Alternatives for Access database
February 25, 2020 5:45 AM Subscribe
I built a Microsoft Access database for a small non-profit org years ago, and it's worked well for our needs until now. However, we have someone taking over management who works on a Mac, so it's time to make a switch.
I know that Access is on the outs anyways, so the timing is right, but I'm not familiar enough with the options to really know what best to suggest (I am not an expert at all, just someone who taught themselves enough Access to build a simple database!).
We use the database to record member data, donation info, etc. It has three tables underlying the main form that's used for data entry. We do some queries within the database, but more often export to Excel. It's a small database, only about 1500 records at the moment.
Confidentiality is definitely a concern because of the subject matter that the non-profit works with, and so any cloud-based solutions would need to have tight controls to reassure us of the security of our data. Additionally, a new database would need to be able to be set up by someone without technical expertise (i.e. me), and be not too onerous to port over the data from Access (I understand I'll have to export it as a csv to do that).
What options are out there? What might meet our needs? We're open to free or low-cost, but don't have budget for a really expensive solution. I'll keep an eye on the thread if there is other info that would be helpful in providing an answer.
I know that Access is on the outs anyways, so the timing is right, but I'm not familiar enough with the options to really know what best to suggest (I am not an expert at all, just someone who taught themselves enough Access to build a simple database!).
We use the database to record member data, donation info, etc. It has three tables underlying the main form that's used for data entry. We do some queries within the database, but more often export to Excel. It's a small database, only about 1500 records at the moment.
Confidentiality is definitely a concern because of the subject matter that the non-profit works with, and so any cloud-based solutions would need to have tight controls to reassure us of the security of our data. Additionally, a new database would need to be able to be set up by someone without technical expertise (i.e. me), and be not too onerous to port over the data from Access (I understand I'll have to export it as a csv to do that).
What options are out there? What might meet our needs? We're open to free or low-cost, but don't have budget for a really expensive solution. I'll keep an eye on the thread if there is other info that would be helpful in providing an answer.
I've never used it but some googling found recommendations for Parallels Desktop for this use: Access on a Mac.
As someone who grew up on Windows and had to use a Mac for a decade, there is not a half-pound of difference between the two OSes anymore. Most of those are at the operating system level, like, how files are copied, printers installed, etc. So an alternative is for the new employee to switch to windows.
posted by tmdonahue at 5:52 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
As someone who grew up on Windows and had to use a Mac for a decade, there is not a half-pound of difference between the two OSes anymore. Most of those are at the operating system level, like, how files are copied, printers installed, etc. So an alternative is for the new employee to switch to windows.
posted by tmdonahue at 5:52 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
You're basically using this as a CRM, so why not try a CRM? How big is your non-profit? Salesforce's Non-Profit Service Pack is free for small non-profits (up to 15 users I think but don't quote me on that) and not too expensive if you're not too much bigger than that. There are competitors in the space too. All of these would be very secure and designed for non-technical people to manage.
posted by brainmouse at 6:35 AM on February 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by brainmouse at 6:35 AM on February 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
From a member who like to remain anonymous:
The MySQL option is not free. PostgreSQL on the other hand is not just free but also open source, very secure, well documented, and not flash in the pan. Postgresql.org for more information. There are services you can pay to make the transition, but with 1500 records I doubt that’s necessary.posted by taz at 6:38 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
Have excellent password hygiene and assign everyone who has access their own username and role for the database. You can control what different users see to prevent sensitive information from being revealed.
This might come off harsh, but I am coming at this with a lot of professional experience in this area: New hire should Be Persuaded to run Parallels on Mac so that they can access the existing Access database. If that doesn't work for new hire and they won't switch to Windows, hire someone else that can work with your systems. It'll be cheaper and less painful in the long run. Your existing system has more value than this new hire does, no matter how glowing their resume.
posted by enfa at 6:40 AM on February 25, 2020 [18 favorites]
posted by enfa at 6:40 AM on February 25, 2020 [18 favorites]
Some of the responses here seem to be missing that we're talking about a 1500-record base maintained by people for whom this is not their life's work.
Parallels is expensive, strains your computer's resources, and is a pain to switch back and forth.
MySQL and PosgreSQL are not what you want, unless the point is to increase your technical skillset vs. just having a workable solution for your information.
FileMaker is a joy to work with, but probably overkill for this situation.
If you are satisfied with the security, Airtable is worth a look. For 1500 records I believe it will be free.
posted by libraryhead at 6:44 AM on February 25, 2020 [10 favorites]
Parallels is expensive, strains your computer's resources, and is a pain to switch back and forth.
MySQL and PosgreSQL are not what you want, unless the point is to increase your technical skillset vs. just having a workable solution for your information.
FileMaker is a joy to work with, but probably overkill for this situation.
If you are satisfied with the security, Airtable is worth a look. For 1500 records I believe it will be free.
posted by libraryhead at 6:44 AM on February 25, 2020 [10 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far! Lots to consider.
Yeah, we're all volunteers doing this on top of day jobs, so it does really need to be simple and user-friendly. We're using our own machines, hence the mix of systems.
Keep the suggestions coming!
posted by sabotagerabbit at 6:52 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
Yeah, we're all volunteers doing this on top of day jobs, so it does really need to be simple and user-friendly. We're using our own machines, hence the mix of systems.
Keep the suggestions coming!
posted by sabotagerabbit at 6:52 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
I've been finding PanoramaX pretty easy to work with; it might suit your needs.
posted by Superplin at 7:17 AM on February 25, 2020
posted by Superplin at 7:17 AM on February 25, 2020
I’m not sure how low-cost is low-cost for y’all, but Little Green Light is specifically designed to be a database for smaller nonprofits and is $39/month for up to 2500 records. I’ve heard good things about it from other small nonprofits, but haven’t used it myself.
posted by itsamermaid at 7:42 AM on February 25, 2020
posted by itsamermaid at 7:42 AM on February 25, 2020
Libre Office has database software called Base that will run on both Windows and macOS (Linux, too). It is worth a try if you have more time than money. I have not tried it, but if it is anything like their spreadsheet and word processing software, your Access skills will transfer nicely.
If long term affordability is a concern, I will second that you need to be careful about not going with an Oracle product (MySQL).
posted by soelo at 7:53 AM on February 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
If long term affordability is a concern, I will second that you need to be careful about not going with an Oracle product (MySQL).
posted by soelo at 7:53 AM on February 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
Fair points/suggestions above. Let's better understand the requirements, am I capturing this correctly?
Mixed os environment
Cheap/free (is cheap 120$ a year or 1200$?)
10 user count, majority volunteers, nonzero turnover
No paid technical staff running backups or maintaining machines or doing security sweeps, but some technical folks available
Majority of users are smart, passionate volunteers that are not overly technical savvy (not dba's, nobody knows sql)
Security of data is number one issue - Prefer to run on computers they own (avoid cloud)
3 tables - people and probably contact info, gifts from people and etc
The etc is tricky. Is that "campaigns run that prompt giving", events attended, hours volunteered, comments/notes about donor, Extended transaction info like gift membership, benefits/premiums/services used or received?
How do you all do payment processing? Do you touch credit card numbers, in a pci/dss compliant way? Are there monthly pledges that y'all charge every month?
posted by enfa at 7:53 AM on February 25, 2020
Mixed os environment
Cheap/free (is cheap 120$ a year or 1200$?)
10 user count, majority volunteers, nonzero turnover
No paid technical staff running backups or maintaining machines or doing security sweeps, but some technical folks available
Majority of users are smart, passionate volunteers that are not overly technical savvy (not dba's, nobody knows sql)
Security of data is number one issue - Prefer to run on computers they own (avoid cloud)
3 tables - people and probably contact info, gifts from people and etc
The etc is tricky. Is that "campaigns run that prompt giving", events attended, hours volunteered, comments/notes about donor, Extended transaction info like gift membership, benefits/premiums/services used or received?
How do you all do payment processing? Do you touch credit card numbers, in a pci/dss compliant way? Are there monthly pledges that y'all charge every month?
posted by enfa at 7:53 AM on February 25, 2020
From the suggestions so far, Libre Office/Base sounds the most promising, not that I actually know anything about it.
However, I came in to ask how much programming you would have to redo if you switch to a product that doesn't have a migration path from Access. Input screens? Reports? If it's a lot, then the Mac guy has to make a strong case for it. It's really not acceptable to throw an office into chaos over an old fashioned flame war.
Aldo, just to be trendy, I'll suggest you consider a browser-based product for your reporting functions. That's a big step toward offering any kind of access over the internet, and a big simplification in distributing software updates.
Fifteen hundred records is a pittance to a database administrator. It's the supporting programming and other systems that can make a change complicated.
posted by SemiSalt at 9:57 AM on February 25, 2020 [3 favorites]
However, I came in to ask how much programming you would have to redo if you switch to a product that doesn't have a migration path from Access. Input screens? Reports? If it's a lot, then the Mac guy has to make a strong case for it. It's really not acceptable to throw an office into chaos over an old fashioned flame war.
Aldo, just to be trendy, I'll suggest you consider a browser-based product for your reporting functions. That's a big step toward offering any kind of access over the internet, and a big simplification in distributing software updates.
Fifteen hundred records is a pittance to a database administrator. It's the supporting programming and other systems that can make a change complicated.
posted by SemiSalt at 9:57 AM on February 25, 2020 [3 favorites]
I was going to recommend using CodeWeavers CrossOver for macOS to run Access, but it looks like Access is in the category of "installs, won't run" for most recent versions. Not surprising, I would expect MSFT is using some undocumented APIs or latest features that haven't yet been integrated into WINE.
LibreOffice won't import an Access database in a straightforward way, and the non-straightforward ways that I've looked up are 1) fairly involved, and 2) leave you needing to recreate forms, etc. anyway.
You could try out Airtable. Again, importing the data requires CSVs and you'll probably wind up doing a heavy lift from the start.
It's a well-reviewed service. Whether it's secure enough or not is really up to your level of paranoia. I'd try it for a use case like you describe, but that's just me.
If there's a way for the new person to just cope with using Windows for this task, it might be best. Or put out a call within the org for a person who's willing to set up and maintain something for the long haul.
(One minor gripe I have with volunteer orgs - many of them are not using the best tools for the job because they stick with what the leadership knows, and never put out calls for tech help. As somebody who actually has some tech knowledge, I'd love to be able to put it to work for orgs I've volunteered for in the past instead of watching them do everything the hard and expensive ways...)
posted by jzb at 10:23 AM on February 25, 2020
LibreOffice won't import an Access database in a straightforward way, and the non-straightforward ways that I've looked up are 1) fairly involved, and 2) leave you needing to recreate forms, etc. anyway.
You could try out Airtable. Again, importing the data requires CSVs and you'll probably wind up doing a heavy lift from the start.
It's a well-reviewed service. Whether it's secure enough or not is really up to your level of paranoia. I'd try it for a use case like you describe, but that's just me.
If there's a way for the new person to just cope with using Windows for this task, it might be best. Or put out a call within the org for a person who's willing to set up and maintain something for the long haul.
(One minor gripe I have with volunteer orgs - many of them are not using the best tools for the job because they stick with what the leadership knows, and never put out calls for tech help. As somebody who actually has some tech knowledge, I'd love to be able to put it to work for orgs I've volunteered for in the past instead of watching them do everything the hard and expensive ways...)
posted by jzb at 10:23 AM on February 25, 2020
One additional resource to check into for both tech discounts and consulting/tech help (including assessments like this) for non-profits is the US-based TechSoup.
Here’s their listing for Little Green Light (mentioned up-thread), for example.
posted by Tiny Bungalow at 10:37 AM on February 25, 2020
Here’s their listing for Little Green Light (mentioned up-thread), for example.
posted by Tiny Bungalow at 10:37 AM on February 25, 2020
Airtable for 1500 records will cost $120 per user per year.
The classic mac alternative to Access is Filemaker which is $540 for a perpetual licence for one user/machine.
However with only 3 tables theres a good chance you could just rebuild this in Excel with a couple of vLookups.
posted by Lanark at 11:50 AM on February 25, 2020
The classic mac alternative to Access is Filemaker which is $540 for a perpetual licence for one user/machine.
However with only 3 tables theres a good chance you could just rebuild this in Excel with a couple of vLookups.
posted by Lanark at 11:50 AM on February 25, 2020
You have 3 tables, but do you have the database schema?
1500 records is nothing, you could run this on a smartphone. Does the database have to be multiuser? If not then sqlite would easily do the job if you had someone who could install it, sqlite is free. There is an open source GUI for it called DB browser for sqlite.
Parallels is fairly poor (and expensive) in my experience. VirtualBox is no worse and is free.
And much as the purist within me recoils at the thought, Excel might be a good home for this depending on the nature of your queries.
You are of course backing up all of this data?
posted by epo at 11:58 AM on February 25, 2020
1500 records is nothing, you could run this on a smartphone. Does the database have to be multiuser? If not then sqlite would easily do the job if you had someone who could install it, sqlite is free. There is an open source GUI for it called DB browser for sqlite.
Parallels is fairly poor (and expensive) in my experience. VirtualBox is no worse and is free.
And much as the purist within me recoils at the thought, Excel might be a good home for this depending on the nature of your queries.
You are of course backing up all of this data?
posted by epo at 11:58 AM on February 25, 2020
I’ll third the suggestion for Airtable. It’s basically if MS Access merged with Google Sheets.
There is a bit of a learning curve because of how flexibly powerful it is. But their templates will get you off and running and are a great start to glean ideas.
posted by curoi at 1:06 PM on February 25, 2020
There is a bit of a learning curve because of how flexibly powerful it is. But their templates will get you off and running and are a great start to glean ideas.
posted by curoi at 1:06 PM on February 25, 2020
there is not a half-pound of difference between the two OSes anymoreNot to derail, but this is absolutely not true, and it's not true in material ways. I don't know why people say things like this.
MySQL is an attractive option on the SURFACE, but the issue is that something like Access has a GUI on top of the ugly parts, and MySQL typically doesn't. That's painful.
Depending on your level of tolerance for fiddly technical stuff, and the eventual owners of this data, using MySQL might actually be a truly terrible idea.
Airtable is basically cloud spreadsheets; it's not really a DB in any meaningful sense.
Unfortunately, I'm not aware of a good local portable DB option for Macs that is as well supported as Access, so I add my voice to the chorus of folks saying the new hire should just use VMWare or Parallels on his/her Mac to use the existing tool.
posted by uberchet at 1:40 PM on February 25, 2020
Airtable has a free level that you are just over the limit for records-wise (1200 records per database for free). We use it at the Enterprise level at my work, and it has been thoroughly vetted for security (our central IT is extremely conservative).
It's an excellent product and the learning curve is mainly for the person building the thing. You need to know almost nothing to enter or look up data.
posted by soren_lorensen at 2:01 PM on February 25, 2020
It's an excellent product and the learning curve is mainly for the person building the thing. You need to know almost nothing to enter or look up data.
posted by soren_lorensen at 2:01 PM on February 25, 2020
Airtable also came to mind to me as well. For non-profits it looks like it's actually $6/user a month for 1500 records (Plus Plan $72/year). https://airtable.com/shr9DxhP6lU9slZE6 via https://airtable.com/pricing
posted by cgg at 4:07 PM on February 25, 2020
posted by cgg at 4:07 PM on February 25, 2020
Response by poster: Thanks for these fantastic suggestions - lots to research and pass along to the org to consider, depending on what direction they want to go in.
posted by sabotagerabbit at 6:17 PM on February 25, 2020
posted by sabotagerabbit at 6:17 PM on February 25, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kevinbelt at 5:50 AM on February 25, 2020