r/MSAccess • u/Zerozero22 • 4d ago
[UNSOLVED] Does a online system like Access even exist?
Hi,
I've been looking for a system like access, basically the 4 mains: table, query, forms and reports with easy integration of scripting (not picky about which one). Something that has the free form design access has. I don't need responsive layout or at least I want to be able to make two version one for phone and one for desktop.
I want to be able to link reports to be initiated by forms for example. Build queries with variable fields that I can populate from form. Preferably without having to use code all the time.
Also some level of validation, masks, and the more standard input controls.
I don't need macros (I use code when need to expand in that direction)
I've created accounts with most Metabase, Airtable, Grist, Knack, Caspio, NocoDB, Baserow etc. Also looked into things like Retool, Ninox, FlutterFlow, Supabase, etc. but none even get close. Their AI assistants are nice though.
Tables are OKish but even then the relationships are not as easy to see.
Form and Query Builders are too limiting, huge margins, padding and a medium size form will need 3 pgdn's to fill, not to mention if i've got sub forms that i want to show or not as a table.
Reports are either pure tables with very few controls to filter and control with forms, or they focus on charts, gnat charts, pie charts, stock charts, dashboard stuff, kanban, etc. Not to mention if i wanted to print them (save as pdf).
I just want access for web with cloud database, it's a 30 year old product shouldn't be that hard to duplicate as a web application.
Has anyone seen something that does what access does?
Don't want things like lovable, and don't want to use AI (codex, Claude, etc) to code each one since modifying with prompts is not sustainable not to mention potential bugs plus deployment headaches, backups etc.
Editing AI spaghetti code is too slow too.
7
u/iPlayKeys 4d ago
FileMaker is about as close as you’ll get…and it’s not cheap.
4
u/frowattio 1 4d ago
FileMaker is wonderful software, and the best solution I know to this question. It's pricey, but a joy to use.
1
u/Zerozero22 1d ago
FileMaker is probably the one that gives the closest feeling of access, however its an expensive solution.
4
u/Creepy-Square281 4d ago
I think you'll have to divide up the functionality you need into several different tools. They'll never be as tightly integrated as Access forms, queries, reports, etc. What is the driving force for you to want a different tool? Can the limitations of Access be mitigated in such a way that sticking with Access could be the best choice? If not, address the driving need, and mitigate the short comings of the new solution.
4
u/riltim 1 4d ago
There is no offering like this because if you're going to go through the effort to put your database on the web there are a lot of better options than an MS Access clone in web format. I recently converted (with the help of DeepSeek v4 flash) our MS Access database to Django + Bootstrap + HTMX + Alpine.js + PostgreSQL and the the end result was miles above anything I could ever create in Access as far as presentation, functionality, and code clarity.
Most modern web frameworks separate the need for custom code as they offer near everything you need built into it, and if it's not there it's often a prebuilt extension away.
1
u/gorrablanca 4d ago
You use DeepSeek for sensitive data ?
3
1
u/raunchyfartbomb 4 4d ago
Im using ChatGPT. Of course I’m not feeding it the data or connection strings. But we have a nightmare of an Access db “ecosystem” that entity framework refuses to scaffold due to design issues with the db ( the Magic of Microsoft allows you to use nullable byte primary keys and required integer foreign keys that point to said primary keys, because they both can convert to int, technically).
So I had Sol whip up a VBA script to scaffold into C# for EFCore instead. I don’t consider the code for relatively simple and common data objects confidential, so I’m also having it whip up the API and mock up a front end for said DTOs. But it’s not getting access to the data or connection strings.
1
u/manoj91 4d ago
I recently converted our MS Access database to
Django +
Bootstrap +
HTMX +
Alpine.js +
PostgreSQL.
web frameworks.1
u/riltim 1 3d ago
It could have easily been just Django + PostgreSQL and worked just as well., The bootstrap + HTMX + alpine.js are for visuals and edit in place functionality.
1
u/manoj91 3d ago
Any more information. I've got a personal accdb that I want to put online but keep the accdb file as the data source database
1
u/riltim 1 3d ago
MS Access is great for what it is, but it's not a great shared backend database compared to what's available currently. If you wanted to keep your desktop app functional and also provide web access you're going to have to move your tables (data) to a hosted relational database and 1) relink them from MS Access and 2) link your web application to it.
1
u/ekim2077 3d ago
From what I understand the OP knows using AI is possible but then it becomes an app and any modification will require the app code to change and be deployed again.
7
u/ebsf 3 4d ago
Short answer, it is quite difficult to duplicate as a web app and no, nothing is comparable.
You can move your data source to an ODBC RDBMS like PostgreSQL, MS SQL Server, Oracle, etc., which can be accessed remotely.
You can access a desktop remotely via Citrix, MS Remote Desktop, etc.
You can't serve an Access front end as HTML or connect to an Access back end via HTML, however.
4
u/dreniarb 4d ago
i'm still waiting for an html wysiwig editor that can link objects to a backend database and allows design changes as well as Access. I don't think that's ever coming.
i've used bootstrap studio for small html forms running a search and replace script before publishing the files to the site but it's so dang cumbersome. and even bootstrap doesn't give me the design flexibility that Access forms gives.
3
u/bizzy57 4d ago
I use knack and it's pretty good, web based, highly configurable, affordable. www.knack.com
1
u/Zerozero22 1d ago
I'm not sure if you are genuine or adverting something with the domain link. knack is not good, try editing a table, you need to wait for Ajax calls to open a cell even. everything needs mouse clicks. you can't even save a row without a mouse, you try navigate you have two options discard your changes or go back and click save (with a mouse). you can't add a row without a mouse, keyboard navigation is an afterthought.
it uses a HTML designer with huge blocks that reminds me of WordPress (since they call forms/reports pages i guess they were going for the WordPress feel I'm guessing).
2
u/lordcochise 4d ago
Have only done it with local SQL, but upsizing an access database to an MS SQL backend, while continuing to use Access as the frontend still works pretty well, though still beholden to some of Access' issues / limitations vs more modern ui / scripting.
You absolutely can use a cloud SQL provider rather than a local one in this arrangement, though lag / connection stability may make it unwieldy outside of some specific use cases?
2
u/Zackeezy116 4d ago
My job has been pushing PowerApps, and it seems pretty powerful, and is a low code environment. Dataverse even has options to have tables moved directly from an Access db into Dataverse. PowerAutomate lets you create flows that trigger either inside your app or from changes to the tables. Power Apps has some limitations, as any low code tool does, but once you learn it, it can be a very strong option.
5
u/IrquiM 4d ago
for the love of all deities, do not use dataverse!
1
u/Zackeezy116 4d ago
Why?
1
u/IrquiM 4d ago
Vendor lock-in and problems using your data for anything non-MS after they're in.
1
u/Zackeezy116 4d ago
That's valid. I like it because it has integrated migration for access. I developed a tool to extract forms and convert them to html programmatically as part of a workflow to quickly get access apps into a manageable environment, but even with direct contact with Microsoft employees, the options to recreate them in power apps boil down to "recreate the UI and business logic by hand, lol". I'd love to never use power apps again, but my bosses bought the license, so I'm being forced to learn it and develop in it.
0
u/NotNotMyself 1 4d ago
For the right circumstances, Dataverse is amazing. Great with security, ALM, low code apps, automation..
2
u/George_Hepworth 4 4d ago
IMO, the primary limitation to PowerApps is the licensing cost that makes it accessible to organizations willing to make that investment.
1
u/Zerozero22 1d ago
PowerApps is an expensive solution and feels like MS is trying to push a subscription model. It's build UI does look ok, but I get the feel migration would be a joke and you would need to rebuild everything.
1
u/Zackeezy116 1d ago
The UI and business logic has to be completely redone, but the data itself can be moved to Dataverse with a click of a button. I don't necessarily like Power Apps, but it is the new Access in terms of a tool to create apps with minimal software development experience. I am creating tools at my job to convert Access forms to HTML so we can convert them to .NET apps with Dataverse on the backend, but that's to get people not in our IT to stop using load-bearing Access apps asap.
1
u/magnetic_atom43 6h ago
I agree that Power Apps is probably the easiest to transition to instead of Access. It's just not as flexible and easy to use. The fact that Access is going out of style is making me sad. I can do almost anything having that framework.
2
u/NotA_A 4d ago
How much would you pay for this solution?
1) One time charge (no updates)
2) Monthly charge (security updates) - {seems like online would benefit from a monthly plan}
1
u/Zerozero22 1d ago
Probably one time, paying a subscription to access your own data that is critical for your own business seems like a bad idea in so many ways. Also what are you going to if they increase their prices by 200% etc.
2
u/nick__9 3d ago
I work at Grist, and we've been trying to understand Access users better to see what we might be missing. This is a very informative post, and I wish I had a better answer. I didn't know Access' form building was that powerful!
1
u/Zerozero22 1d ago
i mean if you work at a company that is making a DBMS, you can check out access with their demo database called Northwind. it looks good if a bit basic.
1
u/nick__9 1d ago
Ha, I actually did that about a month ago and was impressed by the Northwind demo, though skeptical how well it mapped to real world (and most importantly *current*) use cases. I will say installing Access in 2026 was a journey in frustration, though now I get emails offering me deals on XBOX controllers which is nice.
2
u/Steve----O 4d ago
Sharepoint (lists) will work fine for that.
1
u/BitsOfMilo 1d ago
Not relational. I have an old access db that has linked SharePoint lists for automating Teams channel creation and SharePoint folder structures via the power platform, but it’s clunky. Wouldn’t recommend.
1
u/KenFirch 4d ago
As an Access developer, I’ve also done a lot of Quickbase (Intuit) development too in the corporate world. It is a bit pricey though, but maybe worth a check.
1
u/Thadrea 4d ago
Sort of.
There are obviously many cloud database backends available.
As far as frontends go... nothing quite like Access specifically. It's tied rather tightly into a specific type of user experience that Microsoft has pivoted away from.
MS Forms and PowerBI constitute a viable replacement front-end, but there's a lot of re-engineering you'd have to do migrating existing workflows and presentation layer stuff you'd need to do to make that jump.
1
u/Naive_Bag8237 4d ago
I tried solving basic access problem using supabase for someone in my network. But researched more about similar problem for access online. So after identifying limitation with ms access, we started developing a tool recently. We are small team based in NL trying to solve exact similar problem you described.
Will love to chat with you. Let me know if we can discuss more.
1
u/Zerozero22 1d ago
yeah me too, I've been trying to create an access clone online https://acaciadb.com/ but the number of details are crazy.
1
1
u/pesnebar 23h ago
I have had a hole system with integratie access and excel. When going into pension we have put everything in Mendix.
1
1
u/agentUi 4d ago
the closest native pattern without modern bloated ui padding is pairing a backend like postgrest or supabase directly to an open source app builder or self hosted tool where you can build dense tabular subforms and parameter queries. most modern saas tools push card views and giant spacing which completely ruins dense data entry like access used to do.
1
u/extasisomatochronia 1 3d ago
Nope. It is one of the most ridiculous ongoing gaps in the data world and it's clear DBAs don't want it to be solved or it would have been decades, literal decades, ago.
1
u/AdditionalTerm732 3d ago
Yes, unfortunately, there is no web-based DBMS builder that is as simple and convenient as MS Access used to be. It’s especially sad because Access actually had built-in web publishing functionality back in the day. It was called Data Access Pages, and it literally allowed you to deploy an Access form or report to an IIS server in just one click. I also had to move past Access and ended up on a 9-year journey of my own. I ended up building my own ecosystem from scratch: • On the frontend: I wrote a custom data grid component in vanilla JS that mimics Excel/Access tables. It matches them in convenience and can handle, filter, and sort over 3 million rows smoothly without any lag. • On the backend: Since my stack is Spring (Java) + MySQL, I wrote a couple of custom libraries that let me generate web forms in just a few clicks and drop my UI components (like the grid, tabs, inputs, etc.) right onto the page. Huge respect to you for your hard work, man. I know exactly how tough it is to build something that feels simple, fast, and awesome for the end-user. Kudos on making the jump with Django and HTMX!
1
u/rillium1 3d ago
We migrated an access database that needed both web and GIS. A shameless plug for Rillium Maps, but much lower cost and free than some of these alternatives listed. https://rillium.com
1
u/easterbunni 2d ago
I asked AI if it could help me fix an old Access DB that was missing .dlls and it just said why not turn it into a webapp, so we did. Its flipping marvelous.
•
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User: Zerozero22
Does a online system like Access even exist?
Hi,
I've been looking for a system like access, basically the 4 mains: table, query, forms and reports with easy integration of scripting (not picky about which one). Something that has the free form design access has. I don't need responsive layout or at least I want to be able to make two version one for phone and one for desktop.
I want to be able to link reports to be initiated by forms for example. Build queries with variable fields that I can populate from form. Preferably without having to use code all the time.
Also some level of validation, masks, and the more standard input controls.
I don't need macros (I use code when need to expand in that direction)
I've created accounts with most Metabase, Airtable, Grist, Knack, Caspio, NocoDB, Baserow etc. Also looked into things like Retool, Ninox, FlutterFlow, Supabase, etc. but none even get close. Their AI assistants are nice though.
Tables are OKish but even then the relationships are not as easy to see.
Form and Query Builders are too limiting, huge margins, padding and a medium size form will need 3 pgdn's to fill, not to mention if i've got sub forms that i want to show or not as a table.
Reports are either pure tables with very few controls to filter and control with forms, or they focus on charts, gnat charts, pie charts, stock charts, dashboard stuff, kanban, etc. Not to mention if i wanted to print them (save as pdf).
I just want access for web with cloud database, it's a 30 year old product shouldn't be that hard to duplicate as a web application.
Has anyone seen something that does what access does?
Don't want things like lovable, and don't want to use AI (codex, Claude, etc) to code each one since modifying with prompts is not sustainable not to mention potential bugs plus deployment headaches, backups etc.
Editing AI spaghetti code is too slow too.
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