Question

Can I use ADO to connect to a MDF file directly

Asked by: mccainz2

Is there a way to use ADO to connect directly to a MDF file. If not what is the best way to reclaim data from a mdf file without using the SQL server?
Remember I wish to connect to the file not to the sql server.

This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.

Subscribe now for full access to Experts Exchange and get

Instant Access to this Solution

  • Plus...
  • 30 Day FREE access, no risk, no obligation
  • Collaborate with the world's top tech experts
  • Unlimited access to our exclusive solution database
  • Never be left without tech help again

Subscribe Now

Asked On
2001-10-02 at 12:21:38ID20189684
Tags

file

,

mdf

,

connect

,

ado

Topics

Visual Basic Programming

,

Delphi Database

Participating Experts
3
Points
150
Comments
8

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

  • "The time we save is the biggest benefit of Experts Exchange to Warner Bros. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange." Mike Kapnisakis, Warner Bros.
  • "Our team likes having a resource that is more secure than just using Google and most experts using this service really know their stuff. It's nice to look here first versus using Google." Dayna Sellner, Lockheed Martin
  • "Anytime that I've been stumped with a problem, 9 out of 10 times Experts Exchange has either the accepted solution or an open discussion of the potential solution to the problem." Kenny Red, eBay Inc.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.

Screenshot of an Article

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Access the answers to your technology questions today.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

What Makes Experts Exchange Unique?

Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Trusted by the world's most respected brands.

image of each brand's logo

Faithfully serving IT professionals since 1996.

Experts Exchange Logo

Try it out and discover for yourself.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

Related Solutions

  1. DSN connection to a SQL Server 'mdf' file
    I have a website which uses a SQL Server database (version 7 I think). I have two database files a 'mdf' and a 'ldf'. This is the asp code that connects to it --- Application("Conn_ConnectionString") = "DSN=km" 'local sql = "SELECT * FROM Admi...
  2. How to convert .mdf file to Access format?
    I have a database file with .mdf extension. I am not sure what database format this is, possibly SQL. How do I convert this to Access? Thanks.
  3. Accessing ".mdf" file using delphi
    How can open and write records on a .mdf file? I am currently using Delphi 7.0. Does anybody can give me a sample code on how to connect a .mdf file and read/write some records on it? I will be using the TTable component. Thanks in advance.

Free Tech Articles

  1. WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free.
    It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul. W...
  2. SCCM OSD Basic troubleshooting
    SCCM 2007 OSD is a fantastic way to deploy operating systems, however, like most things SCCM issues can sometimes be difficult to resolve due to the sheer volume of logs to sift through and the dispe...
  3. Migrate Small Business Server 2003 to Exchange 2010 and Windows 2008 R2
    This guide is intended to provide step by step instructions on how to migrate from Small Business Server 2003 to Windows 2008 R2 with Exchange 2010. For this migration to work you will need the fo...
  4. Create a Win7 Gadget
    This article shows you how to create a simple "Gadget" -- a sort of mini-application supported by Windows 7 and Vista. Gadgets can be dropped anywhere on the desktop to provide instant information, ...
  5. Outlook continually prompting for username and password
    There have been a lot of questions recently regarding Outlook prompting for a username and password whilst using Exchange 2007. There are a few reasons why this would happen and I will try to cover t...
  6. Backup Exchange 2010 Information Store using Windows Backup
    There seems to be quite a lot of confusion around the ability to backup Exchange 2010 using the built in Windows Backup feature. This stems from the omission of this feature prior to Exchange 2007 s...

Cloud Class Webinars

  1. Avoiding Bugs in Microsoft Access
    Alison Balter takes and in-depth look at avoiding bugs in Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the immediate window to debug your applications, invoking the debugger, using breakpoints to troubleshoot, stepping through code, setting the next statement to execute, ...
  2. Top 10 Best New Features in Visio 2010
    Scott Helmers gives live demonstrations of the top 10 new features in Visio 2010. This webinar will teach you how to create compelling diagrams by adding shapes to the page with a single click, linking the shapes in a diagram to data in Excel (or SQL Server, or SharePoint), ...
  3. IT Consultant Business Secrets Revealed
    Michael Munger, Experts Exchange tech pro and IT consultant, pulls back the curtain on his very successful businesses and answers question on every IT consultant and business owner should know about. He shares secrets on what he did to solve the 5 most common problems in IT, ...
  4. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
    Quest CTO, Mike Billon, gives an overview of the steps involved in building a dunamic disaster recovery plan. Through case studies and an examination of software/hardware tooles for monitoring and testing, you'll gain a better understandin of where you are, where you want ...
  5. Organize Your Visio Diagrams with Containers and Lists
    Scott Helmers uses cross functional flowcharts, wireframe diagrams, data graphic legends and seating charts to teach you: how to ustilize all three new structured diagram components in Visio 2010, the best practices for organizeing shapes in previous version of Visio, how to organize ...
  6. How to Us Objects, Properties, Events and Methods in Microsoft Access
    Alison Dalter gives an in-depbth look at objects, properties, events and methods in Microsoft Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the object browser, referring to objects, working with properties and methods, working with object variables, understanding the ...

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.

Join the Community

Answers

 

by: rspahitzPosted on 2001-10-02 at 12:33:10ID: 6520937

ADO supports open database connectivity (ODBC) so you should be able to use that if MDF supports it.  Also, if you can find an MDF driver, it becomes as easy as copy/paste then connect.

(By the way, what is MDF?  I only know of MDB, which obviously works with ADO since they're both MS database elements.)

 

by: mironPosted on 2001-10-02 at 12:38:30ID: 6520959

I guess you need a SQL Server engine to connect to the native SQL Server data format. By the way, why try to remove SQL Server from the picture, if there is an MSDN engine, that is free. Accessing MDF file without SQL Server is not a supported scenario.

Cheers

 

by: mccainz2Posted on 2001-10-02 at 12:58:25ID: 6521009

Miron
I basically have a few mdf files that were saved from a very hard failure of one of our sql servers. I am trying to find the quickest way to extract the data from the MDF files. If there is no way to connect directly to the mdf file then I will award points for the best suggestion on getting the data out by any method.

 

by: rspahitzPosted on 2001-10-02 at 13:29:58ID: 6521133

Is the MDF data stored as text or other encoded formats (like BCD)?  If so, there are plenty of good engines available to extract the data.  If the data is encrypted, then it becomes much harder.

 

by: mccainz2Posted on 2001-10-02 at 13:33:44ID: 6521157

It is not encrypted. Please suggest a method??

 

by: rspahitzPosted on 2001-10-02 at 13:44:33ID: 6521206

Start by opening it in Excel as a text file.  It should give you an import wizard that lets you select fixed-width or delimited.  Just follow the wizard through.

Once the data is in, it may need some additional conversion, but the wizard is pretty good at offering methods to convert data.  For the rest, I could probably set you up with some VBA to reconstruct things like the BCD values.

 

by: emoreauPosted on 2001-10-02 at 15:36:15ID: 6521551

A MDF file cannot be used without SQL Server or MSDE.

 

by: mccainz2Posted on 2001-10-02 at 16:42:34ID: 6521666

amazingly enough THe crapped out files and transaction logs were able to attach to my sql server using sp_attach_db and only 16 transactions had to be rolled back....From what Ive read MSDE is the best alternative...so emoreau gets the points.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

3 Ways to Join

30-Day Free Trial

The Experts

98% positive feedback on 31,087 answers since March 2000. angeliii is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with MS SQL Server & Develoment.

He has also proven his knowledge of Visual Basic Programming, PHP Scripting and Oracle Databases.

The Experts

97% positive feedback on 10,752 answers since July 2000. lrmoore has more than 18 years experience in the networking industry.

The six-time Mircosoft MVPs specialties include firewalls, virtual private networking, and network management.

Testimonials

"...and excellent source for support... Kind of like having your very own IT dept." Electriciansnet

Testimonials

"I was apprehensive at signing up at first. However... it has already made my life as an IT administrator much easier." JaCrews

Testimonials

"WOW! You guys have great, active, and knowledgeable people on here." moore50

Business Clients

Business Clients

In the Press

"If you’ve got a question... Experts Exchange can supply an answer.”

In the Press

"...an invaluable aid for both IT professionals and those who require tech support."

In the Press

"where IT professionals provide quick answers on just about any topic"

Business Account Plans

Loading Advertisement...