Legacy systems & migration assessment
An inventory of applications, data and dependencies, with options for the next change.
Legacy application modernization
Decide what to keep, repair or replace.
I investigate older applications and the data, reports and business rules they contain. That gives you a basis for deciding their next stage.
When this helps
When an essential application is hard to maintain
- Your Microsoft Access database became mission-critical years ago, and its original author has retired.
- An old Windows application or custom SQL Server system has little documentation and limited support.
- A spreadsheet now controls jobs, pricing, inventory or reporting for the whole business.
- The vendor is discontinuing your software, or you cannot confidently retire its server.
The work
How I approach it.
The exact steps depend on your system and agreed scope.
Map the dependencies
Inspect screens, reports, databases, jobs and the workflows people rely on.
Compare the options
Weigh repair, integration and replacement against support, recovery and business needs.
Plan the transition
Test the agreed changes and define archive access before retiring anything.
Deliverables
What the work can include.
Exact deliverables, access, responsibilities and professional-services fees are agreed for your project.
- Application, database and dependency inventory
- Documented business rules and critical workflows
- Repair, integration or replacement options with tradeoffs
Scope and limits
What to know before starting.
Access forms and macros, SQL procedures and scheduled jobs can contain business rules that must survive a change.
Older software is not automatically bad software. The decision depends on its support, recoverability and fit for your business. Proprietary code, unavailable source files or vendor restrictions may limit what can be repaired or extracted.
About the companyBefore we talk
Common questions.
Does Microsoft Access always need to be replaced?
No. A supported, understood Access application may still serve its purpose. The concern is whether your business can maintain it, recover it and use it reliably. An assessment helps distinguish a repair from an Access database replacement project.
Do we need to build another custom application?
Not necessarily. A supported commercial product may cover the work with less maintenance. Netherwood can evaluate the migration and integration requirements around your chosen replacement; a custom build is not the default recommendation.
Other services
Related services.
Contact
Discuss a data or software problem.
Describe the issue, the system and the result you need.
Send an inquirycontact@netherwooddatapartners.com
Software and database consulting from Netherwood Data Partners.