I am Trustee of a local charity, where we have been provided with a funding database that we need to use. However, the database itself is built for Microsoft Access and the charity is entirely MacOS based.
Is there any way to convert the database to anything that will run natively on MacOS? (Don't really want to run Parallels, BootCamp, etc. as messes up the system support).
MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)
You can run native Access on the Mac via:
Options 4 and 5 allow one to quickly jump start the MS Access 2016 database usage on Mac without data conversion expense, delays, or measurable administrative overhead.
I omitted LibreOffice owing to administrative overhead, and complexity of requiring Java for Base database operations, and the negative of taking a proprietary database into another proprietary database. Expect delays redesigning for Access functionality, or missing feature set.
LibreOffice (free) should be able to open a MS Access Database, though I don't know how much formatting it can carry over. Their database is rather clunky to use, but at least you can experiment without it costing you anything.
Failing that you should be able to export from Access as a comma-separated or tab-separated text file, which most database programs can open (though you won't carry over formatting or formulas - only the results of formulas) so a certain amount of work may be necessary to get it to behave.
This page (originally written for people abandoning 'AppleWorks') lists a number of Mac database applications:
http://rfwilmut.net/notes/aw/page5.html
It all depends on how complex the database is. If it's just a collection of text and numbers, with no calculations, then you shouldn't have too much trouble with it and should be able to use a fairly basic database application. Several of the applications listed in my page have free trials so that would be the next step to see whether you like the results. The ultimate database program is Filemaker Pro but it's extremely powerful and complex (and expensive) and likely much more than you need.
Hello rustianimal,
I think LibreOffice requires Java, which will mess up system support at last as much as Parallels. However, I should tell you that Parallels Desktop Lite is available on the Mac App Store. It is free for Linux. You only have to pay if you want Windows. It is a great product and completely non-invasive. Much better than the old Parallels, VMWare, or VirtualBox.
Here are a few products that will at least open Access files on a Mac: https://mthomas.co.uk/5-ways-to-access-access-on-a-mac/
My advice is to find someone with a PC or find some shared service like a university or library that has Access and export it. Or maybe look for an online service like this one: https://www.zoho.com/creator/ms-access.html
LibreOffice does require Java for the database module: I don't know how problematic Java is likely to be (I use it for an unrelated application with no problems but I don't know about LibreOffice). Do the apps listed in the mthomas.co.uk allow editing, or entering new data, into the converted database? The write-ups don't actually state that they do (or indeed that they don't).
LibreOffice's database should be able to edit and add to the Access database once imported (which I assume the OP would want to do), though as I say it's clunky to use. The requirement for Java is a downside if it causes reliability problems. I would have though that exporting as CSV or whatever and then trying it out in one of the less expensive database apps mentioned in my page which provide a free trial would be a good place to try - any chosen app would have to be purchased, of course, but I would assume this was cheaper than having to purchase Windows to use in one of the emulators.
Crossover is an interesting option and possibly worth trying. My only use of it was some years back to check websites on Internet Explorer, and it sort of worked though it was as slow as a snail on Valium. What it would do with a database I don't know, but it might be worth thinking about.
FWIW, macOS Sierra has a built in SQlite3 data base app. It is
unfortunately console based.
However, there seems to be quite a few apps in the Mac AppStore
that interface to it.
You may want to see if the MS database can be converted and check
out those AppStore offerings. Also, there are a couple apps there that claim
to allow you to open and edit Access databases and be able to convert.
Java is always a can-o-worms. I'm sure those 3rd party apps are very limited. They aren't Access. You would be able export the data maybe, but that's it. Would LibreOffice do any more?
I wouldn't touch Crossover. I'm a big fan of Parallels Desktop Lite. It is far and away the best VM I've ever used. Much faster than VMWare and zero kernel extensions.
Convert Microsoft Access Database for use on MacOS
