The verdict in three sentences
A fifteen-year-old Microsoft Access application maintained by one person is a business continuity risk, not just an IT topic. A migration to a web app costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, EUR 20,000 to 50,000 excl. VAT in Berlin, with a timeline of 3 to 5 months and maintenance of about EUR 4,000 per year. Doing nothing looks free, but one serious database crash or the departure of the employee who understands it often costs more than the whole project.
What the status quo really costs
Take a building-materials distributor with 50 employees on the outskirts of Berlin. Its Access database handles customers, negotiated prices, delivery notes and returns. It runs on a shared file server, does not open on mobile and crashes as soon as more than five people use it at once. Only one employee, close to retirement, knows how to edit the queries.
| Hidden cost item | 2026 annual estimate | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Time lost to locks and slowness | EUR 6,000 to 9,000 | 15 min per day for 10 users |
| Re-keying into accounting | EUR 4,000 to 7,000 | Excel export then manual entry |
| .accdb file corruption (repair, partial loss) | EUR 2,000 to 15,000 | 1 incident every 18 months on average |
| No mobile access for sales reps | EUR 5,000 to 10,000 | Quotes written in the evening at the office |
| Dependence on one employee | Not quantifiable | Risk of total stoppage when they leave |
| Licences and dedicated Windows machine | EUR 600 to 1,200 | Office and file server |
| Visible total | EUR 17,600 to 42,200 | Excluding total-loss risk |
The risk of complete data loss is estimated at 5 to 10% per year for an Access database that is used over a network and not properly backed up. Over five years, the likelihood of a major incident becomes high.
The five-step migration method
A successful migration does not mean copying Access screens into a browser. It starts with understanding actual usage, which has often drifted since 2008.
- Audit and mapping (2 to 3 weeks): inventory of tables, queries, macros, printed reports and the people who use them.
- Clean-up and data model (2 weeks): customer de-duplication, price normalisation, choice of a PostgreSQL database.
- Development in batches (6 to 10 weeks): critical functions first (customers, prices, delivery notes), then reports and dashboards.
- Migration of 15 years of data (2 to 3 weeks, in parallel): migration scripts dry-run three times, consistency checks on totals.
- Cutover and parallel running (2 to 4 weeks): Access becomes read-only, teams are trained, last gaps are fixed.
| Scope | 2026 budget excl. VAT | Timeline | What is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple migration (10 to 15 tables, 3 roles) | EUR 20,000 to 28,000 | 3 months | Data-entry screens, search, exports, data migration |
| Standard migration (20 to 40 tables, reports) | EUR 28,000 to 40,000 | 4 months | + PDF reports, dashboards, mobile access |
| Migration with integrations | EUR 40,000 to 50,000 | 5 months | + accounting connector, ERP API, signed delivery notes |
| EU cloud hosting | EUR 80 to 250 per month | Ongoing | Server, daily backups, SSL |
| Evolutive maintenance | EUR 3,000 to 5,000 per year | Ongoing | Fixes, security updates, small changes |
| User training | EUR 1,000 to 2,500 | 2 to 3 days | Sessions per department, online guide |
The final web app runs in any browser, on tablets in the warehouse and on smartphones for sales reps. Permissions are role-based, every change is logged and backups are automatic.
Pitfalls to avoid
The first pitfall is trying to reproduce everything. In most audited Access databases, 30 to 40% of queries and reports are no longer used. Dropping them cuts the budget accordingly. The second pitfall is neglecting data migration: badly formatted dates or duplicate customers can block the cutover. The third is sidelining the employee who maintains the database: they are the best source of business knowledge and should be involved from the audit onwards.
Mini case study
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Claire, CFO of a 50-employee building-materials distributor in Berlin, puts the cost of the status quo at EUR 24,000 per year (lost time, re-keying, late quotes). The standard migration is budgeted at EUR 36,000 excl. VAT, plus EUR 4,000 maintenance and EUR 1,800 hosting per year. Net gain in year one is 24,000 minus 5,800, i.e. EUR 18,200. The project pays back in about 24 months, not counting the data-loss risk that disappears. From year three, the company saves around EUR 18,000 per year.
FAQ
How much does migrating an Access database to a web app cost in 2026?
As an order of magnitude, expect EUR 20,000 to 50,000 excl. VAT depending on the number of tables, reports and integrations. A 25-table database with mobile access usually lands around EUR 35,000.
Can we keep 15 years of historical data?
Yes, full data migration is part of the project and represents 10 to 15% of the budget. Scripts are dry-run several times before the final cutover.
How long is the business disrupted?
The cutover itself usually happens over a weekend. For 2 to 4 weeks, Access stays available in read-only mode to reassure teams.
Why not just move to SharePoint or a no-code tool?
For fewer than 10 simple tables, it is a viable option at EUR 15 to 30 per user per month. Beyond that, with negotiated prices and complex reports, no-code limits show up fast and the annual bill often exceeds EUR 9,000 for 50 users.
Who owns the code?
You do. Source code, database and documentation are handed over, which removes the dependence on a single person or a single vendor.
Let's scope your project. Send us the list of your Access tables and reports: we will price the scope, give an indicative budget and a realistic migration schedule. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
