Need advise for MSAccess Maintenance.

[drnorbert]

Over many years I have designed an increasingly sophisticated program with MSAccess 2019 Front End and SQL 2019 Back End for my daughter's company - As a result, I am the only person who can trouble-shoot and repair or enhance the program if they run into a glitch or a problem or need upgrades.


Long term, this is not sustainable - we need some back up or alternative resource they can turn to if I am not available. The company is not large enough to hire a full-time (or even part time) programmer/IT person. I will appreciate any input or ideas about how we could go about obtaining this type of back up in case we need it in the future.


Thanks,
Norbert

[CJ_London]

The problem you have is what I would term 'familiarity'. You know your system inside out and it takes time for someone else to be able to step into your shoes. In addition, you know the working practices of your daughter's company - what is critical to the business, what is not, the terminology of the company, the direction it is going, etc.

I support a number of companies and it takes some time to take over someone else's work. One potential client I declined because the previous developer had left some months previously, none of the work was documented, nobody knew how it worked etc - they just 'clicked a button and this happens'. Because the system continued to function after the developer left, they 'saved' their money and did nothing about support. It was going to take me several weeks to work it all out and they only had days to get some changes made, I was sorry for them but their expectations of a quick fix just wasn't going to happen. Another client I spent 3-4 days with the retiring developer and have had a number of zoom calls since to clarify expectations. I'm also in regular contact with a designated non techy person who can answer questions about the company and keeps me posted on future developments. So although I only spend 1-2 days a month on their system I am 'current' so if something needs sorting out quickly, it can be done.

So my advice is make sure all your work is fully notated - so the code reads like a story, ideally with a user manual, a technical manual and the meta data fully documented that explains where the data comes from, where it is stored and where it goes/what it is used for. That way whoever takes it one has a chance to hit the ground running - perhaps with a bit of stumbling around first

Where to find such a resource? With modern communications, someone local is not always necessary - I have clients in the UK and US, only one is local. This and other access forums are a good place to start, there are also websites that advertise developers looking for work - just google 'access developers' perhaps tweaked for your locale or industry.

But please don't expect someone to be able to step into your shoes at short notice and solve a problem - it takes time. Time to find the right person, time for that person to gain understanding of the situation and then time to develop a solution.

Happy to have a chat with you if that helps, if so, please PM me (click on 'my profile' above then on 'send private message') and I can send you a link to my website

[NoellaG]

Aside of a sturdy documentation: if the company is not large enough to hire anybody new, a logical choice would be to train someone in the company. This person could start with a training SQL server, if necessary, an Access training, and start assisting you with the documentation of the application. A fresh pair of eyes on the application might also bring about some great new ideas.

[Minty]

I would echo exactly what CJ_London has said, we also provide support where people are stepping back from being able to support their "Database babies", and it can be a massive challenge without a decent handover period, and responsive contacts within the business.