title: Front-End for MS Access migration?
body: <h3>Background</h3>
  <p>I work for a large organization which has thousands of MS Access applications floating around.  I didn't write any of these - in fact, most of the original authors have long since left the company - but from time to time another Access app lands on my desk for support.  I would <em>soooo</em> love to replace access with a different solution.</p>
  <h3>Requirement</h3>
  <p>I know that there are several good alternatives for the database part of MS Access (the Jet database), such as SQLite, MySQL, VistaDB, etc.</p>
  <p>What I would like to know is:  Is there anything that will replace the front end part of MS Access?</p>
  <p>I.e.  Something which can be used to build forms, write simple scripts and queries, etc?</p>
  <h3>Why?</h3>
  <p>@BracC asked &quot;why replace access?&quot;  - A fair question indeed.<br />
  I want to get rid of access because:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>it hides logic, leading to hard-to-support applications.  Logic can be in lots of different places, none of which provide or encourage any structure:
  <ul>
  <li>macros</li>
  <li>modules</li>
  <li>queries</li>
  <li>forms</li>
  </ul>
  </li>
  <li>its very nature encourages users to create &quot;little&quot; applications which become &quot;not so little applications&quot;.  Then the user leaves and I have to support a bunch of spaghetti.  I know that access isn't the only culprit, but it's the leader in my organisation, and I would love to get rid of it completely.</li>
  </ul>
  <h3>For extra credit</h3>
  <p>what I would <em>really</em> love to find is something which can read in an MDB file and output something like C# which replicates the functionality.  (Or any language - not fussy).</p>
  <p>I hope this is all clear.  If not, please post a comment and I'll re-write/add detail.</p>
  <h3>Update</h3>
  <p>@GuinnessFan makes some points I find interesting.  I have added my comments to discuss those points.</p>
  <p>What we have done since I asked the question:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>Got users to give us a definitive list of access applications they use and need.  (The understanding is that any MDB files not on the list can be deleted - hooray!).</li>
  <li>Analysed the MDBs on the list, coming to the following conclusions:
  <ul>
  <li>Most of the &quot;applications&quot; consist of a single hard-coded query or a single linked table.</li>
  <li>Many are a small number of queries with, perhaps, a date parameter or similar.</li>
  <li>very few (if any) have any truly complex logic.</li>
  </ul>
  </li>
  <li>We are now working through the list, converting most of the apps to SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) packages.</li>
  <li>Anything which can't be replicated using SSRS will become a hand-crafted web application.  However, there aren't many of these.</li>
  </ul>
  <p>May I say many thanks, to <em><strong>everybody</strong></em> who has given me helpful answers.</p>