SQL Server Update Breaks Microsoft Access Application

UPDATE 12/3/14: Please visit Darren’s blog for the latest on this issue, than come back here to see some solutions to this problem. You can visit Darren’s blog here.

My inbox has been flooded by reports around the world of Access suddenly being slow or unusable after the latest set of patches issued by Microsoft.

Turns out one of the patches for SQL Server will in effect render Access applications using the native SQL Server drivers in Windows useless as reported here by Darren Myher.

None of our client applications were affected since we have long migrated all of our clients to SQL Native Client 10 and more recently SQL Native Client 11.

For an example on how to use the native client please refer to this post.

The only drawback to using the client is that it requires installation of either the 32 bit or 64 bit of the driver on every PC using the application. (Select 32 or 64 based on the version of your Windows OS and NOT the version of your Office Suite).

Here are the download links to Client 11:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36434

Downloading Native Client 10 is a little more complex, first navigate to this page:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=16978

Click on the plus sign next to Install Instructions

Navigate down the long page to the section titled

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 R2 Native Client

There you will find three links, one for the processor technology you have installed on your PC. Don’t worry if you pick the wrong version, it will simply error out on installation and not install anything, at which point you can come back to the download page and try again,

Like this SQL Server with Access tip? Than you will LOVE our monthly SQL Server with Access Virtual Group meetings! To signup please visit http://accessusergroups.org/sql-server-with-access/ we meet every second Tuesday of the month.