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Select Dataset on the Choose a Database Model page, and then select Next. Select Database on the Choose a Data Source Type page, and then select Next. The Data Source Configuration Wizard opens. In the Data Sources window, click Add New Data Source. Or on the View menu, select Other Windows > Data Sources. To open the Data Sources window, press Ctrl+ Q, enter "data" in the search box, and choose Data Sources window. Open a Windows Forms or WPF application project in Visual Studio. Follow the procedure that corresponds to your file type.Ĭonnect to databases created with Microsoft 365, Access 2016, Access 2013, Access 2010, or Access 2007 by using the following procedure. accdb file) or an Access 2000-2003 database (. To use these procedures, you need a Windows Forms or WPF project and either an Access database (. Please see OLE DB Provider for Jet and ODBC driver are 32-bit versions only for more information. If you plan on converting the project to be a 64-bit process, it’s recommended that you use the 64-bit Microsoft Access Database Engine, also called Access Connectivity Engine (ACE). The last version of Visual Studio that was a 32-bit process was Visual Studio 2019.
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However, if you need to use any of the Visual Studio Data Tools such as Server Explorer, Data Source Wizard, or the DataSet Designer, you will need to use an earlier version of Visual Studio that is still a 32-bit process. If you need to maintain 32-bit applications that connect to Access databases, you will still be able to build and run the application with Visual Studio 2022. This means some of the data tools in Visual Studio will not be able to connect to Access databases using 32-bit data providers.
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If you're using Visual Studio 2022 to connect to Access databases, you will need to be aware that Visual Studio 2022 is now a 64-bit process. This means some of the data tools in Visual Studio 2019 and earlier will only be able to connect to Access databases using 32-bit data providers. If you're using Visual Studio to connect to Access databases, you will need to be aware that versions of Visual Studio prior to Visual Studio 2022 are all 32-bit processes.
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