Inherited Access Database Checklist
Use this checklist before changing, migrating, or replacing a Microsoft Access database that supports real business operations.
1. Business Function
- What business process does the database support?
- Who uses it daily, weekly, monthly, or only during special periods?
- What reports, invoices, schedules, exports, labels, or forms does it produce?
- What happens if the database is unavailable for one day? For one week?
2. Ownership and Knowledge
- Who built the database?
- Is the original builder still available?
- Who knows the business rules well enough to notice wrong output?
- Is there any documentation, training material, screenshot guide, or old email thread?
3. Files and Architecture
- List every `.mdb` and `.accdb` file involved.
- Note whether the database is split into front-end and back-end files.
- Identify linked tables, ODBC connections, SQL Server links, Excel links, SharePoint links, or network shares.
- Record where the files live and which users or workstations open them.
4. Safety Before Inspection
- Confirm there is a current backup.
- Do not run repair/compact operations on the only copy.
- Do not email sensitive databases casually or post them to public forums.
- Preserve a read-only original before making a working copy.
5. Data and Logic
- Which tables are clearly business data?
- Which queries appear to calculate prices, schedules, compliance values, or eligibility?
- Are there macros or VBA modules?
- Are there forms/reports nobody is willing to modify?
6. Operational Symptoms
- Does the database lock up or corrupt?
- Does it only work on one computer or one old Access version?
- Are users manually copying data to or from Excel?
- Are reports trusted, or are they manually checked afterward?
7. Desired Outcome
- Stabilize the current database.
- Document how it works.
- Migrate data to a modern system.
- Replace the workflow with a new application.
- Not sure yet; need a technical read first.
Unknown answers are not failures. They are exactly what a triage process is designed to discover.