Salesforce Connector for MS Access Salesforce Connector can be used to extract/load large amount of data from/in Salesforce.com without any programming. You can use simple Table mode or Query mode with full SOQL query language support (SOQL=Salesforce.com Object Query Language). In this article you will learn how to quickly and efficiently integrate Salesforce data in MS Access without coding. We will use high-performance Salesforce Connector to easily connect to Salesforce and then access the data inside MS Access. Let's follow the steps below to see how we can accomplish that! Download Documentation Salesforce Connector for MS Access is based on ZappySys Salesforce 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 Salesforce in other apps Connect to Salesforce in SSIS Connect to Salesforce in SQL Server Connect to Salesforce in Power BI Connect to Salesforce in SSRS Connect to Salesforce in Informatica Connect to Salesforce in MS Excel Connect to Salesforce in SSAS Connect to Salesforce in C# Connect to Salesforce in Python Connect to Salesforce in JAVA Connect to Salesforce in Tableau Connect to Salesforce in SAP Crystal Reports Connect to Salesforce in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) Connect to Salesforce in Azure Data Factory (SSIS) Connect to Salesforce in Talend Studio Connect to Salesforce in UiPath Connect to Salesforce in PowerShell Connect to Salesforce in ODBC

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

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Salesforce using MS Access we first need to create a DSN (Data Source) which will access data from Salesforce. 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 Salesforce Driver

   ZappySys Salesforce 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. Now, we need SalesForce Connection. Lets create it.

5. Now, When you see DSN Config Editor with zappysys logo first thing you need to do is change default DSN Name at the top and Click on Preview Tab, Select Table from Tables Dropdown or you can enter or modify a SOQL query and click on Preview Data.
   This example shows how to write simple SOQL query (Salesforce Object Query Language). It uses WHERE clause. For more SOQL Queries click here.
   SOQL is similar to database SQL query language but much simpler and many features you use in database query may not be supported in SOQL (Such as JOIN clause not supported). But you can use following Queries for Insert, Update, Delete and Upsert(Update or Insert record if not found).

   SELECT * FROM Account WHERE Name like '%Oil%'
   

6. 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:

   SalesforceDSN

   

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.

   SalesforceDSN

   

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

Query Examples

This guide provides examples for using the ZappySys Salesforce ODBC Driver to perform bulk API operations and DML (Data Manipulation Language) actions on Salesforce. You’ll learn how to leverage the Bulk API to insert, update, upsert, and delete large datasets from external sources such as MSSQL, CSV, Oracle, and other ODBC-compatible systems. By using external IDs and lookup fields, you can easily map data from your source systems to Salesforce. These examples will help you execute high-performance operations efficiently using EnableBulkMode, EXTERNAL options, and more.

Bulk Mode - Insert Large Volume of Data from External Source (e.g., MSSQL) into Salesforce

INSERT INTO Account
SOURCE (
    'MSSQL',
    'Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=tempdb;Integrated Security=true',
    'SELECT TOP 1000000 
         C_NAME AS Name,
         C_CITY AS BillingCity,
         C_LOC AS NumberofLocations__c  
     FROM very_large_staging_table'
)
WITH (
    Output = 1,
    EnableBulkMode = 1
)

-- Notes:
-- 'MSSQL': External driver type (MSSQL, ODBC, OLEDB)
-- Output: Enables capturing __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage
-- EnableBulkMode: Improves performance with bulk batches (uses 10000 rows per batch rather than 200)

Bulk Mode - Insert Records with Lookup Field (Read from External Source)

INSERT INTO Account
SOURCE (
    'MSSQL',
    'Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=tempdb;Integrated Security=true',
    'SELECT TOP 1000000 
         Account_Name as Name,
         AccountOwnerId as [Owner.ExternalId]
     FROM very_large_staging_table'
)
WITH (
    Output = 1,
    EnableBulkMode = 1
)

-- Notes:
-- 'MSSQL': External driver type (MSSQL, ODBC, OLEDB)
-- Output: Enables capturing __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage
-- EnableBulkMode: Improves performance with bulk batches (uses 10000 rows per batch rather than 200)

Bulk Mode - Delete Large Volume of Data (Read IDs from External Source)

DELETE FROM Account
SOURCE (
    'MSSQL',
    'Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=tempdb;Integrated Security=true',
    'SELECT TOP 1000000 
         Account_ID as Id
     FROM very_large_staging_table'
)
WITH (
    Output = 1,
    EnableBulkMode = 1
)

-- Notes:
-- 'MSSQL': External driver type (MSSQL, ODBC, OLEDB)
-- Output: Enables capturing __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage
-- EnableBulkMode: Improves performance with bulk batches (uses 10000 rows per batch rather than 200)

Bulk Mode - Update Large Volume of Data (Read from External Source)

UPDATE Account
SOURCE (
    'MSSQL',
    'Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=tempdb;Integrated Security=true',
    'SELECT TOP 1000000 
         Account_ID as Id,
         Account_Name as Name,
         City as BillingCity
     FROM very_large_staging_table'
)
WITH (
    Output = 1,
    EnableBulkMode = 1
)

-- Notes:
-- 'MSSQL': External driver type (MSSQL, ODBC, OLEDB)
-- Output: Enables capturing __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage
-- EnableBulkMode: Improves performance with bulk batches (uses 10000 rows per batch rather than 200)

Bulk Mode - Update Lookup Field (Read from External Source)

UPDATE Account
SOURCE (
    'MSSQL',
    'Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=tempdb;Integrated Security=true',
    'SELECT TOP 1000000 
         Account_ID as Id,
         Account_Name as Name,
         AccountOwnerId as [Owner.ExternalId]
     FROM very_large_staging_table'
)
WITH (
    Output = 1,
    EnableBulkMode = 1
)

-- Notes:
-- 'MSSQL': External driver type (MSSQL, ODBC, OLEDB)
-- Output: Enables capturing __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage
-- EnableBulkMode: Improves performance with bulk batches (uses 10000 rows per batch rather than 200)

External Input from ODBC - Insert Multiple Rows from ODBC Source (e.g., CSV) into Salesforce

INSERT INTO Account
SOURCE (
    'ODBC',  -- External driver type: MSSQL, ODBC, or OLEDB
    'Driver={ZappySys CSV Driver};DataPath=c:\somefile.csv',  -- ODBC connection string
    '
    SELECT 
        Acct_Name AS Name,
        Billing_City AS BillingCity,
        Locations AS NumberofLocations__c
    FROM $
    WITH (
        -- Either use SRC to point to a file or use inline DATA. Comment out one as needed.
        
        -- Examples:
        -- SRC = ''c:\file_1.csv''
        -- SRC = ''c:\some*.csv''
        -- SRC = ''https://abc.com/api/somedata-in-csv''

        DATA = ''Acct_Name,Billing_City,Locations
        Account001,City001,1
        Account002,City002,2
        Account003,City003,3''
    )'
)
-- Notes:
-- Column aliases in SELECT must match Salesforce target fields.
-- Preview the Account object to verify available fields.

WITH (
    Output = 1,                -- Capture __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage for each record
    -- EnableBulkMode = 1,     -- Use Bulk API (recommended for 5,000+ rows)
    EnableParallelThreads = 1, -- Use multiple threads for real-time inserts
    MaxParallelThreads = 6     -- Set maximum number of threads
)

DML - Upsert Lookup Field Value Using External ID Instead of Salesforce ID

[relationship_name.external_id_field_name(child_object_name)]

Owner.SomeExternalId__c(User)

relationship_name.external_id_field_name

FieldName = null

AccountId = null

relation_name.external_id_name(target_table) = null

-- Upsert record into Salesforce Account object
UPSERT INTO Account (
    Name,
    BillingCity,
    [Owner.SomeExternalId__c(User)]  -- Use external ID field on related Owner (User) object
)
VALUES (
    'mycompany name',
    'New York',
    'K100'  -- External ID value of the User (Owner)
)
WITH (
    KEY = 'SupplierId__c',  -- External ID field used for UPSERT on Account object
    Output = 1              -- Return __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage for result diagnostics
)

Supported WITH Properties in BULK Mode

When using the ZappySys Salesforce ODBC Driver with BULK mode, you can pass additional options using the WITH clause to customize behavior.
Here are other supported properties commonly used BULK mode:

INSERT INTO Account/UPDATE Account/DELETE FROM Account
SOURCE(...)
WITH(
Output=1 /*Other values can be Output='*' , Output=1 , Output=0 , Output='Col1,Col2...ColN'.  When Output option is supplied then error is not thrown but you can capture status and message in __RowStatus and __ErrorMessage output columns*/
,EnableBulkMode=1 --use Job Style Bulk API (uses 10000 rows per batch rather than 200)
--,MaxRowsPerJob=500000 --useful to control memory footprint in driver
--,ConcurrencyMode='Default' /* or 'Parallel' or 'Serial' - Must set BulkApiVersion=2 to use this, Bulk API V1 doesnt support this yet. If you get locking errors then change to Serial*/
--,BulkApiVersion=2 --default is V1
--,IgnoreFieldsIfInputNull=1 --Set this option to True if you wish to ignore fields if input value is NULL. By default target field is set to NULL if input value is NULL.
--,FieldsToSetNullIfInputNull='SomeColum1,SomeColumn5,SomeColumn7' --Comma separated CRM entity field names which you like to set as NULL when input value is NULL. This option is ignored if IgnoreFieldsIfInputNull is not set to True.
--,AssignmentRuleId='xxxxx' --rule id to invoke on value assignment
--,UseDefaultAssignmentRule=1 --sets whether you like to use default rule
--,AllOrNone=1 --If true, any failed records in a call cause all changes for the call to be rolled back. Record changes aren't committed unless all records are processed successfully. The default is false. Some records can be processed successfully while others are marked as failed in the call results.
--,OwnerChangeOptions='option1,option2...optionN' -- use one or more options from below. Use '-n' suffix to disable option execution e.g. TransferOpenActivities-n
-->>> Available owner change options: EnforceNewOwnerHasReadAccess,TransferOpenActivities,TransferNotesAndAttachments,TransferOthersOpenOpportunities,TransferOwnedOpenOpportunities,TransferOwnedClosedOpportunities,TransferOwnedOpenCases,TransferAllOwnedCases,TransferContracts,TransferOrders,TransferContacts,TransferArticleOwnedPublishedVersion,TransferArticleOwnedArchivedVersions,TransferArticleAllVersions,KeepAccountTeam,KeepSalesTeam,KeepSalesTeamGrantCurrentOwnerReadWriteAccess,SendEmail
-->>> For more information visit https://zappysys.com/link/?id=10141
--,AllowFieldTruncation=1 --If true, truncate field values that are too long, which is the behavior in API versions 14.0 and earlier.
--,AllowSaveOnDuplicates=1 --Set to true to save the duplicate record. Set to false to prevent the duplicate record from being saved.
--,EnableParallelThreads=1 --Enables sending Data in multiple threads to speedup. This option is ignored when bulk mode enabled (i.e. EnableBulkMode=1)
--,MaxParallelThreads=6 --Maximum threads to spin off to speedup write operation. This option is ignored when bulk mode enabled (i.e. EnableBulkMode=1)
--,TempStorageMode='Disk' --or 'Memory'. Use this option to overcome OutOfMemory Error if you processing many rows. This option enables how Temp Storage is used for query processing. Available options 'Disk' or 'Memory' (Default is Memory)
)

More Examples and Documentation

Conclusion

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

We encourage you to download Salesforce 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 Salesforce Connector for MS Access Documentation

More integrations

Other connectors for MS Access

Amazon Ads

Amazon Athena

Amazon Selling Partner (SP-API)

Apache Derby

Apache Hive

Apache Spark

Asana

Azure DevOps

Cosmos DB

DropBox

ElasticSearch

FastSpring

Google Ads

Google BigQuery

Google Calendar

Google Drive

Google Sheets

Hubspot

Infor Data Lake

Jira

Mailchimp

ManagedEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho)

MariaDB

OData

OneDrive

Outlook Mail (Office 365)

Power BI

ServiceNow

SharePoint Online

Shopify

Smartsheet

Starburst

Stripe

Trino

YouTube

Zendesk

Zoho CRM

Zoho SalesIQ

Zoom

REST API

JSON

JSON File

XML

SOAP

XML File

JDBC-ODBC Bridge

Salesforce

CSV

Amazon S3 JSON File

Amazon S3 XML File

Amazon S3 CSV File

Azure Blob JSON File

Azure Blob XML File

Azure Blob CSV File

FTP/SFTP JSON File

FTP/SFTP XML File

FTP/SFTP CSV File

Build your own Custom API Connector

Other application integration scenarios for Salesforce

SSIS

SQL Server

Power BI

SSRS

Informatica

MS Excel

SSAS

C#

Python

JAVA

Tableau

SAP Crystal Reports

Azure Data Factory (Pipeline)

Azure Data Factory (SSIS)

Talend Studio

UiPath

PowerShell

ODBC

Common Searches: