Visual C++ application as a frontend to MS Access database - multiuser data access and canvas-like GUI questions

The DevExpress Winforms Scheduler isn't free - but looks like it would do pretty much everything you need. Using a component such as this (there are others) would most likely be less expensive for your organisation than creating one from scratch: plus I've found the DevExpress fellows to give top-notch support and help.

Although their samples are oriented mostly towards C# and VB.NET, this would work just fine from Managed C++.

As others have stated, avoid Access for data storage. If this is a single-user system you may want to consider simple XML, or if a relational database is required database engines such as MySQL or SQL Server would definitely be a better bet.

If you are already going to re-write/reimplement what you have, I'd stay away from access.

You're probably best off (in time and money) to buy a control from one of the big name vendors.

As someone who has some fairly large amount of code stuck in Access my recommendation is if at all possible run to either ms sql or preferably mysql. Don't worry too much moving the db to one of these is not real hard. Then you have a wide variety of tools to choose from. After you move the data then determine what the right tool is. The open source world has a lot of good report writing graphical tools I happen to like Birt which can run against most db's.. Access is a real dead end, good for quick hacks but horrible to live with...