Built by someone who actually uses Access

I've been building and troubleshooting Microsoft Access databases for over 21 years, working across healthcare, construction, nonprofits, and small-to-mid-size businesses to turn messy spreadsheets and fragile legacy systems into reliable tools people actually trust. Somewhere along the way, Access stopped being just "the database I use for work" and became a genuine specialty — I've spent two decades in the weeds of relational design, VBA, and the countless quirks that come with keeping older systems running smoothly in a modern IT environment.

On the credentials side, I hold Microsoft's PL-900 certification along with a Microsoft Access Expert certification, and I earned my MBA from Eastern New Mexico University — a combination that lets me speak both the technical and business language when a database decision affects budgets, workflows, or leadership buy-in. That mix of formal education and hands-on database work has shaped how I approach every project: not just "does it work," but "does it work for the people who depend on it."

What I love most about Access, though, is what happens at the edges of its lifespan — the migration conversations. Watching a database evolve from a single-user Access file into something built on SharePoint, Dataverse, or Power Apps is one of the most satisfying parts of this work: the bones of a system someone built years ago, carried forward into something that scales. That's the whole reason this blog exists — to share the tips, gotchas, and lessons I've picked up along the way, whether you're maintaining an Access database today or starting to think about what comes next.