If you have ever used PowerShell to query a .xlsx file, run an SSIS package against a CSV, or used Excel Power Query to connect to a DB2 database, you have likely relied on this engine.
while ($reader.Read()) { Write-Host "Region: $($reader['Region']) - Total: $($reader['TotalSales'])" } $conn.Close() microsoft access database engine 2010
Here is everything you need to know about why this "legacy" component is still a critical part of the modern data stack. First, forget the name. Despite having "Access" in the title, this is not a tool to build databases. It is a driver and library set . If you have ever used PowerShell to query a
$connectionString = "Provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;Data Source=C:\Data\SalesReport.xlsx;Extended Properties='Excel 12.0 Xml;HDR=YES';" $query = "SELECT [Region], SUM([Sales]) as TotalSales FROM [Sheet1$] WHERE [Sales] > 1000 GROUP BY [Region]" Despite having "Access" in the title, this is
I’m talking about the (formerly known as the "Access Connectivity Engine" or ACE).
Microsoft no longer hosts this publicly on their main download center due to its age, but it is archived on MSDN and Volume Licensing Service Center. Alternatively, move to the 2016 Redistributable if your environment allows it. Have you been burned by the Access Database Engine’s memory leaks? Or do you have a secret .dbf query that saves your department every month? Let me know in the comments below.