How to use VS lightswitch with an MS access database

Question

It's possible to create a Lightswitch application that connects to an MS access database using WCF RIA Services. However, am totally new to WCF and the official documentation on how to do this is confusing to me.

I just want to connect my lightswitch app to an existing MS access database. Is there a simplified tutorial on how to achieve this?

Answer 1

This is a post from Michael Washington and it should guide you thru the steps to set up RIA services to be consumed by Lightswitch.

Now, there is a problem with MS Access. Access is not natively supported in EntityFramework so the step where you should be adding the "ADO.NET Entity Data Model" will not work just like that.

In my opinion you have the following options:

1. Migrate your ACCESS database to SQL Server.
2. Add your ACCESS database as a linked server to a SQL Server(Express Edition[Free]), then create a new SQL database with Views fetching the data from the linked server's access tables.
3. Find a third party provider written for Access.
4. Build your own provider
5. ????