Service · Microsoft Access Migration
The rest of the world sees your Access database as a liability. We see a good place to start.
Senior-led migration from Microsoft Access to Microsoft Fabric, Power BI and Power Apps — at 50% of Big 5 rates, with a proven 7-step roadmap and IR35-compliant engagement model built for UK SMEs.
- Stabilise first, migrate at your pace
- No graduates or offshore — UK-based senior practitioners only
- IR35-compliant from day one
- Full Microsoft stack: Fabric, Power BI and Power Apps delivery
The Access problem
The talent is retiring. The risk is growing.
MS Access vacancy postings have fallen to near-zero since their 2009 peak — while contractor day rates hit record highs as the remaining talent retires. Your dependency is becoming more expensive and more fragile every year.
4,230+
UK organisations with tracked MS Access dependency
Source: 6sense, 2025
£500+
Median MS Access contractor day rate in 2025
Source: itjobswatch.co.uk
IR35
Most Access contractors are now off-payroll risks under HMRC rules
Near zero
MS Access vacancy postings since their 2009 peak — while day rates hit record highs
Source: itjobswatch.co.uk
Key Person Dependency — your biggest risk
If your Access system is business-critical and maintained by one person, their retirement, illness, or departure could be catastrophic. This is the single biggest threat we hear from SME leaders — and the most urgent reason to act.
Migration Methodology
A proven 7-step path. No surprises.
Unlike generalist consultants who'll figure it out as they go, we've mapped every step of the Access to Fabric journey. You'll know exactly where you are, what's next, and what it costs.
Source Code Control
Git / DevOpsBefore anything else, we version-control your Access databases and VBA modules. No more 'which version is live?' — full audit trail from day one, with rollback capability.
SQL Migration
Azure SQLMove your data from Access tables into SQL Server, establishing a proper relational foundation. Performance improves immediately — multi-user issues, locking and corruption risks disappear. Single Sign-On applied. Automated backup and Point-In-Time Restore.
Persist to OneLake
Microsoft FabricLand your data in Microsoft Fabric's OneLake — a single, governed, cloud-native data lake. This is the foundation for everything that follows: analytics, AI, real-time reporting.
Migrate Reporting to Power BI
Power BIReplace Access reports and queries with Power BI — interactive, mobile-ready, and self-service. Your team gets dashboards that update live, not reports emailed as PDFs on a Monday morning.
UI to Power Apps
Power AppsRebuild Access forms and data entry screens as Power Apps — fully mobile, Teams-integrated, and maintainable by your business users without a developer. Alternative frameworks offered for highly complex UIs.
Document and Hand Over
DocumentationFull technical documentation, data dictionary, runbooks and knowledge transfer sessions. You own the solution. No dependency on us unless you choose it.
Migration Complete
Ongoing SupportAccess decommissioned. Modern Fabric platform live. Your data estate is now AI-ready, scalable, and maintainable by your team — not held hostage by a single developer's retirement.
Why Data Partners
Not another Big 5 pitch deck.
We built our practice specifically for the SME organisations that the major consultancies either ignore or overcharge.
Pricing
50% less than Big 5 rates
Major consultancies charge £1,500+ per day for senior Fabric work. We deliver at £900/day — the same senior expertise, without the empty offices, offshore handoffs, or management overhead.
Delivery
Senior-led, not junior-delivered
You brief a senior architect. A senior engineer does the work. No juniors, no hand-offs, no knowledge gaps between the person who designed your solution and the person implementing it.
IR35
IR35-compliant from day one
Most Access contractors working long-term with a single client are inside IR35 — and both parties are exposed. Our chambers model is genuinely multi-client, with HMRC-safe documentation from the outset.
Approach
Stabilise first, transform second
We don't force a rip-and-replace on day one. We stabilise your current Access systems, remove immediate risk, then migrate in phases at a pace that works for your business.
Book a free Access migration assessment
No obligation. No hard sell. We'll assess your current Access dependency, identify the key risks, and outline a migration path that works for your business.