It seams Microsoft is releasing new drivers every few months now, trying to keep pace with the trove of new SQL Server and Azure features that come out with every new version. The drivers do double work, both with the product you can install locally, and the Azure service in the cloud.

Why you should always use the latest drivers

When we take over projects for new clients one of the first things we check are the drivers they are using, often they are using ones that are no longer even supported, replacing them is one of the easiest ways to improve speed and reliability.

Another good reason: the latest drivers will allow you to leverage the latest features of SQL Server and Azure, such as MFA.

Don’t hardcode your drivers

If you’re using code to link your tables without a DSN, and you should, you may have defined the driver name in your code. Unfortunately it makes it harder to use the latest drivers when they come out.

Instead, consider using a table with two records, one for the ODBC driver name and another for the MSOLEDB one. You can then easily update the drivers in your app by just updating the values in your table after installing the drivers on the PC.

Come learn about SSMA for Access!

This December 13th I’ll be hosting session II of Access with SQL Server Academy, learn more here: https://accessusergroups.org/sql-server-with-access/event/sql-server-with-access-2022-12-13/