Its 2021 and Access is still here; is it really going away?

Hi. I don't work for MS, but I'd like to offer my opinion, if that's okay. I believe what's no longer available is the perpetual license model. I think Access 2016 was the last version to allow that. Now, you can only purchase a subscription license. 

But as far as Access is going away, I was going to post a link to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, so you can see what's the plan and in the works for Access' future, according to Microsoft. However, I couldn't get the site to come up, so you'll just have to Google it. 

Also, I doubt anyone who works at MS would be willing or even allowed to post what they know, if that information wasn't officially released to the public yet. 

Cheers!

Awesome, I appreciate your response. it is definitely helpful. I'm at a new job and they are in desperate need of a database upgrade, and an all-around technology upgrade lol. I just want to make sure utilizing access for their needs would be a good idea or if the rumors of it being removed were true. But if it's still long term even in subscription form, then Access it is!

I will take a look through google again to try and find what you just mentioned. Thank you again for your assistance!

Hi. Access is definitely not for everyone or for every occasion. That's why the rumors of it going away have been around for a long time, and many would continue to speculate on its demise for still a long time to come. 

I recommend you use the tools you have available to do your job today and only worry about the future when an "official" announcement from MS comes out. 

When you go to the website I told you, you will understand what I mean. 

Good luck!

Rumors of Access going away have been around almost as long as Access. They have never been true and aren't now.

What is true about what you are hearing is that there lots of people who want to go to the cloud and Access does not, as yet play well in the cloud. But if you are in a business where the cloud is not important and who don't have a large IT infrastructure, Access is still, and will continue to be, a viable option.

Microsoft has not abandoned Access by any stretch of the imagination. 

Actually, this rumor started much earlier than 2014. It was first spread a couple of days after Access 1.0 was released more than 26 years ago.... 

It's never been true, but it spreads, in part, because well meaning people see it and wonder if it could be true so it gets recycled again and again.

It's also the case the jealous competitors like to keep it alive as a way to scare people into looking at their products as an alternative.

It's also the case that mis-informed "IT Professionals" see and respond to such rumors and take them seriously wanting to do the right thing for their organizations.

It's also the case that some IT Pros dislike Access and wish the rumors were true.

It is also true that Access is strictly a Windows desktop application. At least three prior attempts to "webify" it have been abandoned after relatively short periods of time. Two of the books I co-authored were, in fact, on two of those attempts. It's hard not to be just a little bit bitter about it all, if I may indulge myself somewhat.

And, finally, it is true that Microsoft has other products in development that will extend the reach of the normal "Access level developer" into the mobile and cloud-based environments, most specifically PowerApps. I see PowerApps as a way to extend the life of Access within a hybrid set of solutions.

The back end--or data layer--in such hybrids will be a cloud-based database, such as SQL Azure.

The desktop interface for such hybrids will be Access.

The mobile, or cloud, interface will be PowerApps.

Eventually, when Windows is no longer available as a desktop operating system for local computers, I suppose, Access will no longer be viable, but in the meantime, it's as strong as ever.

2019 is the latest Access with perpetual license.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/office-2019-for-windows-and-mac-faq-a8fed43d-4c11-404a-acc3-09eb46a3a7fb

Access is not going away.

Well, eventually it will, of course - when our (grand)children no longer have computers running Windows.

I get asked this all the time too. See https://599cd.com/AccessGoingAway 

I wasn't sure. Thanks for the correction. 

I'm going to, we currently have a subscription of Office 365, and everything is on excel... Prior to me being employed here, things would just get deleted after the new files were created for the new fiscal year, even though there is a policy for archiving specific documents. 

I'm going to use this opportunity to help them establish a data base, and I really like Access and how I can customize it to my employers' exact needs and link them together so I can track everything and make sure nothing goes wrong. 

I guess, my biggest fear is, I do this in access and in 2 years access is gone and all my efforts are lost, and the supervisors lose their trust in my judgement and go back to putting everything in excel instead of just switching to a different database system.

Thank you for your feedback though, much appreciated.