Software decision time, help?

I'll try to keep it short but its not. 28 years of CAD work and picked up GIS 8 years ago. Trying to upgrade small city from the dark ages. I've moved almost all utilities into GIS, scanned hard copy drawings to pdf and I've been transferring most data i can into excel. I've been setting up for switch to a full database setup. I've got slight programming skills,

My question is, In my move forward I want to have:

1. forms that go to database.
2. auto fill forms
3. work within the GIS framework to control data and view pdfs and images. optimal
4. my thought was move excel to database. question - access or sql server or what?

we are receiving new computers with windows 10. I'm finally getting access to try it. I wanted to be done with the trials. we have sql server, I downloaded sql express 2014 and will download 2016 soon. so let the tests begin.

this definitely has a budget aspect. I don't know if I want to buy into ESRI's enterprise setup. small city cost for is 15,000 to 25,000. currently spending 1200 for license updates. which allows some form to database input and online cloud storage of maps, and some online webmaps but it costs money. we are given a stipend but if i pick this it will cost us more and more for online storage and usage. I lightly looked at QGIS (open source). it seemed substantial. There are many other factors.

1. Main question is transferring into access or sql server is it a one time thing?
2. is the data an import then you have to work in those programs?
3. or is it or could it be a live read or the original information that would update if original file changes?
4. can I transfer my excel files to access and then clean up things in access that access doesn't like?
5. i don't want to recreate all column names and types over again.

if I'm in the wrong place then tell me. first time, a lot of setup questions so i don't waste time or go down wrong path (again wasting time).

gman