Creating a Data Source in Access

Description of Issue: 

How do I create a new Data Source for my SedonaOffice Company in Microsoft Access? 

Resolution: 

Your version of Access may look different, but the process should be similar.  

Open Access. 

You should have an option in the toolbar for External Data. 

Select New Data Source. 

 You should see the options for where to get the data from. Select the option From Database and  then select SQL Server. 

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Select the option for your needs. 

You can import the data to a new table, or you can link the existing table so any changes will be reflected in the Access data. 

I will choose to import the data to a new table. 

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Click OK and the Select Data Source window will open. 

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Click New. 

Select SQL Server for the Driver to use. 

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 Click Next 

Enter a name for your new data source. 

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Click Next. 

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Then click Finish. 

You will need to enter a description and select the SQL server where the data is located. 

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Click Next. 

Select the account to connect to the SQL server. 

If you have access, you can connect using Windows authentication or connect with a SQL user. 

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Click Next. 

Select the default database that you will connect to. 

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Click Next. 

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Click Finish. 

You can Test the Data Source to verify settings. 

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If all the settings are correct you should see the test confirmation. 

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Click OK then Click OK again to finish the setup. 

You should then see the new data source in the selection screen. 

Select the new source and click OK. 

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 You may be prompted for a password to connect. 

Once connected you should get a list of the available tables. 

Select the table to import. 

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Click OK. 

 You may receive a screen with options to save the import steps. 

You can save them if you are using this again. 

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The data should then be imported. 

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