The Problem (Q-score 5, ranked #23rd of 67 in the Access VBA archive)
The scenario as originally posted in 2009
I’m experimenting with the Entity Framework and I want to connect to an Access 2007 database.
The following code is inspired by http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.data.entityclient.entityconnection.connectionstring.aspx
I suspect that I’ve got the wrong end of the stick…
OleDbConnectionStringBuilder oledbConn = new OleDbConnectionStringBuilder();
oledbConn.DataSource = @"........Pruebas.accdb"; //yep Access 2007!
EntityConnectionStringBuilder entityBuilder = new EntityConnectionStringBuilder ();
entityBuilder.Provider = "Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0";
entityBuilder.ConnectionString = oledbConn.ToString();
EntityConnection ec = new EntityConnection(entityBuilder.ToString());
ec.Open();
ec.Close();
The EntityConnectionStringBuilder tells me that it doesn’t support the DataSource property. I can connect fine with ADO.net so I know that the path and the provider are correct.
Is this just the complete wrong approach?
Why community consensus is tight on this one
Across 67 Access VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds strong answer (top 25 %%) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.
The Verified Solution — strong answer (top 25 %%) (+13)
Verbal answer — walkthrough without a code block
Note: the verified answer is a prose walkthrough. If you need a runnable sample, check Access VBA entries ranked in the top 10 of the same archive.
The approach you are using to build the EF connection string is correct.
BUT…
The Entity Framework only works with Providers (i.e. SqlClient) that support something called provider services.
The OleDB provider doesn’t support ‘Provider Services’ so you can’t use EF with the OleDb (unless you can find a third party OleDb provider with support for EF).
Hope this helps
Alex
(Entity Framework Team, Microsoft)
When to Use It — vintage (14+ years old, pre-2013)
Ranked #23rd in its category — specialized fit
This pattern sits in the 58% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Access VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.
What changed between 2009 and 2026
The answer is 17 years old. The Access VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.