[crispyambulance]

    > ... a simple platform for creating CRUD apps. It doesn’t seem like an unachievable goal to me: you need the ability to create forms, design database tables, manage user permissions, manage data workflow (ie: send an sms if <condition>, seek approval from <user role> for <action>), and view/search data. 

That's actually a tall order that you're asking for.

For the most basic needs, Excel with macros and connections to data-sources like csv files is perfectly adequate. But you want multiple users, multiple forms, data workflows...

In the microsoft ecosystem, the next step up would be using .NET entity-framework with a database like sql-server express (or even localdb). Your application would then consist of a C# or VB .NET desktop application using wpf or forms.

I think you want something in-between Excel and a full blown .NET application. That's a pretty narrow market.

[le-mark]

I'd also add, that there are a lot of "database as a service" services around now, when coupled with a javascript frontent, essentially fulfill the role of "front end to a database" that Access was essentially.