Access as a business platform

[MatP]

Hi all,

I graduated in mechanical engineering and have always had a soft spot for programming. I have had a few jobs in the past, and was able to teach myself some VBA and did a lot of custom macros in excel for my employers. I am always fascinated by how little excel functionnality is actually used in the workplace... So a few years ago I got comfortable enough with my Excel knowledge that I decided to start exploring Access. I started from nothing, had no idea how to do anything on this platform. But I did my research and I started with smaller, more manageable projects when I spotted an opportunity. Fast-forward 3 years and I am now an average user. My greatest accomplishment is an ERP system I developped for my company that is being used by about 8-12 people daily. I got recognition for the work I did and I am now asked for modifications and new functionality on a regular basis.



I like this platform and I wouldn't mind doing this kind of work as a small time hobby/side-gig. I've been reading up on MS Access and the thing that sends me questionning my path is all the buzz about how Access is on its way out or being crushed by more adept software. Is this true? if so, how long does Microsoft plan on supporting Access? I'm not looking for big time contracts, but if I could solicitate and work for a few small and local businesses, I would be happy. If the platform is doomed to obsolescence in the next few years, there's no point in sinking any more hours into it. And if that's the case, what is the closest thing to Access but that is more "next-gen"?

Thanks for all your input,

[Micron]

Not much in the way of concrete evidence for anything you're asking, IMO - just opinion. I doubt Access is on its way out any time soon and think that those statements are mostly made by those who see it as inferior to any version of C or .Net. Add to that list the IT people who for the most part, dislike Access. It's my experience that the reason for that is because they don't understand it much, don't have the interest in learning it yet they are stuck with helping others muddle through with it.

To that I'd add that no application with a real serious need for security will be built on Access, but that doesn't mean there would be no work for you anywhere. Just don't expect to sell an Access based app for (perhaps) medical records or the local court house. Figure on buying a license for an installer and dealing with the files and registry tweaks for customers to install your apps. One nice thing about VB (not VBA), C and .Net apps is that they can be made into executables whereas Access cannot. It's a security hole for Access, and while you can plug most of them to a great degree, Access will never be 100% secure because of that.

Lastly, one shortcoming of Access is that support for web based db's is no longer as it never played very well with them, and it's not something you want to use over wifi. I've only ever used one db app that was full blown browser based but I can see how they might be more popular. As long as you have a connection, you're in from anywhere.

[CJ_London]

Agree with micron, rumours of the demise of access is greatly exaggerated. MS have announced a number of significant improvements over the coming years.

what is the closest thing to Access but that is more "next-gen"?

there is nothing particularly close to access. next-gen offerings are comparatively expensive and frequently do not have anywhere near the level of features available in access. Just google/bing 'access alternatives' and see for yourself.

Remember access is a RAD tool, not a database.