How to connect to a MS Access file (mdb) using C#?

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The simplest way to connect is through an OdbcConnection using code like this

using System.Data.Odbc;

using(OdbcConnection myConnection = new OdbcConnection())
{
    myConnection.ConnectionString = myConnectionString;
    myConnection.Open();

    //execute queries, etc

}

where myConnectionString is something like this

myConnectionString = @"Driver={Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb)};" + 
"Dbq=C:\mydatabase.mdb;Uid=Admin;Pwd=;

See ConnectionStrings

In alternative you could create a DSN and then use that DSN in your connection string

  • Open the Control Panel – Administrative Tools – ODBC Data Source
    Manager
  • Go to the System DSN Page and ADD a new DSN
  • Choose the Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb) and press END
  • Set the Name of the DSN (choose MyDSN for this example)
  • Select the Database to be used
  • Try the Compact or Recover commands to see if the connection works

now your connectionString could be written in this way

myConnectionString = "DSN=myDSN;"

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