Access ADO.NET Provider
 
ADO.NET
Access Logo

Access ADO.NET Provider

SQL-based Access to Access through ADO.NET for your custom .NET applications and SSAS.

download buy now

Other Database Technologies

Other Database Drivers

The Access ADO.NET Data Provider enables user to easily connect to Access data from .NET applications. Rapidly create and deploy powerful .NET applications that integrate with Microsoft Acces databases.

ADO architecture
Access Connectivity Features
  • Connect to live Microsoft Access data, for real-time data access
  • Full support for data aggregation and complex JOINs in SQL queries
  • Generate table schema automatically based on existing Microsoft Access data or manually for greater control of the content you need
  • Seamless integration with leading BI, reporting, and ETL tools and with custom applications

Target Service, API

The driver provides native connectivity to Microsoft Access databases (.mdb and .accdb files). Supports Access 97 through current versions.

Schema, Data Model

Direct access to Access database schema including tables, queries, relationships, and indexes. Full metadata discovery of table structures and data types.

Key Objects

Tables, Queries (as views), Relationships, Indexes, and system tables. Access to both user-defined and system objects.

Operations

Full SQL-92 support for Access databases. All CRUD operations, complex queries, JOINs, and aggregations. Supports Access-specific SQL syntax and functions.

Authentication

File-based authentication with optional database password. Connection string specifies the database file path. Supports workgroup security files (.mdw) for secured databases.

Specific feature or properties

Can access remote files on cloud such as Amazon S3, Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, and many other storage.

See what you can do with Access ADO.NET provider

SSAS Cube
SSAS Cube

Use Access from SQL Server Analysis Service (SSAS) multi-dimensional cubes. Keep your analytical data modeling and access to any source including cloud and on-premises.

Custom .NET Application
Custom .NET Application

The Access ADO.NET Provider allows developers to build applications that connect to Access using familiar SQL and Entity Framework. Integrate Access to your mission -critical applications or create easy side-by-side applications.

Reporting & BI
Low-Code Dev Platforms

You can connect from ADO.NET compliant low-code development tools:

Reporting & BI
Reporting Tools

You can connect Access from .NET-based reporting and analytics tools:

Standard ADO.NET Access to Access

The Access ADO.NET Provider offers the most natural way to access Access data from any .NET application. Simply use Access Data Provider objects to connect and access data just as you would access any traditional database. You will be able to use the Access Data Provider through Visual Studio Server Explorer, in code through familiar classes, and in data controls like DataGridView, GridView, DataSet, etc.

The CData ADO.NET Provider for Access hides the complexity of accessing data and provides additional powerful security features, smart caching, batching, socket management, and more.

Working with DataAdapters, DataSets, DataTables, etc.

The Access Data Provider has the same ADO.NET architecture as the native .NET data providers for SQL Server and OLEDB, including: AccessConnection, AccessCommand, AccessDataAdapter, AccessDataReader, AccessDataSource, AccessParameter, etc. Because of this you can now access Access data in an easy, familiar way.

For example:

using (AccessConnection conn = new AccessConnection("...")) {
	string select = "SELECT * FROM AccessTable";
	AccessCommand cmd = new AccessCommand(select, conn);
	AccessDataAdapter adapter = new AccessDataAdapter(cmd);
	using (adapter) {
		DataTable table = new DataTable();
		adapter.Fill(table);		
		...
	}
}

More Than Read-Only: Full Update/CRUD Support

Access Data Provider goes beyond read-only functionality to deliver full support for Create, Read, Update, and Delete operations (CRUD). Your end-users can interact with the data presented by the Access Data Provider as easily as interacting with a database table. 

using (AccessConnection connection = new AccessConnection(connectionString)) {
	AccessDataAdapter dataAdapter = new AccessDataAdapter(
	"SELECT Id, Where FROM AccessTable", connection);
  
	dataAdapter.UpdateCommand = new AccessCommand(
		"UPDATE AccessTable SET Where = @Where " +
		"WHERE Id = @ID", connection);

	dataAdapter.UpdateCommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Where", "Where");
	dataAdapter.UpdateCommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Id", "80000173-1387137645");

	DataTable AccessTableTable = new DataTable();
	dataAdapter.Fill(AccessTableTable);

	DataRow firstrow = AccessTableTable.Rows[0];
	firstrow["Where"] = "New Location";

	dataAdapter.Update(AccessTableTable);
}

ADO.NET Provider Performance

With traditional approaches to remote access, performance bottlenecks can spell disaster for applications. Regardless if an application is created for internal use, a commercial project, web, or mobile application, slow performance can rapidly lead to project failure. Accessing data from any remote source has the potential to create these problems. Common issues include:

  1. Network Connections - Slow network connections and latency issues are common in mobile applications.
  2. Service Delays - Delays due to service interruptions, resulting in server hardware or software updates.
  3. Large Data - Intentional or unintentional requests for large amounts of data.
  4. Disconnects - Complete loss of network connectivity.

The CData ADO.NET Provider for Access solves many of these issues with support for replication queries that can be used to sync data to local databases, greatly improving the performance and dramatically reduce application bottlenecks.

More information about ADO.NET Provider performance capabilities are available in the included documentation.

Visual Studio Integration & Server Explorer

Working with the new Access ADO.NET Provider is easy. As a fully-managed .NET Data Provider, the Access Data Provider integrates seamlessly with the Visual Studio development environment as well as any .NET application.

As an ADO.NET Data Provider, Access ADO.NET Provider can be used to access and explore Microsoft Access data directly from the Visual Studio Server Explorer.

It's easy. As a standard ADO.NET adapter, developers can connect the Server Explorer to Access ADO.NET Provider just like connecting to any standard database.

  • Add a new Data Connection from the Server Explorer and select the Microsoft Access Data Source
  • Configure the basic connection properties to access your Microsoft Access account data.

Explore all of the data available! Access ADO.NET Provider makes it easy to access live Microsoft Access data from Visual Studio.

  • After configuring the connection, explore the feeds, views, and services provided by the Microsoft Access Data Source.
  • These constructs return live Microsoft Access data that developers can work with directly from within Visual Studio!

Developer Integration: Databind to Access

Connecting Web, Desktop, and Mobile .NET applications with Microsoft Access is just like working with SQL Server. It is even possible to integrate Access ADO.NET Provider into applications without writing code.

Developers are free to access the Access ADO.NET Provider in whatever way they like best. Either visually through the Visual Studio Winforms or Webforms designers, or directly through code.

  • Developers can connect the Microsoft Access Data Source directly to form components by configuring the object's smart tags.
  • Add a new Data Connection from the Server Explorer and select the Microsoft Access Data Source. Then, select the feed, view, or services you would like to connect the object to.

Done! It's just like connecting to SQL Server.

  • Once the object is bound to the data source, applications can easily interact with Microsoft Access data with full read/write (CRUD) support.

Popular ADO Videos:

Connecting to Live Data from ADO Apps

Download the Access ADO.NET driver today!

download
buy now