SQL Azure Labs’ SQL Azure Data Sync application created the SQL Azure tables from the Northwnd.mdf database included in the Northwind and pubs Sample Databases for SQL Server 2000. Click to select the tables to link to your Access front end: Options let you change your password, database, default language, application name, and workstation ID.ġ0. Click OK to open the SQL Server Login dialog, accept your Login ID and type your administrative password: Click OK to save your Machine Data Source and return to the initial Select Data Source dialog with your new data source selected:ĩ. You tested the connection when you selected the Northwind database from the SQL Azure-generated list in step 6.Ĩ. Click Next and Finish to open the ODBC Microsoft SQL Server Setup dialog and, optionally, click the Test Data Source button: Click Next to open the third Wizard dialog, change the default database from master to the Northwind database and accept the default ANSI options:ħ. Click Next to open the second Wizard dialog, select SQL Server Authentication, type your administrative account name with an servername suffix, and password, and mark the Connect to SQL Server check box:Ħ. You’ll find it easier to copy the server name from SSMS’s Connect to Server dialog.ĥ. Click Next and Finish to open the SQL Server Data Source Wizard’s first dialog, type a name and description for the data source, and type the full server name, including the tcp: prefix (tcp: ):

Click Next to open the Select a Driver for Which You Want to Set up a Data Source dialog and select the SQL Server Native Client 10.0 driver:Ĥ.

Click the New button to open the Select a Type of Data Source dialog and select the System Data Source option:ģ. Launch Access 2010, click the External Data tab and click the ODBC Database button to open the ODBC Select Data Source dialog:Ģ. Note: This tutorial assumes that you have a SQL Azure account with at least one populated database and have SQL Server Management Studio 2008 R2 available to edit primary key names of the linked tables.Ĭreating a SQL Azure Data Source Name (DSN)ġ. Update : Changed author name from Ryan McMinn to Russell Sinclair, added more details about (and a workaround for) SQL Azure’s lack of support for extended properties (required for Subdatasheets and Lookup fields), and added demo of pass-through queries. It also describes an issue with adding subdatasheets to linked table datasheets. This step-by-step tutorial adds screen captures and describes the workaround for primary key column name conflicts. I also encountered a problem that required a workaround to get links to a Northwind database working. Ryan McMinn didn’t include screen captures in the narrative for creating the ODBC connection with the SQL Server Native Client 10.0 driver.

Russell Sinclair described how to link Microsoft Access 2010 tables to a SQL Azure database in his Access 2010 and SQL Azure post to the Microsoft Access blog of.

Ms access linked tables