Connect to existing Database - Access not in drop down menu?

heatherhilson · Post by **heatherhilson** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 7:35 pm

I am trying to connect to an existing access database on our office server. When I select "connect to an existing database" the drop down menu does not list Microsoft Access as an option. All the help I find tells me to select Microsoft Access but it's just not there?

See attachment for screenshot.

Thanks, Heather

Hungarian forum · Post by **r4zoli** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 8:33 pm

MS Access supported on Mac and Linux, only on win.
Reason for this in these and similar cases OOo use Operation system capability, on windows MSA (mdb and accdb) drivers present or freely down loadable, when OOo installed.

All the help I find tells me to select Microsoft Access but it's just not there?

Help is wrong in this case.

heatherhilson · Post by **heatherhilson** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 8:46 pm

I don't understand your answer. Can I fix this or not? Does it involve getting a driver? I need simple terms !!

Heather

MS Access supported on Mac and Linux, only on win.
Reason for this in these and similar cases OOo use Operation system capability, on windows MSA (mdb and accdb) drivers present or freely down loadable, when OOo installed.

edit this topic's initial post · Post by **Villeroy** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 12:33 am

heatherhilson wrote:I don't understand your answer. Can I fix this or not? Does it involve getting a driver? I need simple terms !!

No. MS will never provide anything to access Access on any platform other than their own.

heatherhilson · Post by **heatherhilson** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 4:03 pm

Here is a movie showing someone doing what I want to do ??
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/971409/co ... ffice_bas/
So why can't I do it?

Heather

Hungarian forum · Post by **r4zoli** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 5:15 pm

Your OS not contain drivers for ms databases.

edit this topic's initial post · Post by **Villeroy** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 5:29 pm

Access and SQL Server are Microsoft products. Microsoft writes software for their own Windows operating system. Trusting in Microsoft you have to buy the whole stack of their software.
There was a team trying to develop an open source Access driver, but they had to give up at some point (corrupted datbases without obvious reason).
For a Microsoft engineer it might be a matter of seconds to compile an existing databse driver for any other operating system, but he will be fired as soon as he publishes that thing.
The import filters for ordinary office files (doc, xls, ppt) have been developed over decades parallel to the StarOffice suite. And still they are far from perfect.

Dukane · Post by **Dukane** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 10:32 pm

Heather, it is not possible to do that on a Mac. You have to be using a Windows PC in order to connect to an Access database. The video you posted is on a Windows PC.

heatherhilson · Post by **heatherhilson** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:20 pm

Thanks - obviously I was having a blonde moment on Tuesday.

Connect to existing Database - Access not in drop down menu?

Connect to existing Database - Access not in drop down menu?

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Re: Connect to existing Database - Access not in drop down menu?

Re: Connect to existing Database - Access not in drop down menu?

Re: Connect to existing Database - Access not in drop down menu?

Re: Connect to existing Database - Access not in drop down menu?

Re: Connect to existing Database - Access not in drop down menu?

Re: Connect to existing Database - Access not in drop down menu?

Re: Connect to existing Database - Access not in drop down menu?