Improve
Legacy business software, rebuilt as web applications
Many companies still depend on a tool built years ago in Access, Excel, VB6, Delphi or an early version of .NET. We rebuild it as a web application backed by a proper SQL database, with the same data and the same way of working, and keep the old program running alongside it for 30 days.
The old program usually still works. The trouble is around it: Microsoft support ending for the Office and Windows versions it needs, a file that only runs on one PC, and fewer and fewer people who can change the code. Nothing stops overnight, but every update carries a little more risk.
Our method removes that risk one step at a time: a free written assessment within 48 hours of receiving the file, then a pilot module on your real data and, before anyone switches, a check in which the old and the new program process the same data and must produce the same figures.
What it can look like
- Dashboard
- Job cards312
- Customers1,148
- Vehicles
- Parts
- Invoices
Annual service. Front brake pads. Check air conditioning.
| Part | Qty | Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil filter | 1 | €14.90 | €14.90 |
| Engine oil 5W-30 (l) | 4.5 | €11.20 | €50.40 |
| Front brake pads | 1 | €64.50 | €64.50 |
| Air filter | 1 | €18.60 | €18.60 |
| Labour (h) | 2.5 | €54.00 | €135.00 |
| Total | €283.40 | ||
| Part | Qty | Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil filter | 1 | €14.90 | €14.90 |
| Engine oil 5W-30 (l) | 4.5 | €11.20 | €50.40 |
| Front brake pads | 1 | €64.50 | €64.50 |
| Air filter | 1 | €18.60 | €18.60 |
| Labour (h) | 2.5 | €54.00 | €135.00 |
A garage job card as it might look in Access 97, and the same screen as a web application. Drag the handle to compare.
What we deliver
A free written assessment
Within 48 hours of receiving the file: what the tool does, how the web version would work, a fixed price for a pilot module and an estimate for the rest.
A pilot module
One part of the application on your real data, usually between €1,000 and €1,500, used by your staff before you decide on the rest.
Same data, same results
Before handover, the old and the new program process the same data, and we check that totals, VAT and stock figures match to the cent.
30 days in parallel
The old program stays in use for 30 days after go-live, so nobody has to switch overnight.
Every record and report
All data migrated and checked, every report rebuilt as a printable page or PDF.
Typical projects
An Access database for a garage
Job cards, customers, vehicles and parts moved to a web application with the same fields and totals.
A VB6 appointment book
The same weekly diary in the browser, shared by reception and the practitioners.
An Excel invoicing workbook
Invoices in a database instead of rows in a sheet, with the same numbering and the same VAT calculation.
Technologies
- Access
- Excel VBA
- VB6
- Delphi
- WinForms
- WebForms
- ASP.NET Core
- SQL Server
- MySQL
How we work
Send us a copy
A copy of the program or file is enough, with test data instead of real records if you prefer. Put it in a password-protected archive and send us the password separately.
Written assessment within 48 hours
What the program does, where the risks are, how the web version would be organised, a fixed price for the pilot module and an estimate for the rest. It is free and commits you to nothing.
Pilot first, then the rest in stages
The pilot runs on a copy of your real data and your staff use it in their daily work. If you go ahead, the other parts follow in stages, each at a fixed price and each checked against the old program on the same data.
Go-live and 30 days in parallel
The old program stays available for 30 days after go-live. You receive the source code, the documentation and the report of every check.
Modernisation by technology
Each technology has its own pitfalls. These pages explain how we handle them.
- Microsoft Access to web applicationTables, queries, forms, reports and VBA moved to a web application on SQL Server or MySQL.
- Excel VBA to web applicationWorkbooks with macros, UserForms and linked sheets turned into a multi-user web application.
- VB6 application migrationVisual Basic 6 programs moved to C# and the web, with or without the source code.
- Delphi application migrationDelphi programs on BDE, Paradox or dBase moved to a web application on a SQL database.
- Legacy .NET modernisationWinForms and ASP.NET Web Forms applications moved to ASP.NET Core, keeping what still works.
A real migration, and a clickable preview
Northwind is the sample database Microsoft shipped with Access, not a client of ours. In the case study we migrated a public copy (Access 97) to SQLite and PostgreSQL, compared every table and every query with the original through automated tests, and built a working web application on the result. The demo below it is a quicker clickable preview with the written assessment.
Why now
- VB6 development environmentEnd of Microsoft support
- Windows 10End of Microsoft support
- Office 2021 and Access 2021End of Microsoft support
None of this means your tool stops working tomorrow. It does mean that every Windows or Office update carries a bit more risk, and that it gets harder to find someone who can fix it.
For software vendors
If you sell a Windows product and are considering a web version, we can prepare a free clickable mock-up of your own product as a web application, based on your screenshots. It shows what the interface could look like before any real code is written.
The mock-up stays on a private page that only you can see, and we delete it as soon as you ask.
- You send us a few screenshots of your product.
- We build a clickable mock-up of the web version.
- You see it on a private page, visible only to you, which we delete as soon as you ask.
Price and payment
Assessment
Free
in writing, within 48 hours
Pilot module
€1,000–1,500
usually; 50% to start, 50% on acceptance
Payment terms
We ask for 50% to start and 50% on acceptance. The second half is due before go-live and before the source code is handed over. Larger projects are split into milestone payments.
Every proposal states a fixed price for the work it describes, agreed in writing before work starts. If the scope changes, we send a new written quote and wait for your approval before doing the extra work.
For a full migration, we aim to come in 40 to 60% below a typical agency quote. We can do this because we are a small studio, with no offices to pay for and no sales team.
Prices exclude VAT.
Questions about this service
Do we need the original source code?
Not always. We can work from the program itself, its database and screenshots of how it is used. The assessment says clearly what is possible.
Can we keep using the old program during the project?
Yes. Just before go-live we transfer the data again from the latest copy, and the old program stays in use for 30 days alongside the new one.
Is the assessment really free?
Yes. You receive a written report and a fixed price for the pilot module. If you decide not to go ahead, you keep the report and owe nothing.
How accurate is the price estimator?
It gives an indicative range based on the same model we use for our assessments. The fixed price comes with the assessment, once we have seen the file.
Contact
Use whichever channel suits you. We reply within one working day, in writing.
By email
riccardo@Send us a copy of the program or the file, with test data if you prefer, or a short description. We reply within one working day.
Send us your file
For Access, Excel, VB6, Delphi or older .NET software, you receive a free written assessment within 48 hours of sending the file.
- Make a copy, with test data if you prefer.
- Attach it to the form or to an email, ideally as a password-protected archive with the password sent separately. If you ask, we sign an NDA first.
- Within 48 hours: the assessment and a fixed price for a pilot module.
We work from Italy.