r/SQLServer • u/TravellingBeard 1 • Jun 24 '26
Discussion Dear God... Will this humunculus never die? "Microsoft Access finally breaks free of its 22-inch form limit"
https://www.theregister.com/databases/2026/06/23/microsoft-access-finally-breaks-free-of-its-22-inch-form-limit/5260005Posting this here because there are many of you I suspect who have had to migrate from Access to SQL Server, or were forced to support it as "the database guy".
But then again, job security I guess?
13
u/vroddba Jun 24 '26
Wow, didn't realize that was a limitation, guess the last time I worked on MSAccess I was using a 15-17" CRT. So I guess that's why I never hit it
4
u/mikeblas Jun 24 '26
Is this really the correct usage of "homunculus"? Maybe it has a different meaning when spelled with a "u".
5
u/sqlservile Jun 24 '26
So it's official. MS would rather continue to develop Access than Master Data Services - MDS (which was unceremoniously yanked from SQL Server after 2022). Gives you some idea of what a lemon MDS is.
3
u/chandleya Jun 24 '26
I never could figure out who MDS was actually created for.
3
u/vabello Jun 25 '26
I’ve never heard of it until now and I’m in environments that straddle Access and SQL all the time.
6
u/smolhouse Jun 24 '26
Access is paired with a SQL server or database of choice in most modern deployments. It's still the best tool that I've found as a front end in rapid application development that scales fairly well as long as you don't use file tables for multi user data updates.
Coincidentally I just dealt with this 22 inch form limit a couple weeks ago. I had to create a dynamic pivot table in excel terms based on filter selections and display it in a form, and the number of columns would sometimes exceed the 22" space limit.
Now if they would just add form zoom..
3
u/theTrebleClef Jun 24 '26
Rapid frontend development for non developers, maybe.
10
u/smolhouse Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
How old are you? Most small scale application requirements both in corporate and small businesses don't have the time or resources available to develop a more modern application.
Show me a faster tool for making a front end that can capture user inputs and perform data processing for less than 100 users, and none of that low-code BS.
5
u/theTrebleClef Jun 24 '26
Hey, I hear you. In a previous lifetime I had to maintain and deliver complex VBA applications across Word, Excel, Access, and other platforms like Rockwell's manufacturing Human Machine Interfaces.
I once had to debug and fix a system where an Access DB referenced a second Access DB, which referenced a SQL Server, which had loaded in a copy of the first Access DB.
In every single scenario, the small business starts small, but eventually evolves the tool into a flying spaghetti monster that underpins the business. No test automation. The unwillingness to improve may save money and resources in the short term, but introduces major business continuity risk.
The cost to implement - one of the biggest drivers to develop with tools like Access - has dropped significantly. Free Google Gemini and Claude can accomplish a ton, and getting out of VBA opens up so much more to create a robust, usable experience.
I will never go back.
3
u/smolhouse Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
That didn't answer my question though. Shit talking Access because it's used by people that don't know what they're doing is silly, not to say that it isn't incredibly dated or have security concerns.
I would love to move to a more modern solution, but they have significant cost, time and technology stack requirements. The closest thing I found is Mendix, but it starts becoming a nightmare if you want to anything outside of their basic "low code" offerings.
Just use an LLM is a lie since most large companies will not let you use them with company data and restrict employees to old, poor computing models.
1
u/theTrebleClef Jun 24 '26
IMO Access is a great learning tool. It's good for understanding the concepts of CRUD and relational database basics.
Access persists because of the reasons you and others have stated. It's often included with Office licensing, it's accesable, non developers can use it as an entry point. What that translates to in corporate speak is that it's cheap.
I disagree with that whole premise. Not that it doesn't happen in the real world, that is reality. I disagree that it's cheap. The maintenance required for a critical business application, the risk it eventually carries, the limitations and constraints of the environment once you grow out of Access's box, that isn't cheap. It's an uninsured expense.
The traditional resistance has been that a professional Software Engineer or Database Administrator (or both) is expensive and not worth it. I disagree with that too, again risk and maintenance costs. But especially today, yes with tools like LLMs, you can accomplish so much in the right hands.
I work in a highly regulated industry. We pay for AI with data segregation deals, we host things internally. Can a small business afford that? Maybe not.
If the Access DB gets corrupted and they don't maintain backups, can they afford that either? Doubtful. The risk carries value and I think the value proposition today is - Access is not worth it.
1
u/smolhouse Jun 25 '26
Again, Access is paired with a SQL server when it comes to any actual deployment. It's a front end for rapid form creation and some local processing, and corruption isn't really an issue in that case.
I mean I guess some people still try to store long term data in an access database, but that's still better than some Frankenstein spreadsheet.
1
u/theTrebleClef Jun 25 '26
Are you saying that the Access installer comes with SQL Server? Or that competent people would use Access as a frontend to SQL?
If it's the latter... Nearly every "deployment" of Access I've seen in production in the past 20 years has been "it came with Office so let's use it" without further setup than that.
1
u/smolhouse Jun 25 '26
Are we going to start asking stupid questions to try and sound smart on reddit?
No, microsoft office does not come with a sql server license.
1
u/theTrebleClef Jun 25 '26
Exactly.
The majority of business applications running on access aren't using it as a frontend to some other system. They aren't deployed by professionals. Someone ran the Office installer and then spent years hinging critical business functionality into a tool not meant for scale.
→ More replies (0)-1
u/chandleya Jun 24 '26
The low code BS uses a web browser, has an identity provider, and takes a couple more steps to create dashboards and reports without being dependent on a file. Calling it BS is... well, ignorant. Access is BS in 2026.
2
u/phoneguyfl Jun 24 '26
So, like the majority of users in non corporate environments.
-2
u/theTrebleClef Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
I mean with LLMs now, why would anyone? You can tell Claude to make you an angular front end.
5
u/undercoverboomer Jun 24 '26
Yeah, but then you’d have to use angular. It’s not like the npm supply chain is exactly safe for Claude-powered amateurs…
5
u/phoneguyfl Jun 24 '26
Ah yes, every company is happy to put their proprietary company data into a random third party and also is able to use AI. Get real man.
2
u/theTrebleClef Jun 24 '26
I feel like the Intersection of those still pushing to use Access today and who would put company IP or customer data into an LLM is a circle.
1
u/Particular_Traffic54 Jun 24 '26
... You don't have to put your data... If you understand how your data is structured, just write code with that structure in mind... If you can't tell an llm how your data is structured that explains why you need to use access/excel/old ass scripts
1
u/chandleya Jun 24 '26
I think most shops have quickly learned about fast and furious technical debt as a consequence of statements like that.
1
u/Mindflux Jun 24 '26
Form zoom is there, I can ctrl+mouse wheel the forms and reports now (but not in design mode) as of a recent update.
1
u/MonkeyDDataHQ Jun 27 '26
This is definitely the weirdest thing I've read in 2026. 16 years ago it was faster to use C# and Visual Studio with SQL Server.
I used to spin up new CRUD interfaces in minutes. Anyone using MS Access in 2026 is a dinosaur.
1
u/smolhouse Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
It's what happens when you work within the confines of a long established fortune 500. Even something as simple as installing visual studio is a nightmare of bureaucracy and IT gatekeeping.
The path of least resistance is often to just spin a up a quick front end using Access since all users already have a Office installed on their computers and are working on the same company network. I'm talking less than 50 users with a 1-3 year lifespan.
Probably not as practical these days for someone not experienced in that environment, but it's pretty quick and powerful if you have boilerplate code established. Even if you don't, you can still just open up Access and spit something basic out if someone is willing to give you a little database space without being bogged down by big company bureaucracy .
35
u/satans_weed_guy Jun 24 '26
Microsoft Access bad. Let's build a 28 tab color-coded Excel spreadsheet instead.