How to Link Tables in Microsoft Access 2003

Microsoft Access allows you to link tables in another database. With this feature, you can program and execute queries against the other database tables and view the results within the Access database. Linking databases is beneficial for users who have multiple database platforms and want to integrate the data from external databases into the local Access queries. You can link to Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL or any other database engine.

Instructions

1. Double-click your Access database to open the database and load the Access database software.

2. Click the "File" menu item at the top of your Access database software. Select "Get External Data" to open a configuration dialog window.

3. Select your database, which can be another Access database or a server engine. Then click the "Link" button. If you selected another server engine such as Oracle or SQL Server, enter the user name and password provided by your database administrator and click "OK."

4. Click on each table you want to view from your Access database. The tables shown are the ones programmed into the external database.

5. Click "OK" to close the connection wizard and display the tables in your Access database. Double-click a table to test your link and view the table data.

References

• Tech on the Net: MS Access: Link to a table in another database in Access 2003/XP/2000/97