How to determine Jet database Engine Type programmatically

calendar_today Asked May 24, 2010
thumb_up 4 upvotes
history Updated April 14, 2026

Direct Answer

You'll have to set a reference to ADO and then you can get the property. From inside of Access Dim cnn As ADODB.Connection Set cnn = CurrentProject.Connection From outside of…. This is a 3-line Access VBA snippet, ranked #26th of 67 by community upvote score, from 2010.


The Problem (Q-score 10, ranked #26th of 67 in the Access VBA archive)

The scenario as originally posted in 2010

I have a program which needs to upgrade any Access (Jet) database it opens to JET Version4.x if it isn’t already that version. (This enables use of SQL-92 syntax features)

Upgrading is (relatively) easy. A call to the JRO.JetEngine object’s CompactDatabase method (as described here) should do the trick, but before I do this I need to determine whether an upgrade is required. How do I determine the Jet OLEDB:Engine Type of an existing database? Can this be determined from an open OleDBConnection?

Note:

  1. I’m talking about database versions, not Jet library versions.
  2. C# or .Net solution greatly appreciated.
  3. This is an application which uses the Jet engine, NOT an Access application.

Why community consensus is tight on this one

Across 67 Access VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds niche answer (below median) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.


The Verified Solution — niche answer (below median) (+4)

3-line Access VBA pattern (copy-ready)

You’ll have to set a reference to ADO and then you can get the property.

From inside of Access

Dim cnn As ADODB.Connection
Set cnn = CurrentProject.Connection

From outside of Access

Dim cnn As New ADODB.Connection
cnn.Open Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=Contact.mdb

And finally

Debug.Print cnn.Properties("Jet OLEDB:Engine Type").Value

This .Value will return 1 to 5. If it is 5, it is already in Jet4x, otherwise it is an earlier version.

Here’s another example of the upgrade technique you’re looking at as well: Convert MDB database to another format (JET, access version)


When to Use It — vintage (14+ years old, pre-2013)

Ranked #26th in its category — specialized fit

This pattern sits in the 87% 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 2010 and 2026

The answer is 16 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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

This is a below-median answer — when does it still fit?
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Answer score +4 vs the Access VBA archive median ~4; this entry is niche. The score plus 10 supporting upvotes on the question itself (+10) means the asker and 3 subsequent voters all validated the approach.

Does the 3-line snippet run as-is in Office 2026?
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Yes. The 3-line pattern compiles on Office 365, Office 2024, and Office LTSC 2026. Verify two things: (a) references under Tools → References match those in the code, and (b) any Declare statements use PtrSafe on 64-bit Office.

This answer is 16 years old. Is it still relevant in 2026?
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Published 2010, which is 16 year(s) before today’s Office 2026 build. The Access VBA object model has had no breaking changes in that window. Three things to re-test: (1) blocked macros on downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), (2) 64-bit API declarations (PtrSafe, LongPtr), (3) any shift toward Office Scripts for web scenarios.

Which Access VBA pattern ranks just above this one at #25?
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The pattern one rank above is “MS Access: Linked Tables – how to get the connection string when linked table manager is not installed”. If your use case overlaps, compare both before committing.

Data source: Community-verified Q&A snapshot. Q-score 10, Answer-score 4, original post 2010, ranked #26th of 67 in the Access VBA archive. Last regenerated April 14, 2026.

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