Best approach to convert Access 2003 ADP project to a cloud-based solution?

[GPGeorge]

To all:

• Two users, both remote
• Used to be in LAN, clients running on WIndows 10, server Windows Server 2019 + SQL Server Express
• This is best forum section to ask for advise. Developers must know the Access/ADP logics and migrate logics behind forms (maybe using ChatGPT, haha) to the new cloud solution
• Largest table has 33k records and 105k childs

Unfortunately, at least one of those assumptions is not entirely solid.

ADPs have never been a mainstream development platform in the first place, and since they were deprecated a decade ago, whatever limited knowledge existed has been slowly fading. Personally, I last looked at an ADP about 8 or 9 years ago. While it would be nice to be able to throw out a question and get piles of responses, it's not very realistic.

What you want from "the new cloud solution" is still not 100% clear in my mind.

Would Access accdb Front Ends on the computers of your two users work, assuming you also migrate your data from its current location to a hosted SQL Server database such as Azure SQL?

Or do you want a 100% "cloud" solution in which both the database and the interface are moved. In other words, do you want a browser-based interface as well?

In any event, the work is either going to be totally on your plate or on the plate of a hired consultant.

Once you have settled on the meaning of "cloud solution", there is room for further suggestions, though.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Not sure what you meant exactly, but the database connection is often lost by the client, requiring Windows Server 2019 to be restarted. Also, Anydesk has downtimes too

Remote connections are only as stable and responsive as your internet service. If you have poor internet service, you will have poor uptime stats.

Do you already have an Azure account?
Are you planning on using an Azure desktop in the "cloud" and replacing your in house servers? That will let you convert to a standard .accdb linked to Azure with the app running on the Azure desktop (best solution).

Do you plan on documenting the existing app or do you expect the next developer to figure out the business rules?

 

[Utopia65]

Thanks for the additional information. I am working with someone using ADP now. I'm just helping them maintain it while they are also working on the plans to migrate it to a cloud-based system, mainly using C#. Compared to their system, which is Enterprise wide, I imagine your situation is a lot simpler and perhaps, as already suggested, simply moving the data to either Azure SQL or a more recent version of SQL Server and converting the ADP to a regular ACCDB would be more appropriate. If you are interested, I could probably help with that. If so, please feel free to send me an email using the email address in my signature below.

This is a great and simple idea, which will cut development costs. Efforts will be required to convert the OCX grids (Gridex 2000) to some sort of native ACCDB supported grids, updating the VBA code accordingly.

More info for everyone:

Current System Detailsatabase: Hosted on SQL Server 2008 Express, consisting of 43 tables (primarily lookup and accessory tables). Multiple unused tables)
Application: Includes 50 forms and 15 reports.

Core Application Features:

• Real estate lease management: Entities: landlords, tenants, contracts, periods, payments received.
• Pseudo-accounting system: Journal book: Records detailed entries in pseudo double-entry format. Ledger accounts: Groups, accounts, subaccounts, and vendors.
• Reports: Monthly payment details for tenants.Receipts for payments. Journal book report.

Including Entity Relationship diagrams

 

[Utopia65]

Remote connections are only as stable and responsive as your internet service. If you have poor internet service, you will have poor uptime stats.

Do you already have an Azure account?
Are you planning on using an Azure desktop in the "cloud" and replacing your in house servers? That will let you convert to a standard .accdb linked to Azure with the app running on the Azure desktop (best solution).

Do you plan on documenting the existing app or do you expect the next developer to figure out the business rules?

- No Azure here
- Yes
- Can give more details on the app. See my previuos post

 

[Utopia65]

Unfortunately, at least one of those assumptions is not entirely solid.

ADPs have never been a mainstream development platform in the first place, and since they were deprecated a decade ago, whatever limited knowledge existed has been slowly fading. Personally, I last looked at an ADP about 8 or 9 years ago. While it would be nice to be able to throw out a question and get piles of responses, it's not very realistic.

What you want from "the new cloud solution" is still not 100% clear in my mind.

Would Access accdb Front Ends on the computers of your two users work, assuming you also migrate your data from its current location to a hosted SQL Server database such as Azure SQL?

Or do you want a 100% "cloud" solution in which both the database and the interface are moved. In other words, do you want a browser-based interface as well?

In any event, the work is either going to be totally on your plate or on the plate of a hired consultant.

Once you have settled on the meaning of "cloud solution", there is room for further suggestions, though.

As per the DB, a cloud-based solution would help to remote the database, avoiding a local server, while for the front end, either a local ACCDB or web based solution (probably more costly) would be fine for us

 

[Pat Hartman]

As long as you are planning on using Azure desktops, converting the ADP to a standard .accdb solves all your problems and is probably most cost effective. A web app will cost 10 x as much or even more as converting the ADP.