An additional installation of a SQL Server 32 bits, only providing the link to MS Access would be the only option then.

It is also not an option to de-install the existing SQL Server 64 bit and install the 32 bits version, of course. The MS Access database is a production environment at the customers site, and it is not an option for me to de-install it and install a 64 bits version. Let’s have a look at the question a person has raised on MSDN: Should I choose between the 64-bit or 32-bit version of MS Office and 64-bit or 32-bit version of SQL Server? Uninstalling one version and installing another is not a flexible solution.

If 32-bit Office were not installed on the computer, then you would not get this warning. We get the following error during the installation process: Install 64-bit provider, which is available for download at Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable. Thus, an attempt to use Excel or Access with SQL Server linked servers, as described in the documentation, will cause the following error:Ĭannot create an instance of OLE DB provider «.12.0» for linked server… However, in this case, using Excel or Access with SQL Server linked servers may be a challenge because drivers are 32-bit. There are no providers available for MS Office, although I have one installed on my PC. A typical user is unlikely to install a database server, while it is normal for a developer to have a 64-bit SQL Server on a 64-bit machine with 32-bit MS Office. It had been until the 64-bit architecture stopped being something from the hi-end class and came to the developer and user laptops. You can use the Linked Server mechanism, which allows you to see any ODBC / OLE DB-reachable object in the form of a table (a collection of tables) or the result of an ad hoc query. Another way is to create a simple ADO.NET app. You can utilize Integration Services (former DTS) or import and export wizard, which is the same under the hood. There are many ways to accomplish this task. What could be simpler than to get data from an Excel table in SQL Server?

Use ms office 32bit or 64bit?