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c#.netms-accessjet

How to determine Jet database Engine Type programmatically

I have a program which needs to upgrade any Access (Jet) database it opens to JET Version4.x if it isn't already that version. (This enables use of SQL-92 syntax features)

Upgrading is (relatively) easy. A call to the JRO.JetEngine object's CompactDatabase method (as described here) should do the trick, but before I do this I need to determine whether an upgrade is required. How do I determine the Jet OLEDB:Engine Type of an existing database? Can this be determined from an open OleDBConnection?

Note:

  1. I'm talking about database versions, not Jet library versions.
  2. C# or .Net solution greatly appreciated.
  3. This is an application which uses the Jet engine, NOT an Access application.
Solution

  • You'll have to set a reference to ADO and then you can get the property.

    From inside of Access

    Dim cnn As ADODB.Connection
Set cnn = CurrentProject.Connection

    From outside of Access

    Dim cnn As New ADODB.Connection
cnn.Open Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=Contact.mdb

    And finally

    Debug.Print cnn.Properties("Jet OLEDB:Engine Type").Value

    This .Value will return 1 to 5. If it is 5, it is already in Jet4x, otherwise it is an earlier version.

    Here's another example of the upgrade technique you're looking at as well: Convert MDB database to another format (JET, access version)