Accesssing Access data-base without Access -- How?

  • Thread starter Cyril N. Alberga
  • Start date
C

Cyril N. Alberga

I have been sent an Access data-base (.mdb filetype). I do not have any
MicroSoft Office programs installed on my computer. Is there anyway to look at,
and extract data from this file? I do have Paradox installed, but it seems to
require some sort of modules from Access (DAOs - "Data Access Objects"). Is
there a source for these.

I know that Paradox provides a free database engine to allow non-users to use
..db files. Does Access have such a thing?

Cyril
 
J

Jeff Boyce

Cyril

In many instances, an Access database is actually an Access-based
application. Are you interested in the data this file might contain, or the
application?

Have you checked on-line at Microsoft.com for a "reader"? Or for a
downloadable trial version?

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP
 
T

Tim Johnson

If your interest is strictly in viewing the data, you might also look into
downloading Access 2007 runtime. It will work for Access 2003, as well. I
don't know if this will suit your purposes, but it's a quick download and may
be able to assist you.
 
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Cyril N. Alberga

I'm after the data, if it is of interest. I went to the MS site, but it claimed
I didn't have cookies enabled (although I do -- I'm using FireFox). The file is
huge (about 1.18 Gb), so I feared that a "trial" version wouldn't handle it.

I'm going to follow up the next response, the Access run-time, first, then check
the MS site again -- that is if it will let me in to look for the run-time module.

Cyril
 
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Cyril N. Alberga

Thank you. I'll check for Access 2007 runtime, and see if that fits my needs.

Cyril
 
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Cyril N. Alberga

it's a quick download and may

I have to smile - 51 mbytes! (which took a couple of minutes). I can remember
connecting to my work computer from home with a 300 baud acoustic coupler!

Cyril
 
G

George Nicholson

Using Runtime would only work if the mdb file is a full featured application
that *and* was specifically designed to work with runtime. Runtime is *NOT*
a "viewer". There will be no access to tables, queries, forms, even
toolbars, etc. that the developer did not specifically include in the
application. Using Runtime to open a mdb file that wasn't designed to use
runtime will most likely result in a very, very empty Access window with no
menus and no ability to do anything except close the window.

If the OP only wants to view the data then *maybe* the Excel viewer would
allow him to import tables from Access. It's been a while since I've looked
at the limitations of the Excel viewer, so that might be wishful thinking.
 
C

Cyril N. Alberga

So, I downloaded and installed it, but when I point it at the file I get, first,
a warning that it doesn't know where the file came from, and do I want to
continue, and second, a blank display. So, what ever this damn file is, I guess
it isn't readable by that program.

I'm going to have to go back to the source and find out exactly what kind of
animal I have here.

Thanks, anyway.

Cyril
 
G

George Nicholson

Access Runtime is not a "file viewer" it is an "application runner". If the
mdb file you have is not a fully blown, fully functional Access application
(developer designated startup forms, developer supplied toolbars & menus,
etc.), a blank display exactly what I would expect to see.
 
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Cyril N. Alberga

[Very strange, yours is the only message where my "reply" fails to quote the
whole thing. All the history has vanished. I can't find anything in my
settings to cause this, so it must be a property of your message. I'll have to
investigate further.]

Well, I don't have Excel either, so I'll, first try Quatropro, then see if I can
find "Excel viewer".

Cyril
 
P

Pat Hartman

There is no "viewer" for an Access database. If you are running Windows XP,
you may have Jet installed. Jet is the Access database engine. If you have
Jet, you can use any ODBC compliant program to link to the tables in the
Access database and work with them. I think that FoxPro may do this. Other
programs in the Office Suite such as Word and Excel will do this also.

If you don't have Jet installed (and the necessary ODBC drivers), you may be
able to download them from Microsoft. Look for MDAC - I think that's the
package that contains Jet and the drivers.

In the Control panel go to Administrative tools and then to ODBC Data Source
Administrator. On the Drivers tab is a list of the drivers loaded on your
machine. If you see Access in the list, you can link to it from FoxPro.
 
A

Albert D. Kallal

Cyril N. Alberga said:
I'm after the data, if it is of interest. I went to the MS site, but it
claimed I didn't have cookies enabled (although I do -- I'm using
FireFox). The file is huge (about 1.18 Gb), so I feared that a "trial"
version wouldn't handle it.

I'm going to follow up the next response, the Access run-time, first, then
check the MS site again -- that is if it will let me in to look for the
run-time module.

You only need the runtime system if you're trying to run a complex
application with a bunch of code.

If you're looking to just read data out of the end of the file, every single
copy of windows XP (and vista) ships with the jet (access) database engine
included with windows. So, every copy of windows is totally 100% capable of
reading data from a mdb file. And, you don't need to purchase any software
to accomplish this goal (but the data has to go somewhere into some kind of
software to be of any use).

So, you can write a windows script (batch file) to read and open that file
without purchasing any software whatsoever if you wish.

Furthermore you can fire up excel and simply import the data also.

And last but not least get the person sending you the data to export it into
something that your end can accomdate. It's pretty stupid and silly for me
to send you an AutoCAD file without knowing that you have AutoCAD on your
machine ....right? it also is really stupid of me to send you all Microsoft
publisher file when you only have word!

If you don't have the right tools on your machine to do your job that
someone else is asking of you, then someone else doing somting wrong here.

I think the most easy would you fire up Excel, and use that to import the
data. However, even better would be to have the person send you the file in
a format that you can use (a csv (comma delimited)) file can easliy be
created by ms-access. In fact, later versions can even export data in XML.

The other possible approaches as mention to write a simple windows script to
open and read the file. However if you're in an environment that you can not
get people to send you files in a format that you have the right tools, then
it's likely a bad idea for you to jump into a world of windows and
programming and writing scripts to simply read some data that was sent to
you. (it not worth your time here to fix the lack of effort of other
people). However, if you are stuck, at least you have the of windows scripts
to open and read the file.

-
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
(e-mail address removed)
 
C

Cyril N. Alberga

Albert said:
You only need the runtime system if you're trying to run a complex
application with a bunch of code.

If you're looking to just read data out of the end of the file, every single
copy of windows XP (and vista) ships with the jet (access) database engine
included with windows. So, every copy of windows is totally 100% capable of
reading data from a mdb file. And, you don't need to purchase any software
to accomplish this goal (but the data has to go somewhere into some kind of
software to be of any use).

So, you can write a windows script (batch file) to read and open that file
without purchasing any software whatsoever if you wish.

Furthermore you can fire up excel and simply import the data also.

And last but not least get the person sending you the data to export it into
something that your end can accomdate. It's pretty stupid and silly for me
to send you an AutoCAD file without knowing that you have AutoCAD on your
machine ....right? it also is really stupid of me to send you all Microsoft
publisher file when you only have word!

If you don't have the right tools on your machine to do your job that
someone else is asking of you, then someone else doing somting wrong here.

I think the most easy would you fire up Excel, and use that to import the
data. However, even better would be to have the person send you the file in
a format that you can use (a csv (comma delimited)) file can easliy be
created by ms-access. In fact, later versions can even export data in XML.

The other possible approaches as mention to write a simple windows script to
open and read the file. However if you're in an environment that you can not
get people to send you files in a format that you have the right tools, then
it's likely a bad idea for you to jump into a world of windows and
programming and writing scripts to simply read some data that was sent to
you. (it not worth your time here to fix the lack of effort of other
people). However, if you are stuck, at least you have the of windows scripts
to open and read the file.

-
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
(e-mail address removed)

The file is actually part of a large database which I don't wish to install, but
may have to. It wasn't sent to me, it was posted on a newsgroup as a extension
of said database. I can't blame the poster for not doing it in a form that
doesn't conform to my intended use rather than theirs.

Excel can't help me, as I don't have it, nor any other part of MS Office. I am
a WordPerfect/Pardox user (not to mention (but I will) FireFox & Thunderbird).
Unfortunately I don't seem to have the needed bits to let Paradox look into the
file. I'm going to have to dig out my XP disc and see if they are there.

Thanks for the advise, though.

Cyril
 
A

Albert D. Kallal

Heck, you also download and install one of many free sql serves from
Microsoft..and they have import tools for mdb files.


And, there also the free editions of Visual Studio (basic) that can easily
open and read data from a Jet mdb file....

There is quite a few free options.

You can cut + paste the following windows script into a .txt (notepad) file
-----
Set dbeng = CreateObject("DAO.DBEngine.36")
strMdbFile = "C:\Documents and Settings\Albert\My
Documents\Access\ScriptExample\MultiSelect.mdb"

Set db = dbeng.OpenDatabase(strMdbFile)

set tdefs = db.tabledefs

for i = 0 to tdefs.Count - 1
if left(tdefs(i).name,4) <> "MSys" then
strTables = strTables & tdefs(i).name & chr(13) & chr(10)
end if
next

msgbox strTAbles

-----------

Now, save the notepad fle. Now re-name the file extenion as .vbs. if you run
the above...it will display all table names in the mdb file....(I am
assuming you turned off the hiding of file extensions in windows).

You can export data as follows:

Set dbeng = CreateObject("DAO.DBEngine.36")
strMdbFile = "C:\Documents and Settings\Albert\My
Documents\Access\ScriptExample\MultiSelect.mdb"
Set db = dbeng.OpenDatabase(strMdbFile)
strQuery = "select * from contacts"
Set rs = db.OpenRecordset(strQuery)
rs.movefirst
If rs.EOF = true Then
quit
End If

strTextOut = "C:\t5.txt"
set fs = Wscript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set ts = fs.OpenTextFile(strTextOut, 2, True)
' 2 = write, 1 = read

do while rs.EOF = false
strOutText = rs("LastName")
ts.Writeline strOutText
rs.movenext
loop
ts.close
rs.close

The only problem with the above script examples is you do need a working
knowledge of the dao object model to make any progress. But, I just pointing
out that the ability in terms of writing software and reading mdb files is
built into a virgin install of windows xp or vista..and you can read the
data without ANY additional software installed....

However, with free downloads of sql server, and "express" editions of visual
Studio..there is MANY possible solutions that are completely free that can
read and extract data from those files....
 
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Cyril N. Alberga

Actually, they don't seem to be installed. There are two entries in the ODBC
Admistrator for .mdb, one for MediaMonkey (whatever THAT is), and one for MS
Access, but if I click on that I'm told that the setup routines for the driver
couldn't be found, please reinstall.

Cyril
 
D

David W. Fenton

Furthermore you can fire up excel and simply import the data also.

You shouldn't need to import into Excel in order to work with it
(though it may be read-only -- I haven't done this for a long
while).
 

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