CHOOSING DRIVERS FOR
MICROSOFT ACCESS
COMPATIBILITY
Exchanging data between Micromine and Microsoft Access requires drivers that match the
Micromine architecture (e.g. you need 64-bit Access drivers to exchange data with Micromine 64bit). The 64-bit and 32-bit Office suites (and their corresponding drivers) cannot coexist, potentially
causing a driver mismatch between Micromine and Microsoft Office:


Micromine 32-bit with Office 64-bit (unlikely)
Micromine 64-bit with Office 32-bit (common)
The simplest way to overcome a driver mismatch is to use the corresponding Micromine
architecture (e.g. Micromine 32-bit with Office 32-bit). Alternatively, this page describes other
methods for resolving the mismatch. The situation is made slightly more complex by Microsoft’s
haphazard approach to releasing drivers.
This page only applies to data exchange between Micromine and Microsoft Access. The following
steps are not necessary if you do not rely on third-party data in Access format.
The compatibility requirement applies to any external data source, such as an ODBC database. In all
cases you must choose drivers that match the Micromine architecture.
Office 2010 (32-bit): The worst-case Scenario
There is no pathway for obtaining 64-bit drivers when Office 2010 (32-bit) is installed. In this
situation your only alternatives are to:


Use Micromine 32-bit whenever you need to exchange data, or
Uninstall Office 2010 (32-bit) and install Office 2010 (64-bit) or Office 2013 (64-bit).
Given that Micromine 64-bit and Micromine 32-bit can happily coexist we recommend the first
alternative.
Office 32-bit (any other version) with Micromine 64-bit
You must manually install 64-bit Access drivers to exchange data with Micromine 64-bit when Office
32-bit is already installed. These drivers may be downloaded using one of the links at the bottom of
this page, but they must be for a different Office version than the installed 32-bit Office. Refer to
Installation Pathways below for instructions on choosing the right driver version.
Office 64-bit (Office 2010 or 2013) with Micromine 32-bit
The same rules apply to this less common scenario. You must manually install 32-bit Access drivers
to exchange data between Micromine 32-bit when Office 64-bit is already installed. Otherwise the
procedure is the same as for Office 32-bit with Micromine 64-bit.
Office 365
By default Office 365 does not install any drivers. You must manually install Access drivers to
exchange data with Micromine, and we recommend installing the Office 2007 32-bit Access drivers
along with the Office 2010 64-bit drivers for maximum compatibility. Alternatively, choose the
Access drivers that match your intended Micromine architecture.
Installation Pathways
Table 1 lists the possible installation pathways for the various Micromine/Office versions and
architectures that provide compatibility with both Micromine 32-bit and 64-bit. To use it, find the
currently installed Office and Micromine versions and then inspect the cell(s) at the intersection of
that row and column. For example, with Micromine 32-bit and Office 2013 (64-bit) already installed,
either the Office 2007 (32-bit) or the Office 2010 (32-bit) drivers may be installed to provide 32-bit
compatibility.
TABLE 1: INSTALLATION PATHWAYS FOR ALTERNATIVE ACCESS DRIVERS
Installed Office
version
2007 32-bit
2010 32-bit
2010 64-bit
2013 32-bit
2013 64-bit
Office 365
Installed Micromine version
32-bit
64-bit
Possible Office driver candidates
2007 32-bit
2010 32-bit
2010 64-bit
Ideal driver installation combination
Worst case. No installation pathway
No benefits
Special care needed when installing drivers 1
These combinations may change if Microsoft releases new drivers or improves the compatibility of existing
driver installations.
Note (1): The Access 2010 64-bit driver must be installed from a command prompt passing the
special /passive flag, e.g.:
CD c:/<downloaded location>
AccessDatabaseEngine_x64.exe /passive
Download Links
Access 2010
Access 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit) drivers from the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010
Redistributable installer:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-au/download/details.aspx?id=13255
To install an Access 2010 driver, click the Download button and then choose the required
architecture from the list; AccessDatabaseEngine.exe is the 32-bit version and
AccessDatabaseEngine_x64 is the 64-bit version.
Access 2007
Access 2007 (32-bit) drivers from the 2007 Office System Driver: Data Connectivity Components
installer.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-au/download/details.aspx?id=23734
To install the Access 2007 driver, click the Download button.