latter, of course, a web application is better suited to that anonymous audience. Anyone can get to your data.
You should not think in terms of "starting with forms", though, as I see it. All relational database applications start with the data, in tables, in a database. That's the starting point for a transition.
You have numerous options for a server-based database that would support a web application, ranging from SharePoint lists at the simple end of the scale, through remotely hosted SQL Server and SQL Azure. Other databases such as Postgres and MySQL among others are available. Your learning curve with any of them will be a factor in how smoothly you could transition.
After that, you'll end up creating new screens to replace the Access forms, using whatever web development platform your organization finds most appropriate. There are numerous options to choose from. It's not my strong suit; I'll leave that to others.
And, of course, you'll have to learn a new programming language to replace the VBA. Again, not my area of knowledge. You have a plethora of choices there. Investigate the ones that seem most accessible to you.
Once your new web application is designed and tested, you can conduct a final migration of your existing data to the new database and deploy the app to your users. After that, of course, you can retire the Access application.
- Can you elaborate on the WHY question, and on who is the (new) audience of this future web app?
What parts of the app do you see as hardest to convert? - What it the best app/program to use to make the move from using Access to using web pages?
I would like PHP plus sqlite.
Of course,vbs for classical asp is another option.
VBS and vba have similar syntax.- > vbs for classical asp is another option.
No, it isn't. Classic asp is not safe and also dead for 15+ years, and vbscript is on its way out.
