Can i write to a MS access database file without having Access installed on my computer? I tried to do so and get a error "class not registered". (LabView7.1, Windows XP)

[Tushar_Jambhekar]

You dont need to Have MS Acces on your machine in order to write Access DB file using LAbVIEw

but if you dont have MS Acess then you must install ODBC driver for access database in your system before attepting to write a file.

[Jeremy_L]

That's correct. MS Access just provides you with a GUI to access and see your database tables (i.e., Enterprise Manager for MS SQL Server). You should be able to acess any database without having Access on the machine, provided you have the ActiveX class objects available on that machine (this is what the LV Database Connectivity Toolset) leverages on. Hope this helps!

Jeremy L.
National Instruments

[Dennis_Knutson]

Jeremy,

Just to clarify. Doesn't the Database Connectivity Toolkit depend on the ADO ActiveX objects? Anyone trying to write to an Access database with the Access ActiveX objects would require installing Access.

[Jeremy_L]

Hi Dennis,

Good question. The Database Connectivity Toolset requires the ADO ActiveX Objects. However, that doesn't necessarily mean you have to have Access installed on that machine. The toolset actually installs a series of components:

Database Connectivity Toolset for LabVIEW
SQL Compatability VIs for LabVIEW
MDAC (Microsoft Data Access Components)

It is in the installation of the MDAC that includes the ActiveX Data Objects software and drivers, ODBC drivers, and OLD DB drivers. So, you don't actually have to have Access installed to get the ADO Objects onto your machine. Hope this clears things up!

Jeremy L.
National Instruments

PS - fans -- The Database Connectivity Toolset User Manual is a good reference to keep handy as you program databases in LabVIEW. I would download or bookmark this for future references

[Dennis_Knutson]

I understand that. The reason I brought it up was that the original poster didn't specify how he was writing to Access. If he was using the Database Connectivity Toolkit and had installed MDAC he should not have gotten an error. If he was trying to write using using Access ActiveX, he would have to install Access.

[Jeremy_L]

I completely agree. So I guess it really depends on what the original poster meant in "writing to an MS Access database". Are you accessing the Access Automation Server, an Access ActiveX Object, or the Database ADO Objects? If you are doing the third option, then No, Access is not required. If you are doing the first or second option, then Yes. Installing Access will install Access specific ActiveX Objects and it will require Access to be on the system.