Access Database Health Check

If your Access database is slow, throwing errors, hard to change, or just feels fragile, a health check gives you a clear picture of its condition and what to do about it.

Whether you need ongoing support, are planning a move to SQL Server, or want to modernise an ageing system, we’ll identify the risks, the opportunities and the quick wins.

£495 fixed price

• Independent assessment
• Written report with recommendations
• Remote review included
• Access 2003 through to Microsoft 365

Is your database showing warning signs?

Plenty of Access systems have grown over years, sometimes decades. It still works, but the strain starts to show:

• Slow performance
• Random errors and crashes
• Corruption
• Difficulty adding anything new
• Several versions of the database in circulation
• Backups nobody has tested
• Problems supporting people working remotely
• Difficulty getting it to talk to other systems
• Questions about security and compliance nobody can answer

The database is usually critical to daily operations, which is exactly what makes replacing it feel risky. A health check tells you where you actually stand before you decide anything.

What we review

[IMG-1] — The key image on this page. A page of the actual report, redacted. The product is the report, and nobody buying a £495 deliverable sight-unseen wants to guess what arrives. A RAG-rated summary table works best.
Alt: Microsoft Access health check report, sample page

Structure — tables and relationships, data quality, indexing, query design, size and growth rate

Performance — slow queries, inefficient processes, network bottlenecks, excessive traffic between front end and back end

Stability — corruption risk, multi-user behaviour, whether it’s split properly, how the front end is deployed, error handling

Security — user access, exposed sensitive data, file security, backup procedures, business continuity

Supportability — code quality, documentation gaps, dependency risks, and the things likely to cause trouble for whoever picks it up next

Migration readiness — if you’re considering it: SQL Server, Azure SQL, web applications, mobile

It’s a structured list of checks built up over many years of running clients’ Access systems, not a look round and an opinion.

What you get

A practical report in plain English:

Executive summary — non-technical, suitable for management

Issues identified — prioritised by risk, not by how interesting they are

Quick wins — things that can often be done immediately

Recommended actions — clear next steps against your objectives

Future options — support, enhancement, migration or modernisation where relevant

The report is yours. You’re free to do nothing with it, or take it to someone else.

What usually happens next

Most people end up on one of four routes:

Carry on as you are. The system is healthy and needs minor improvements only. We’ll say so.

Ongoing support. Still fit for purpose, benefits from expert maintenance and changes → Access support and development

Migration. Move the data to SQL Server or Azure and keep the Access front end → Access migration and upgrades

Modernisation. Add web, mobile or cloud capability while protecting what you’ve already paid for → Access modernisation

Why CDE Systems

Over 25 years supporting, repairing, enhancing and modernising Microsoft Access databases, including recovery projects, performance work, SQL Server migrations, Azure deployments, legacy rescue and long-term support arrangements.

Unlike most people offering reviews, we carry on supporting systems afterwards. That keeps the recommendations realistic, because we’re the ones who’d have to implement them.

Questions

How long does it take? Most reviews are completed within a few days of getting access to the system.

Do I need to send you the database? Usually, yes. A copy is fine, along with any documentation. It goes via our secure upload rather than email, and we’ll confirm what happens to it afterwards.

Will you tell me if it’s beyond saving? Yes. That’s the point of an independent assessment.

Do I have to use CDE afterwards? No. The report is yours to keep and use however you like.

Can you implement the recommendations? Yes, and we regularly do.