Open Access Database in Excel VBA without External Libraries
In this interconnected world, data integration plays a crucial role. In this regard, if you have your data in the MS Access database want to make it more readable. Then, follow this guide on how to open Access database in Excel without using any external libraries like ADO or DAO, etc.
Doing this can enhance your workflow. Also, empowers you to harness the strengths of both applications. By this conversion, you can analyze the data across different platforms, fostering your streamlined data management. With this leverage, you can view the MDB or ACCDB files reports, queries, tables, schema, and more in Excel with ease. Now, before going into the main context. Let’s find out the importance of opening the Access files in Excel.
Reasons to Open Access Database in Excel
There are several reasons to open the Access Database file (MDB/ACCDB) in .xlsx format. Here are some common reasons:
Data Analysis and Reporting – By exporting your data to Excel, you can easily analyze it. In addition, by opening the data in Excel, you can perform analyses, create charts, or generate reports.
Data Visualization – By importing your data stored in Access database to Excel, you can create compelling visual representations such as charts and graphs.
User-Friendly Interface – If you are among the users who seek a familiar interface, Excel is the right platform for you compared to MS Access.
Sharing and Collaboration – Open Access database in Excel can allow you to effortlessly collaborate and share with others which makes it practical usage more.
Filtering and Sorting – Excel has a handy feature to filter and sort data in one go. If you are looking for an effective path to organize your data, Excel is the most worthy.
Data Cleanup and Formatting – Excel is well-known for its robust features such as data cleanup, formatting, and manipulation. So, consider this parameter for more efficient output.
Limited Access to Access – In most cases, it is observed that availability of Access is less common among the users. As a result, Opening it in Excel is the most desirable.
Quick Data Extraction – If you require a subset data of your Access database, transferring that to Excel can quick way to extract specific information.
How Do I Open Access Database In Excel Using VBA?
Follow the guide given below to open Access file in Excel VBA without any external libraries or predefined templates. By doing so, you can access the queries, reports, relational databases, and other objects in open source Excel database.
Open Excel – Launch the Microsoft Excel on your PC. Next, open the workbook where you want to run the VBA code.
Access the VBA Editor – Press ‘Alt + F11’ to open the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor.
Insert a Module – In the VBA editor, right-click on any item in the Project Explorer window (on the left) and choose Insert → Module. Through this, a new module will be created where you can write the VBA code.
VBA Code Sample –
In the module window opened, copy the following VBA code and paste it:
Sub OpenAccessDatabase()
Dim dbPath As String
Dim dbName As String
‘ Set the path and name of the Access database
dbPath = “C:\Path\To\Your\Database\”
dbName = “YourDatabase.accdb” ‘ Change to your database name
‘ Combine path and database name
Dim fullDBPath As String
fullDBPath = dbPath & dbName
‘ Open the Access database in Excel
On Error Resume Next
Workbooks.OpenDatabase fullDBPath, ReadOnly:=True, IgnoreReadOnlyRecommended:=True
On Error GoTo 0
‘ Check if the database is opened successfully
If Workbooks(dbName).Worksheets.Count > 0 Then
MsgBox “Access database opened successfully.”, vbInformation
Else
MsgBox “Error opening Access database.”, vbExclamation
End If
End Sub
Adjust Path and Name – Modify the dbPath and dbName, “C:\Path\To\Your\Database\” and “YourDatabase.accdb” to the actual path and name of your Access database respectively. Make sure the access files are .accdb or .mdb.
Run the Code – After that, exit the VBA editor and press F5 to run the code. Another way is to navigate to Developer → Macros, select the macro (OpenAccessDatabase), and click Run.
Check Results – After running the code, check for any message boxes that appear. If you see “Access database opened successfully,” then the database was opened in Excel.
How to Open Access Database file (.accdb/.mdb) in MS Excel? – Expert Solution
The above solution is no doubt easy to access but has some considerable limitations. One of the major reasons is the aforementioned method requires technical expertise and code may fail at times. Resulting in being unable to open access database in Excel. Therefore, we suggest the ideal technique to import the Access data in .xlsx format. The utility name is MDB ACCDB viewer tool.
Let’s check out some of the significant features.
- Convert Access files to various formats: MDB, ACCDB, Excel, CSV, SQL Server
- Open MDB & ACCDB to XLSX with per-database/table option
- Easily convert corrupted MDB or ACCDB files
- Export deleted data from Access Database using ACCDB Converter
- Import Access Database with tables, queries, forms, reports, etc.
- Multiple filters for exporting: schema only or schema & data
- Compatible with All MS Access versions like 2021, 2019, 2016, 2010, 2007, etc.
- Download and launch Access Converter on Windows 11 or below
Final Takeaway
In this write-up, you have discussed how to open Access database in Excel VBA without using any external libraries or pre-defined templates. Though the free solution is easily accessible and simple for experienced users, but has some considerable limitations. As a result, we recommend the absolute solution i.e. Access viewer tool to view the Access file (.accdb/.mdb) without any difficulties.
