Your business runs on that database. Let's make sure it keeps running.
Old Access databases, giant Excel workbooks and QuickBooks-plus-spreadsheet systems hold a lot of small businesses together. I help you protect them, clean them up and modernize them, without a budget-breaking rewrite.
Sound familiar?
- Only one person knows how the database or workbook works
- It crashes, corrupts, or gets slower every year
- Two people can't use it at the same time
- You retype the same data into two or three places
- You can't get the reports you need without hours of copying and pasting
- Someone quoted you a large custom software project and you're not sure you need it
Data Checkup
- Review of your database, workbooks and how data moves through the business
- Backup and data-safety check
- Data quality review: duplicates, gaps and broken records
- A written, step-by-step modernization plan with costs for each step
How a rescue works
Your business runs on this file.
A giant workbook or an old Access database, patched for years. It still works, mostly.
- Duplicate customers and missing details
- Broken formulas nobody dares to touch
- Only one person knows how it works
First, make sure you can't lose it.
Before anything changes, your data gets a safety net.
- Reliable backups, kept somewhere safe
- A restore test, so you know the backup works
- A written guide, so it's not all in one person's head
- Fixes for whatever is causing the crashes
Then, make it trustworthy.
The mess that's built up over the years gets sorted out.
- Duplicates merged
- Missing details filled in
- Broken formulas and records repaired
Next, give it a proper home.
Your data moves to SQL Server or the cloud. Your team keeps working the way they're used to.
- Faster, and it stops corrupting
- Safer, with sign-ins and backups built in
- Several people can use it at the same time
Finally, answers without the copy and paste.
Reports and dashboards in Excel or Power BI that update themselves.
Every step is quoted up front and stands on its own. Stop at any point, and you're still better off.
with a written step-by-step plan
Small steps, not a big rewrite
Every step is quoted up front and stands on its own, so you can stop at any point and still be better off.
Protect
Reliable backups, a documented copy of how it works, and fixes for the problems causing crashes.
Clean up
Remove duplicates, repair broken records and simplify what's grown messy over the years.
Strengthen
Move the data to SQL Server or the cloud so it's faster, safer and works for more than one user.
See your numbers
Reports and dashboards (Excel or Power BI) that update themselves.
Why I do this work
I’ve been a SQL Server administrator and developer, and built custom business software in VB.NET and C#. I’ve also seen how quickly a “start from scratch” rewrite can outgrow a small business’s budget.
About meCommon questions
How much does a Data Checkup cost?
$495, fixed. It covers your database, workbooks and how data moves through the business, a backup check, a data quality review, and a written step-by-step plan with costs for each step.
Do I have to replace my Access database or spreadsheets?
Usually not. Most systems can be protected, cleaned up and strengthened one step at a time. Each step is quoted up front and stands on its own, so you can stop at any point and still be better off.
Can more than one person use our database at the same time?
Yes, once the data is moved to SQL Server or the cloud. That also makes it faster and safer.
Can you build reports from the software we already use?
Yes. I build reports and dashboards in Excel or Power BI that pull from your existing software and update themselves.
Not sure where to start?
Book a free 30-minute IT checkup call. We'll talk through what's working, what isn't, and whether I can help. No sales pitch.