Database migrations are a core-competency at PCA. Our engineers are expert at evaluating complex, in-house
database systems that you may have outgrown — frequently built with MS Access and MS Excel — and determining the
essential steps needed to convert to a more stable, scalable and lower-cost Microsoft database solution.
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Migrate MS Access to SQL Server
If the amount of data in your MS Access database is approaching 1GB,
if the number of simultaneous end users is more than 5 or 6, if people in your organization
require access to your system
outside of the company LAN e.g. on the road or from home over the Internet, then chances are pretty good that you are about to
(or already have) outgrown the built-in limitations of the MS Access platform. |
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You have two options: migrate the back-end MS Access datastore to SQL Server, then re-connect the existing MS Access front-end forms, queries,
and reports to the new SQL Server database. This approach overcomes many of the performance, datastore, security and
multi-user deficiencies of MS Access, makes the system much more stable, and preserves 100% of your investment in (and control over) the MS Access front-end
application. |
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The second option: if users require remote Internet access to the database, you can migrate the entire
MS Access application to SQL Server, with a .NET application interface. You can design the .NET interface to mimic existing MS Access functions,
look-and-feel, workflows, etc. — or as many of our Clients prefer — use the migration to .NET as an opportunity to clean-up, simplify and streamline the
application.
Learn more about our MS Access to SQL Server migration services.
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MS Excel to SQL Server
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Migrate Excel to SQL Server
Organizations can outgrow MS Excel for the same reasons as MS Access: spreadsheets become unwieldy to manage, and as more users rely on Excel to perform their job
functions, MS Excel can become increasingly risky and expensive to manage.
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While Excel spreadsheets offer a lot of power to users, and can be quickly updated and shared, tracking changes to Excel data
and maintaining consistent, high data integrity in a multi-user environment can easily get out of control.
If you are finding it increasingly difficult to track users
changes to Excel data, or are continually cleaning-up missing or invalid data, if Excel spreadsheets are critical to your business
and the usability and reliability of Excel is declining while costs and complexity are increasing, then it is probably time to
consider migrating to an enterprise-class database solution: SQL Server.
Learn more about our MS Excel to SQL Server migration services. |
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Migrations from MS Access and MS Excel database systems to SQL Server can present challenges — the need to manage timely updates to the new system,
the integrity of legacy data (duplicate, orphaned, and/or incomplete records are common), and the need to clean-up and optimize the
new system for ease-of-use and maintainability. The good news: in most cases you can continue to use MS Access and MS Excel to support
your ad hoc query and reporting needs! |
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PCA has the business experience and engineering
skills to help you figure out the best option for your needs, and to successfully navigate many of the obstacles that can block
efforts to migrate from an intro-level MS Access or MS Excel database to a commercial-grade SQL Server database.
Cleaning up legacy usability and data quality issues is frequently part of the database migration effort, and our experience
solving many of the common (and uncommon!) issues that can arise has made our process both thorough and efficient. |