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#1
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What's the *correct* Data Source Type for Access?
Hello,
In my expirments with Word Mail Merge with data from Access, I've found at least 2 ways to link my Word documents with data from Access. Starting the Data Connection Wizard, I can either choose ODBC DSN -MS Access Database or Other/Advanced -Data Link Properties --Microsoft Jet4.0 OLE DB Provider Both of these options seem to work fine. Can anyone tell me why I might prefer to use one over the other in any circumstances? Thanks, Steven |
#2
Posted to microsoft.public.word.mailmerge.fields
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What's the *correct* Data Source Type for Access?
There isn't a whole lot to choose between ODBC and OLEDB when connecting to
Access. ODBC is based on an older standard that was not Microsoft-only and there are a lot more ODBC drivers for third party products out there than there are OLEDB providers. OLEDB is a more recent Microsoft-defined standard. As far as I can remember, Microsoft's ODBC "Desktop database drivers" are no longer "supported". Microsoft has, of course, moved on as well and OLEDB is theoretically being replaced by ADO.NET, which is fine for ..NET programmers but has had no impact on the Office suite yet. OLEDB can only be used from Word 2002 and later. ODBC works with earlier versions - at least back to 97. Off the top of my head, ODBC probably does not work properly with non-ANSI Unicode data whereas the OLEDB provider probably does. The Jet ODBC driver supports things called "ODBC escapes" which you probably don't need, wehreas I think the OLEDB provider does not. ODBC may let you use some types of query (partiicularly UNION queries) that OLEDB won't let you use - not for any good reason as far as I know. When issuing OpenDataSource calls, you may find that OLEDB restricts you to a 255-character SQL string because of an error in Word, whereas ODBC will probably allow the full 511 or whatever it is. There's a third method, DDE, which needs to start Access to get its data but allows you to use any table or query - including parameter queries (ODBC/OLEDB can't use them), queries that reference user-defined functions, queries that use certain functions such as those financial series functions, and queries that use the old-style Jet SQL wildcards (* and ?). DDE is also regarded as "deprecated" and insecure by Microsoft. Peter Jamieson "SJMac" wrote in message ... Hello, In my expirments with Word Mail Merge with data from Access, I've found at least 2 ways to link my Word documents with data from Access. Starting the Data Connection Wizard, I can either choose ODBC DSN -MS Access Database or Other/Advanced -Data Link Properties --Microsoft Jet4.0 OLE DB Provider Both of these options seem to work fine. Can anyone tell me why I might prefer to use one over the other in any circumstances? Thanks, Steven |
#3
Posted to microsoft.public.word.mailmerge.fields
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What's the *correct* Data Source Type for Access?
Hmm. I guess a long-lived app/suite is going to pick up some cruft along the
way. It's odd that the Jet 4.0 option is less prominant in the wizard than the 'deprecated' ODBC driver, but oddly it is the one that I found first -- I'll stick with it! Cheers, Steven "Peter Jamieson" wrote: There isn't a whole lot to choose between ODBC and OLEDB when connecting to Access. ODBC is based on an older standard that was not Microsoft-only and there are a lot more ODBC drivers for third party products out there than there are OLEDB providers. OLEDB is a more recent Microsoft-defined standard. As far as I can remember, Microsoft's ODBC "Desktop database drivers" are no longer "supported". Microsoft has, of course, moved on as well and OLEDB is theoretically being replaced by ADO.NET, which is fine for ..NET programmers but has had no impact on the Office suite yet. OLEDB can only be used from Word 2002 and later. ODBC works with earlier versions - at least back to 97. Off the top of my head, ODBC probably does not work properly with non-ANSI Unicode data whereas the OLEDB provider probably does. The Jet ODBC driver supports things called "ODBC escapes" which you probably don't need, wehreas I think the OLEDB provider does not. ODBC may let you use some types of query (partiicularly UNION queries) that OLEDB won't let you use - not for any good reason as far as I know. When issuing OpenDataSource calls, you may find that OLEDB restricts you to a 255-character SQL string because of an error in Word, whereas ODBC will probably allow the full 511 or whatever it is. There's a third method, DDE, which needs to start Access to get its data but allows you to use any table or query - including parameter queries (ODBC/OLEDB can't use them), queries that reference user-defined functions, queries that use certain functions such as those financial series functions, and queries that use the old-style Jet SQL wildcards (* and ?). DDE is also regarded as "deprecated" and insecure by Microsoft. Peter Jamieson "SJMac" wrote in message ... Hello, In my expirments with Word Mail Merge with data from Access, I've found at least 2 ways to link my Word documents with data from Access. Starting the Data Connection Wizard, I can either choose ODBC DSN -MS Access Database or Other/Advanced -Data Link Properties --Microsoft Jet4.0 OLE DB Provider Both of these options seem to work fine. Can anyone tell me why I might prefer to use one over the other in any circumstances? Thanks, Steven |
#4
Posted to microsoft.public.word.mailmerge.fields
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What's the *correct* Data Source Type for Access?
Both the ODBC driver and OLEDB provider work via jet 4.0 as far as I am
aware. I don't think Access has ever really provided the ability to link to other databases using OLEDB (you may know better!) - e.g. when you create a linked table, you can link to another .mdb or supported format (such as .dbf) using Jet and its "IISAMs", or you can link to external databases using ODBC and at least one other "special" (i.e. you can link to a Sharepoint list). So I guess there is a preference for ODBC within the Access camp. Peter Jamieson "SJMac" wrote in message ... Hmm. I guess a long-lived app/suite is going to pick up some cruft along the way. It's odd that the Jet 4.0 option is less prominant in the wizard than the 'deprecated' ODBC driver, but oddly it is the one that I found first -- I'll stick with it! Cheers, Steven "Peter Jamieson" wrote: There isn't a whole lot to choose between ODBC and OLEDB when connecting to Access. ODBC is based on an older standard that was not Microsoft-only and there are a lot more ODBC drivers for third party products out there than there are OLEDB providers. OLEDB is a more recent Microsoft-defined standard. As far as I can remember, Microsoft's ODBC "Desktop database drivers" are no longer "supported". Microsoft has, of course, moved on as well and OLEDB is theoretically being replaced by ADO.NET, which is fine for ..NET programmers but has had no impact on the Office suite yet. OLEDB can only be used from Word 2002 and later. ODBC works with earlier versions - at least back to 97. Off the top of my head, ODBC probably does not work properly with non-ANSI Unicode data whereas the OLEDB provider probably does. The Jet ODBC driver supports things called "ODBC escapes" which you probably don't need, wehreas I think the OLEDB provider does not. ODBC may let you use some types of query (partiicularly UNION queries) that OLEDB won't let you use - not for any good reason as far as I know. When issuing OpenDataSource calls, you may find that OLEDB restricts you to a 255-character SQL string because of an error in Word, whereas ODBC will probably allow the full 511 or whatever it is. There's a third method, DDE, which needs to start Access to get its data but allows you to use any table or query - including parameter queries (ODBC/OLEDB can't use them), queries that reference user-defined functions, queries that use certain functions such as those financial series functions, and queries that use the old-style Jet SQL wildcards (* and ?). DDE is also regarded as "deprecated" and insecure by Microsoft. Peter Jamieson "SJMac" wrote in message ... Hello, In my expirments with Word Mail Merge with data from Access, I've found at least 2 ways to link my Word documents with data from Access. Starting the Data Connection Wizard, I can either choose ODBC DSN -MS Access Database or Other/Advanced -Data Link Properties --Microsoft Jet4.0 OLE DB Provider Both of these options seem to work fine. Can anyone tell me why I might prefer to use one over the other in any circumstances? Thanks, Steven |
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