The short version: the tables and data move with Microsoft's own export tool, which is free and good. The forms, reports and VBA do not move; they are rebuilt as a Power App and Power Automate flows, and that rebuild is where the money and the weeks go. Where the data lands sets the licence bill: SharePoint lists cost nothing on top of Microsoft 365, Dataverse is NZ$32.40 per user per month. For a firm under 20 staff the range is $4,000 to $18,000, and undocumented VBA moves a job up that range faster than table count does.
What it costs and how long it takes
| Line | Into SharePoint lists | Into Dataverse |
|---|---|---|
| Build, data migration included (fixed price) | $4,000 to $10,000 | $8,000 to $18,000 |
| Typical time | 2 to 4 weeks | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Licence per user per month, before GST | $0 on top of Microsoft 365 | NZ$32.40 (Power Apps Premium, paid yearly) |
| Ten users, per month | $0 | NZ$324.00 |
| Ten users, per year | $0 | NZ$3,888.00 |
| Best for | Two to six tables, under about 20,000 rows each, one or two editors, no money on the records | Eight or more related tables, money or hours on the records, several editors daily, an audit trail |
The build bands are my fixed prices for firms under 20 staff, from the services page, and they include the data migration, validation and relinking. If the database has modules no one can explain, plan for the top of the band and a week of reading code. Licences are Microsoft's NZ list price for Power Apps Premium, before GST, paid yearly, on the Power Platform pricing in NZ page. The reasoning behind SharePoint or Dataverse is in SharePoint or Dataverse: how to choose.
The method, step by step
- Copy the .accdb and open the copy. Inventory the tables, row counts, relationships, forms, reports, macros, modules and anything outside that links to it.
- Pick the home. SharePoint lists or Dataverse, using the table above and a real licence number against your real headcount. The honest test is money: if an accountant reconciles anything in the database, it goes to Dataverse.
- Fix the source. Change Number: Single and Double to Decimal where you need the precision, note every unique index, pull attachments and OLE objects out to files, delete the tables nobody uses.
- Trial migration into a dev environment. In Access from Microsoft 365, External Data, Export to Dataverse. Read what the validator rejects, fix it at the source, run again until it is clean. For SharePoint lists the tables load through a flow or a dataflow instead, because the export tool goes to Dataverse only.
- Build the Power App and flows against the migrated data while the old Access front end stays linked and usable. The old forms are the spec: I sit with the two people who use them most.
- Cut over on a Friday. Freeze the file, run the final migration, check row counts and a handful of known records, go live Monday. The .accdb stays on the drive read-only for 60 days.
- Hand over source, credentials and a written map of what lives where.
The click-by-click for the export tool is in the Access guide, and the same steps for all four source systems are on the Power Platform migration hub. If the source is SQL Server rather than Access, the cost and weeks are on SQL Server to Dataverse in NZ.
Data types that break, and the fix
| Access | Dataverse | What happens | What to do first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number: Single, Number: Double | Floating Point Number | Up to five decimal places; anything past that is rounded | Change to Decimal (up to ten places) in the table designer |
| Multi-value lookup | Choice column | Only single-column lookups migrate, and only in the two-column shape Microsoft documents | Rebuild the lookup with the Lookup Wizard so Col2 holds the label |
| Attachment | File column | One attachment per column only | Pull extra attachments out to files before the move |
| OLE Object | Not supported | Stays behind in Access | Export the objects to files and store the link |
| Calculated field | Plain column | Only the last calculated value comes across | Recreate as a formula or calculated column |
| Unique index | Alternate key | Not migrated | Note every one, recreate by hand |
| Currency | Currency | Assumed to be the environment base currency | Confirm the base currency is NZD before the load |
Source: Microsoft Learn, Data types and sizes for Access data migration to Dataverse and Migrate Microsoft Access data to Microsoft Dataverse, both read on 30 September 2026. The validator runs before anything moves, and rows that fail stay in a local Access table rather than being dropped. The full SQL Server and Access type map is on the migration hub.
The licence line, in NZD
| Users | SharePoint lists | Dataverse, Power Apps Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | $0 | NZ$162.00 a month |
| 10 | $0 | NZ$324.00 a month |
| 20 | $0 | NZ$648.00 a month |
Power Apps Premium at NZ$32.40 per user per month, before GST, paid yearly. The totals are that price multiplied out. A Power App on SharePoint lists uses the Microsoft 365 licence you already have, provided it sticks to standard connectors; the moment a flow touches SQL Server or an HTTP call it becomes premium. Capacity is a separate line, covered on Dataverse pricing in NZ, and most firms this size never buy extra.
Want it to work the same on day one? The screen-for-screen approach, and what cannot be copied, is in moving a desktop database without changing how you work.
When I would say no
- One person, under about 500 rows. A SharePoint list or an Excel table in Teams, no project.
- A vendor product still supported. The Access file sits under software the vendor updates. Migrating it breaks the product; ask for their hosted version.
- The file is fine and the version is the problem. Access in Microsoft 365 is supported. Access 2016 and 2019 left support on 14 October 2025, so the fix may be a version, not a migration. The dates are on the end-of-support page and the free first step is in Access 2016 and 2019 are out of support.
- The reason is that Dataverse sounds more proper. If nobody would notice a wrong row for a month, lists are enough and cost nothing per user.
Change log
| Date | Change | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 30 September 2026 | Page created. Learn pages on the Access migration tool and its data types re-read; NZ$32.40 is the September 2026 en-nz Power Apps Premium list price from the price ledger | Cost bands match the services page and the Access guide |
The weeks by source and destination, where they go and what stretches them: how long moving off an old database takes.
Common questions
How much does it cost to move an Access database to Power Apps in NZ?
For a firm under 20 staff, $4,000 to $10,000 into SharePoint lists over two to four weeks, or $8,000 to $18,000 into Dataverse over three to six weeks, at a fixed price with the data migration included. Dataverse then costs NZ$32.40 per user per month on Microsoft's NZ price list (Power Apps Premium, paid yearly, before GST); SharePoint lists cost nothing on top of Microsoft 365.
Can Access export straight to Dataverse?
Yes. Access in Microsoft 365 has an export tool (External Data, Export to Dataverse) that validates each table, moves the supported rows and keeps any row that does not fit in a local Access table. It moves tables and data only. Forms, reports, macros and VBA are rebuilt as a Power App and flows. The tool is not in Access 2016 or 2019.
Will my Access forms keep working after the move?
During the move, yes. After the export the Access front end is relinked to the Dataverse tables, so staff keep their familiar forms while the Power App is built alongside. When the Power App is live, the .accdb stays on the drive read-only for 60 days and is then retired.
Do I need a Power Apps licence for every user?
Only if the data lands in Dataverse. A Power App on Dataverse needs Power Apps Premium at NZ$32.40 per user per month, so ten users is NZ$324 a month before GST. A Power App on SharePoint lists runs on the Microsoft 365 licence you already have, as long as it uses only standard connectors.
What does not migrate from Access?
Forms, reports, macros and VBA never move. Of the data, unique indexes are not migrated (recreate them as alternate keys), OLE Object columns are not supported, calculated fields arrive as a plain column holding the last value, attachments migrate one per column, and Number: Single and Double lose precision past five decimal places unless you change them to Decimal first.
Should I leave my Access database alone?
Sometimes. One person, under about 500 rows and no shared drive corruption means a SharePoint list or an Excel table in Teams, or nothing at all. Access in Microsoft 365 is still supported; the risk is Access 2016 or 2019 on the desk and a file that two people open at once.
Method, and citing this page
The NZD licence figure is Microsoft's September 2026 en-nz list price for Power Apps Premium, held in the price ledger; nothing is converted. The build bands are my fixed prices and match the services page. The data-type behaviour comes from the two Microsoft Learn pages linked above. The page is re-checked each quarter and the change log records anything that moved. Corrections by email are welcome and get a dated note.
Cite it freely. Quote any figure with a link back:
Moving an Access database to Power Apps in NZ, Kove, September 2026 check. kove.nz/access-to-power-apps-nz