Chapter 14. SQL Server

Microsoft has always made it easy to connect to SQL Server data from Access by allowing you to create linked tables using Open Database Connectivity (ODBC). You have also been able to create pass-through queries in Access that use ODBC to send commands to SQL Server for processing.

In Access 2000, Microsoft introduced a new way of using Access to work with SQL Server. Instead of creating regular MDB databases and using ODBC, you could create a new kind of application called an Access Data Project (ADP). ADPs don't use the Jet database engine and ODBC; instead, they use an OLE DB connection to a SQL Server database. In ADPs, you have the ability to view and modify SQL Server objects, and you can create forms, reports, and data access pages based on your SQL Server data.

In this chapter, we present a range of tips for using both traditional MDBs and the new ADPs to create Access applications that read and manipulate data stored in a SQL Server database. Several of the examples make use of the Northwind and Pubs sample databases that ship with SQL Server.