My Journey: From Access/VBA to Building a Python AI Chat App (with LLM Help!) (1 Viewer)

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[GPGeorge]

Brilliant. I love the concept. I totally agree with the idea of putting out videos on how you accomplished this.

I have, indeed, been working on a project with heavy assistance from Claude AI. My experience has been using the LLM to analyze or debug SQL Server stored procedures. I.e. I paste the SQL into the LLM and ask for suggested improvements. More than once it has identified flaws that I wasn't aware of in addition to addressing problems I was more specifically interested in.

A typical session may include an initial question or request for analysis followed by up to half a dozen iterations as I get feedback and suggestions and follow up with new questions. Along the way, I've gotten not just code but background information about the reason for the suggested changes. In particular, I've gained important insight into date handling in PowerApps and in SQL Server. Not surprisingly, there are some gotchas.

I've gone from a skeptic about AI, based on early experience, to seeing how it can become a useful assistant. In fact, one might be so bold as to suggest that AI might well stand for Assisted Intelligence.

 

[GPGeorge]

Hi George,

Spoiler:

Thanks so much for your insightful reply and for sharing your own positive experiences with using AI (Claude AI, in your case) as an "Assisted Intelligence" – I love that term! It perfectly captures how these tools can augment our existing skills and help us wear multiple hats with greater confidence.

Your journey with analysing and debugging SQL Server stored procedures with AI assistance resonates strongly with my own experiences building UberChatMaster. That iterative process of prompting, getting feedback, and refining questions is exactly how I've been working with LLMs to generate and debug the Python and JavaScript for my project. Like you, I've found they not only help with the code but also provide valuable background and insights – a real "aha!" moment was when Gemini helped me untangle a tricky Flask backend issue. It’s clear we’re both seeing that LLMs can be powerful partners in expanding our development horizons beyond our traditional comfort zones.

AP: Leveraging SQL Server Stored Procs for Access, PowerApps and other interfaces. Can it be done?
I was also particularly interested in your recent YouTube presentation on "Leveraging SQL Server Stored Procs for Access, PowerApps and other interfaces." The challenge of bringing Access data and Access application logic to web or other modern interfaces is something I've been exploring as well. It’s a fascinating puzzle trying to find the best way to maintain the RAD strengths we love in Access while moving towards web-based solutions.

Your video raised some really interesting points about the complexities and the different skill sets involved. I've been doing some thinking (and even had a fascinating chat with an AI, Grok, about potential architectures) on different ways one might approach building rich web interfaces for Access applications. For instance, Grok and I touched on ideas around frameworks like Blazor, which aim to offer a component-based UI and C# backend, potentially providing a different path to web integration for Access developers comfortable with .NET concepts.

It sounds like we're both navigating similar exciting, and sometimes challenging, new territories. Given our shared interest in extending Access's reach and our experiences with AI-assisted development, I'd be very keen to chat further with you sometime if you're open to it. Perhaps we could exchange notes on the different paths we're exploring to bring Access capabilities to a wider audience?

Brilliant work on your project and presentation, George! It’s great to see fellow Access veterans pushing the boundaries.

Cheers
Tony (Uncle Gizmo) ---- my reply was given a bit of a Polish by Gemini ---

Thanks for the kind words. I agree; we're on the verge of a whole new development paradigm that can, and should, include Access. You commented on a couple of things that resonate with me. In particular, the bridge from RAD Access to web integration without a 6-month learning cycle in between.

You refer to a lot of Web development for which I've heard terms (Flask, Python) but for which I have only limited understanding. Given your experience, though, I can see how LLM-assisted development could shorten the time needed to implement components for them. Contrary to my starting assumptions about AI, I think I would trust LLM assisted development to put me in a reasonable starting position for working with them. I hesitate to say I'd trust it as much as a fellow developer who's an expert in a specific area, but pretty darn close.

I'd love to chat more. I am sporadically on the Access Discord channel. I tend not to be there as much as I originally thought I would, but it's a good place for that. I can also do Zoom meetings.

 

[Isaac]

Quite amazing Tony. Great job and thanks for posting the details on how you accomplished it very interesting

 

[Shimon]

Hi,
I am just now starting to use AI in a similar manner and would be greatfull for a video series.
Sincerely,
Shimon