Should Access Recognise MySQL?

[abrogard]

I've got MySQL on my home machine and I for the first time ever started a 'new project with new data' today - or attempted to.

It asked me for my SQL username and password, etc.

So I gave it the details for the MySQL and it didn't work. Told me it couldn't find the SQL server.

My computer is not a server. It is a home machine running XP SP3 with MySQL installed and (previously) working fine with my Inetpub directory where I trial all my web sites before uploading them.

But I've never before tried doing this particular thing. I've even written quite large progs before in Access without using SQL.



I don't completely understand the 'New Project' thing. I usually start by just creating a new database but this time I figured it ought to be a project after getting well started so I backtracked and did this 'New Project' thing.

When do we need a 'Project' and why? And when do we simply need to make databases?

Is that too many questions?

Well narrow it down to one: Should Access work with MySQL? Any configuring needed to make this happen?

[orange]

You could try Google. "access and mysql"

What version of MySQL are you using?
Are you trying to use Access as a Front
end tool?

Here are a few links based on Google-ing.
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/...th-access.html
http://forums.mysql.com/list.php?65

[abrogard]

I've got MySQL 5.0 I think. It is working okay itself, I believe. I found that command line thing to check it: C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\bin>mysqlshow and it ran okay.

I wasn't trying to use Access as a Front end inasmuch as I wasn't trying to do anything beyond start a new Project - without really knowing the significance of that.

Usually I just make a new database and in fact in this recent endeavor that's what I did. But the last time I went to open it I thought - why don't I start 'properly' and start a new project? Surely that's the proper way to go. It is with so many other progs.

So i clicked 'new project' and got enmeshed in all this SQL stuff. I'm not sure why. I said: I'm not sure about this whole 'project' thing.

I had a quick look at the links you kindly provided and it seems to me that I've got to set up ODBC before I can expect it to work.

So far I haven't done any such thing. So I guess that's the answer to my problem. What do you think?

It is not currently something I really need but it certainly is something I'd like to be able to employ should I need it.

[orange]

Yes I agree.
I haven't used MySQL for a few years. I did set up a database dealing with NAICS codes for US, Canada and Mexico a few years ago. I needed NAICS codes and descriptions in English, French and Spanish for a project. As I recall it was easier to get accented characters and data from the source I had into MySQL. Also it used the mysql connector to allow Access 2000 to act as a front end to the MySql. In fact I used Access, between Oracle and MySQL, to load tables with specific language descriptions from MySQL to Oracle.