Why bad?
You say it can be bad or "doing yourself no favours at all". Can you please elaborate?
I have worked on different applications: VB6 connecting to Access, Access app connecting to Access database, Access app/mdb connection to SQL Server, Vb6 connection to SQL Server plus applications not germane to this discussion. Each case is different, and had pros and cons.
I have seen ETL logic written in Access 97, and then subsequently migrated to DTS in SQL Server. It is certainly feasible and cheap to design and port the database to bigger databases. It requires good understanding of the system and simple software development principles. Rewriting per se is not a bad sign of the state of software. And crappy solution can be implemented even in SQL Server.
Once I had to work (actually clean up) on an Access database that originally was started by a person who had very little experience in designing and creating database/applications. The person had picked a book from a store and started creating what was needed (because the IT department thought the application was too small to create and support; and hence had assigned a low priority). Well, sadly the tables were not created properly and I had tough time getting it into shape. I could do only so much. So yes, it is so easy that people can get started on it and create maintenance issues. But the database had served well for about 15 people until they needed a professional to help them out.
