- how to use an MS-Access file from Linux?
- 7 Answers 7
- Запуск приложений работающих с базами данных Access в wine
- How to use an ms-access file from linux?
- Method 1: Wine
- Step 1: Install Wine
- Step 2: Install MS-Access
- Step 3: Open MS-Access file
- Method 2: Virtual Machine
- Method 3: Remote Desktop Connection
- Method 4: Converting to Other Database Format
how to use an MS-Access file from Linux?
I’m studying an introductory course in databases and one of the exercises is to work with MS-Access. However I’m using Linux at home and although I can use the computer classes at the university it is far from convenient (limited open time — my studying time is mostly nights). So how can I use an Access file ( *.mdb ) in Linux? By use I mean changing tables, writing queries and so on. Are there tools to convert it to another database format (mysql, postgresql or even gadfly)? Also what problems may I encounter?
Thanks for all the answers. I forgot about OpenOffice Base. I hope to try the various suggestions during the weekend and see what works out best for me.
For more information on using [Open | Libre]Office Base with Access databases under Linux, see this answer on Ask Ubuntu.
7 Answers 7
Although a bit dated, I’ve had good success with mdbtools which is a set of command line tools for accessing and converting Access databases to other formats. I’ve used it for importing databases into PostgreSQL.
If you’re running an Ubuntu variant you can install it with:
sudo apt-get install mdbtools
or you can download it from here.
I will second that — but be warned that different versions of mdbtools will result in a slightly different output. Types and schema can vary.
To easily export full MS Access database using mdbtools tools from this answer, check out gist.github.com/turicas/2592877 script. To export to mysql (or postgresql) two lines should be fixed (described in comments from same link)
You’re out of luck. Access has no real equivalent on Linux and while Kexi is an interesting alternative that can import Access files and aims to provide similar functionality, it doesn’t actually uses Access files once the data is imported.
If your assignment is to develop an Access application with forms etc as opposed to just using and mdb database as a store, then you can try a recent release of Wine with a compatible Access version (see compatibility list) or, even better, find a Windows machine where you’re sure it’s going to work.
Not to be forgotten, the use of a Virtual Machine loaded with Windows would help you achieve the same thing on your Linux box.
I am currently trying Access with Wine on Ubuntu and I seem to be getting there. I have found that I need to copy various dlls manually, but that could easily be lack of reading up on the subject.
From the documentation: Connecting To Microsoft Access. However, this seems to indicate that you need access running in a windows host and connect via ODBC. See also Known Problems.
MS Jet does not run on anything but Windows. It’s record locking is very tightly tied to Windows file systems, and I won’t even allow my clients to store their MDBs on file servers that aren’t running native Windows file systems (that means no Novell and no Linux/Samba).
I recently discover https://dbeaver.io/ which is a software (in java) to manage different database types (MySQL, PostGreSQL…), a bit like phpmyadmin (but as a host based soft, no server require) and it can manage MS Access excep if version is too old (it is probably my case)
You can work with Access through a connection (ODBC or OLEDB), as long as you only need to manage the «database» dimension of the file (tables and views, which are called «queries» in Access).
Once the connection is open (see here for connection strings), you can send SQL commands to your mdb database, such as (where cn is here a connection object):
cn.execute "CREATE TABLE myTableName (myTable_id autoNumber, myTable_code Text, . )"
Please note that MsAccess uses a specific DDL that looks like the standard T-SQL but is not really it. Check the syntax in MsAccess help.
Depending on your database (and its constraints, default values, primary keys used, relations, data validation rules, aso), transfering Access can be easy and straight or might not even be possible. You will encounter a problem each time your database implement an access-specific/non-standard SQL rule.
If you really need to convert your access data to something else, I’d adise you to (1) export it under MS-SQL (the free version will be ok, an upsizing wizard is available in Access or on this site), (2)use an additional tool like this one to generate a «CREATE DATABASE» SQL Script, including or not data inserts, (3) use this script to try to create the database and its data on another database server.
Запуск приложений работающих с базами данных Access в wine
Сегодня подопытным приложением будет довольно специфичное программное обеспечение для топографа роговицы Tomey TMS-4.
Установка производилась в Ubuntu 9.10. Цели работать с самим прибором не было, нужен был лишь просмотр результатов.
Установка проходит нормально:
Регистрация ActiveX компонентов делается путем перехода в режим командной строки wine и запуском идущего в комплекте с ПО bat файла:
cd ~/.wine/drive_c/Tms/Vsflex7/ wine cmd C:\Tms\Vsflex7>Regist.bat
Запускаем… приложение не запускается, выдает множество сообщений об ошибках вида:
./TmsSw.exe CoGetClassObject class not registered
Для удобства скачивам winetricks, как я писал в топике:
Устанавливаем MS DCOM (ole32, oleaut32):
Все равно не запускается, но сообщения об ошибках уже другие:
fixme:ntdll:NtQuerySystemInformation info_class SYSTEM_PROCESSOR_PERFORMANCE_INFORMATION fixme:richedit:CreateTextServices Support aggregation
Устанавливаем Rich Edit Control:
Теперь приложение выдает ошибку вида:
NtQuerySystemInformation info_class SYSTEM_PROCESSOR_PERFORMANCE_INFORMATION SQLConfigDataSource (nil) 2 "Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb)" "DSN=TMS.MDB"
Устанавливаем MS MDAC 2.5 Microsoft ODBC drivers:
Запускаем настройку источников данных:
Настраиваем источник данных:
Если возникают проблемы с отображением русских букв:
How to use an ms-access file from linux?
Microsoft Access is a database management system (DBMS) from Microsoft that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface and software-development tools. Although it is primarily designed for use on Windows, it can also be used on other platforms such as Linux, with some limitations. If you want to use an MS-Access file on a Linux system, there are a few options available to you.
Method 1: Wine
To use an MS-Access file from Linux, we can use Wine. Wine is a compatibility layer capable of running Windows applications on Linux. Here are the steps to use an MS-Access file from Linux with Wine:
Step 1: Install Wine
First, we need to install Wine on our Linux system. Here is the command to install Wine on Ubuntu:
Step 2: Install MS-Access
Next, we need to install MS-Access on Wine. We can install it by following these steps:
- Download the MS-Access installer from Microsoft website.
- Open the terminal and navigate to the directory where the installer is downloaded.
- Run the following command to start the installation:
Step 3: Open MS-Access file
Once MS-Access is installed, we can open the MS-Access file by following these steps:
- Open the terminal and navigate to the directory where the MS-Access file is located.
- Run the following command to open the MS-Access file:
wine msaccess.exe /path/to/access/file.accdb
This will open the MS-Access file in Wine, and we can use it just like we would on a Windows system.
Method 2: Virtual Machine
- Install VirtualBox on your Linux machine.
- Download the Windows ISO file and create a new virtual machine on VirtualBox with Windows as the guest OS.
- Install Microsoft Access on the Windows virtual machine.
- Share the MS-Access file from the Windows virtual machine to the Linux host machine by adding a shared folder in VirtualBox.
- Mount the shared folder on the Linux machine by running the following command:
sudo mount -t vboxsf shared_folder_name /mnt/mount_point
- Access the MS-Access file from the mounted folder using ODBC connection. Install ODBC drivers for MS-Access on the Linux machine and configure the connection string in your code.
import pyodbc conn_str = ( r'DRIVER=;' r'DBQ=/mnt/mount_point/path/to/access_file.accdb;' ) conn = pyodbc.connect(conn_str) cursor = conn.cursor() cursor.execute('SELECT * FROM table_name') rows = cursor.fetchall() for row in rows: print(row)
That’s it! You can now use the MS-Access file from your Linux machine using VirtualBox.
Method 3: Remote Desktop Connection
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install xrdp
rdesktop windows_machine_ip>
cd "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OfficeXX" msaccess.exe "C:\path\to\your\file.accdb"
- You can now use your MS-Access file from your Linux machine through the Remote Desktop Connection.
Note: Make sure that your Windows machine has Remote Desktop enabled and that your Linux machine can connect to it. Also, make sure that you have the necessary permissions to access the MS-Access file.
Method 4: Converting to Other Database Format
sudo apt-get install mdbtools
mdb-schema file.mdb | sqlite3 file.sqlite for i in $(mdb-tables file.mdb); do mdb-export -I sqlite file.mdb $i > $i.sql; done for i in $(ls *.sql); do sqlite3 file.sqlite $i; done
mdb-schema file.mdb mysql | mysql -u username -p -h localhost dbname for i in $(mdb-tables file.mdb); do mdb-export -I mysql file.mdb $i | mysql -u username -p -h localhost dbname; done
mdb-schema file.mdb postgres | psql -h localhost -U username dbname for i in $(mdb-tables file.mdb); do mdb-export -I postgresql file.mdb $i | psql -h localhost -U username dbname; done
Note: Replace «file.mdb» with the name of your MS-Access file, and replace «username», «dbname», and «localhost» with your own MySQL/PostgreSQL settings.
This method allows you to use an MS-Access file from Linux by converting it to another database format. You can then access the converted data using the appropriate database tools and libraries.