Cosmos DB Connector for MS Access Connect to your Azure Cosmos DB databases to read, query, create, update, and delete documents and more! In this article you will learn how to quickly and efficiently integrate Cosmos DB data in MS Access without coding. We will use high-performance Cosmos DB Connector to easily connect to Cosmos DB and then access the data inside MS Access. Let's follow the steps below to see how we can accomplish that! Download Documentation Cosmos DB Connector for MS Access is based on ZappySys API Driver which is part of ODBC PowerPack. It is a collection of high-performance ODBC drivers that enable you to integrate data in SQL Server, SSIS, a programming language, or any other ODBC-compatible application. ODBC PowerPack supports various file formats, sources and destinations, including REST/SOAP API, SFTP/FTP, storage services, and plain files, to mention a few.

Connect to Cosmos DB in other apps Connect to Cosmos DB in SSIS Connect to Cosmos DB in SQL Server Connect to Cosmos DB in Power BI Connect to Cosmos DB in SSRS Connect to Cosmos DB in Informatica Connect to Cosmos DB in MS Excel Connect to Cosmos DB in SSAS Connect to Cosmos DB in C# Connect to Cosmos DB in Python Connect to Cosmos DB in JAVA Connect to Cosmos DB in Tableau Connect to Cosmos DB in SAP Crystal Reports Connect to Cosmos DB in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) Connect to Cosmos DB in Azure Data Factory (SSIS) Connect to Cosmos DB in Talend Studio Connect to Cosmos DB in UiPath Connect to Cosmos DB in PowerShell Connect to Cosmos DB in ODBC

Create ODBC Data Source (DSN) based on ZappySys API Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Cosmos DB using MS Access we first need to create a DSN (Data Source) which will access data from Cosmos DB. We will later be able to read data using MS Access. Perform these steps:

1. Download and install ODBC PowerPack.

2. Open ODBC Data Sources (x64):

   

3. Create a User data source (User DSN) based on ZappySys API Driver

   ZappySys API Driver

   
   • Create and use User DSN if the client application is run under a User Account. This is an ideal option in design-time, when developing a solution, e.g. in Visual Studio 2019. Use it for both type of applications - 64-bit and 32-bit.
   • Create and use System DSN if the client application is launched under a System Account, e.g. as a Windows Service. Usually, this is an ideal option to use in a production environment. Use ODBC Data Source Administrator (32-bit), instead of 64-bit version, if Windows Service is a 32-bit application.

4. When the Configuration window appears give your data source a name if you haven't done that already, then select "Cosmos DB" from the list of Popular Connectors. If "Cosmos DB" is not present in the list, then click "Search Online" and download it. Then set the path to the location where you downloaded it. Finally, click Continue >> to proceed with configuring the DSN:

   CosmosDbDSN

   Cosmos DB

   

5. Now it's time to configure the Connection Manager. Select Authentication Type, e.g. Token Authentication. Then select API Base URL (in most cases, the default one is the right one). More info is available in the Authentication section.

    API Key [Http]

   Steps how to get and use Cosmos DB credentials : API Key [Http]
   Connecting to your Azure Cosmos DB data requires you to authenticate your REST API access. Follow the instructions below:

   1. Go to your Azure portal homepage: https://portal.azure.com/.
   2. In the search bar at the top of the homepage, enter Azure Cosmos DB. In the dropdown that appears, select Azure Cosmos DB.
   3. Click on the name of the database account you want to connect to (also copy and paste the name of the database account for later use).
   4. On the next page where you can see all of the database account information, look along the left side and select Keys:
   5. On the Keys page, you will have two tabs: Read-write Keys and Read-only Keys. If you are going to write data to your database, you need to remain on the Read-write Keys tab. If you are only going to read data from your database, you should select the Read-only Keys tab.
   6. On the Keys page, copy the PRIMARY KEY value and paste it somewhere for later use (the SECONDARY KEY value may also be copied and used).
   7. Now go to SSIS package or ODBC data source and use this PRIMARY KEY in API Key authentication configuration.
   8. Enter the primary or secondary key you recorded in step 6 into the Primary or Secondary Key field.
   9. Then enter the database account you recorded in step 3 into the Database Account field.
   10. Next, enter or select the default database you want to connect to using the Defualt Database field.
   11. Continue by entering or selecting the default table (i.e. container/collection) you want to connect to using the Default Table (Container/Collection) field.
   12. Select the Test Connection button at the bottom of the window to verify proper connectivity with your Azure Devops account.
   13. If the connection test succeeds, select OK.
   14. Done! Now you are ready to use Asana Connector!

   Fill in all required parameters and set optional parameters if needed:

   CosmosDbDSN

   Cosmos DB

   API Key [Http]

   https://[$Account$].documents.azure.com

   Required Parameters
   Primary or Secondary Key	Fill-in the parameter...
   Account Name (Case-Sensitive)	Fill-in the parameter...
   Database Name (keep blank to use default) Case-Sensitive	Fill-in the parameter...
   API Version	Fill-in the parameter...
   Optional Parameters
   Default Table (needed to invoke #DirectSQL)

   

6. Once the data source connection has been configured, it's time to configure the SQL query. Select the Preview tab and then click Query Builder button to configure the SQL query:

   

   ZappySys API Driver - Cosmos DB

   Connect to your Azure Cosmos DB databases to read, query, create, update, and delete documents and more!

   CosmosDbDSN

   

7. Start by selecting the Table or Endpoint you are interested in and then configure the parameters. This will generate a query that we will use in MS Access to retrieve data from Cosmos DB. Hit OK button to use this query in the next step.

   #DirectSQL SELECT * FROM root where root.id !=null order by root._ts desc

   
   Some parameters configured in this window will be passed to the Cosmos DB API, e.g. filtering parameters. It means that filtering will be done on the server side (instead of the client side), enabling you to get only the meaningful data much faster.

8. Now hit Preview Data button to preview the data using the generated SQL query. If you are satisfied with the result, use this query in MS Access:

   

   ZappySys API Driver - Cosmos DB

   Connect to your Azure Cosmos DB databases to read, query, create, update, and delete documents and more!

   CosmosDbDSN

   #DirectSQL SELECT * FROM root where root.id !=null order by root._ts desc

   
   You can also access data quickly from the tables dropdown by selecting <Select table>.
   A WHERE clause, LIMIT keyword will be performed on the client side, meaning that the whole result set will be retrieved from the Cosmos DB API first, and only then the filtering will be applied to the data. If possible, it is recommended to use parameters in Query Builder to filter the data on the server side (in Cosmos DB servers).

9. Click OK to finish creating the data source.

Video Tutorial

Read data in Microsoft Access from the ODBC data source

1. First of all, open MS Access and create a new MS Access database.

2. In the next step, start loading ODBC data source we created:

3. Then click next until data source selection window appears. Select the data source we created in one of the previous steps and hit OK:

   CosmosDbDSN

   

4. Continue with tables and views selection. You can extract multiple tables or views:
   

5. Finally, wait while data is being loaded and once done you should see a similar view:

Using Linked Table for Live Data (Slow)

Linked tables in Microsoft Access are crucial for online databases because they enable real-time access to centralized data, support scalability, facilitate collaboration, enhance data security, ease maintenance tasks, and allow integration with external systems. They provide a flexible and efficient way to work with data stored in online databases, promoting cross-platform compatibility and reducing the need for data duplication.

1. Real-Time Data Access:
   Access can interact directly with live data in online databases, ensuring that users always work with the most up-to-date information.
2. Centralized Data Management:
   Online databases serve as a centralized repository, enabling efficient management of data from various locations.
3. Ease of Maintenance:
   Updates or modifications to the online database structure are automatically reflected in Access, streamlining maintenance tasks.
4. Adaptability to Changing Requirements:
   Linked tables provide flexibility, allowing easy adaptation to changing data storage needs or migration to different online database systems.

Let's create the linked table.

1. Launch Microsoft Access and open the database where you want to create the linked table.

2. Go to the "External Data" tab on the Ribbon. >> "New Data Source" >> "From Other Sources" >> "ODBC Database"

3. Select the option "Link to Data Source by creating a linked table:

4. Continue by clicking 'Next' until the Data Source Selection window appears. Navigate to the Machine Data Source tab and select the desired data source established in one of the earlier steps. Click 'OK' to confirm your selection.

   CosmosDbDSN

   

5. Proceed to the selection of Tables and Views. You have the option to extract multiple tables or views:
   

6. When prompted to select Unique Key column DO NOT select any column(s) and just click OK:

7. Finally, Simply double-click the newly created Linked Table to load the data:

Guide to Effectively Addressing Known Issues

Discover effective strategies to address known issues efficiently in this guide. Get solutions and practical tips to streamline troubleshooting and enhance system performance, ensuring a smoother user experience.

Fewer Rows Imported

The reason for this is that MS Access has a default query timeout of 60 seconds, which means it stops fetching data if the query takes longer than that. As a result, only a limited number of rows are fetched within this time frame.

To address this, we can adjust the Query Timeout by following the steps below.

The path may vary depending on the MS Access bitness, such as 32-bit versus 64-bit.

\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Jet\4.0\Engines\ODBC

\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Jet\4.0\Engines\ODBC

\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\REGISTRY\MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Access Connectivity Engine\Engines\ODBC

We can identify this issue by examining the Fiddler Log, as MS Access doesn't display any error regarding partial import, which is quite unusual

Please refer to this link : How to use Fiddler to analyze HTTP web requests

#Deleted word appears for column value in MS Access for Linked Table mode

If you used Linked Table mode to get external data and it shows #deleted word rather than actual value for column after you open then most likely its following issue.

Make sure to re-create Linked Table and DO NOT select any key column when prompted (Just click OK)
How to Fix

Table Selection UI Opening Delays

The Table selection UI takes a significant amount of time to open after clicking the 'New Data Source' -> 'Other Data Sources' -> 'ODBC'

The reason for this issue is that MS Access sends a dummy query, leading to several unnecessary pagination cycles before an error is thrown. To mitigate this, we can prevent wasted cycles by configuring the 'Throw error if no match' setting on the Filter Options Tab.

Enhancing Performance through Metadata Addition (Reduces Query Time)

We can optimize query performance by creating Virtual Tables (i.e. views with custom SQL) on Datasource and incorporating META=static columns. Learn how to capture static metadata in this guide.
Performance Options - Generate Metadata Manually

Execute the query initially, save the metadata by selecting 'Save to Meta' (choose Compact Format), and then click 'Save to Clipboard.' Utilize the resulting list by pasting it into the META attribute as follows: 'META=paste here.'

SELECT * FROM products
    WITH(
        META='id:String(20); title:String(100);  description:String(500);'
    )

Optimize Workflow with Automated Import

Employ Automated Import when Linked Tables are not feasible, and we need to depend on Imported Tables with static data.

While using Linked Tables sometime it encounter errors, and we are left with no alternative but to utilize Imported Tables, Automatic Refresh becomes crucial in such scenarios.

Here's a guide on automating refreshes. We can set up automatic refresh on different events, such as when the database opens, a form is opened, or a button is clicked.

To initiate the import process, follow these steps:

• Perform the data import using the standard manual steps.
• In the final step, we'll encounter a checkbox labeled 'Save Import Steps.' Ensure to check this option.
• After saving the steps, we can locate their name in the Save Imports UI. Identify the name associated with the saved steps.
• "Now, we can execute the code as shown below:"

Private Sub cmdYes_Click()
    Label0.Visible = True
    DoCmd.RunSavedImportExport "Import-DATA.products"
    Label0.Visible = False
End Sub

Actions supported by Cosmos DB Connector

Learn how to perform common Cosmos DB actions directly in MS Access with these how-to guides:

• Create a document in the container
• Create Permission Token for a User (One Table)
• Create User for Database
• Delete a Document by Id
• Get All Documents for a Table
• Get All Users for a Database
• Get Database Information by Id or Name
• Get Document by Id
• Get List of Databases
• Get List of Tables
• Get table information by Id or Name
• Get table partition key ranges
• Get User by Id or Name
• Query documents using Cosmos DB SQL query language
• Update Document in the Container
• Upsert a document in the container
• Generic Request
• Generic Request (Bulk Write)

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Cosmos DB in MS Access and integrate data without any coding, saving you time and effort. It's worth noting that ZappySys API Driver allows you to connect not only to Cosmos DB, but to any Java application that supports JDBC (just use a different JDBC driver and configure it appropriately).

We encourage you to download Cosmos DB Connector for MS Access and see how easy it is to use it for yourself or your team.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact ZappySys support team. You can also open a live chat immediately by clicking on the chat icon below.

Download Cosmos DB Connector for MS Access Documentation

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