So basically, to replace all MS Access functionality, you are going to need perhaps a dozen products. But the customized reports were already a part of MS Access, didn't it? You'd probably need a way to generate customized reports, like Crystal Reports. Eventually, after discovering why so many different things are named the same, and why same name labels refers to completely distinct things, we may come up with a way to transfer the data from MS Access and deposit in SQL Server. If your company is using IBM Connections for social collaboration, then ProjExec is the way to go. It ships as an add-on IBM’s Enterprise Social Platform IBM Connections both on premises and on the IBM Cloud. Okay, we'll put our big-boys pants and start by using SQL Server in the cloud. ProjExec ( is the IBM-based alternative to MS Project with high fidelity compatibility with all versions of MS Project.
But with Access, even a Neanderthal can create a database application that works! Sure, put 20 of those guys together and let them develop to their heart's content and you'll end with pretty sophisticated queries, reports, forms, and so on. The thing here is MS Access has been evolving during decades and quietly invading small companies where one of the guys there discovers that Excel spreadsheets are for kids, but Access databases are for adults! Adults, shall we say, who lack the required database design, or know anything about data normalization, and so on. Back when I was younger, I would have promoted PowerBuilder as a real contender against MS Access. No, I don't think you are going to find any real alternative out there.