Overview

This article provides a step-by-step guide on configuring and connecting an ODBC MS Access DSN (Data Source Name) in Bold Reports®. The process includes downloading the ODBC driver, setting up the DSN, and configuring the Bold Reports® application to use it. By following the steps in this guide, you can successfully connect an ODBC MS Access DSN to Bold Reports® Designer and visualize your Access database data.

Download and Install the ODBC Driver

To begin, download and install the ODBC driver for MS Access:

1. Download the ODBC driver from the Microsoft website:
   Microsoft Access Database Engine 2016 Redistributable.
2. Open ODBC Data Sources (32-bit) in Windows and select the System DSN tab.
   
   
3. Click “Add” to create a new ODBC DSN. A list of available ODBC drivers will appear.
   
   
4. Choose “Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb, *.accdb)” from the list.
   
   
5. In the setup window, assign a name to the Data Source Name field.
   
   
6. Click “Select” to choose the Access database file you want to configure.
   
   
7. After selecting the AccessDB file, click “Advanced Options”.
   
   
8. Enter the login name and password for the ODBC Access DSN.
   
   
9. Click “OK” to finalize the configuration.
   
   

Once the setup is complete, follow the documentation below to connect the Microsoft Access database in Bold Reports using ODBC: How to connect the database using ODBC ?