# Open up an access database without MS Access?



## scandy (Aug 11, 2007)

Is there a way to open up a MS Access database without having access installed on my mac? Any freeware programs, or even something included in Leopard that will do it?


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## kb244 (Apr 23, 2002)

Not many free programs I know of, there are some commercial applications to convert it to formats such as MySQL and so forth. And because its a database its not exactly going to be converted into a spreadsheet of sort (well I supposed you could but each table and such would have to be in separate files, and reports might be omitted). 

What existing database software *do* you have though?


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## scandy (Aug 11, 2007)

I don't have anything right now... these are old db's from when I used to do a lot of ASP / Access websites. Would just like to be able to dig the data out of them.


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## kb244 (Apr 23, 2002)

The best GUI based software I know of for conversion to MySQL and management of MySQL (Getting MySQL installed on OSX isn't difficult, but it would allow you to browse, and export the data perhaps into CSV and such.) is Navicat

Navicat (Product Details) - the Most Popular MySQL access to mysql tool for Windows, Linux & Mac OS X

In googling almost every Access database based convertor and such especially freeware appears to be windows based applications. (access is after all a windows/microsoft based product). 

I used to do a lot of ASP(visual interdev) and VC++/VB work involving Access, MS SQL and Oracle, but that was like back in 2001-2002. I'm primarily PHP/MySQL now as such I don't have access on hand to do any conversions from the software itself.


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## Lichen Software (Jul 23, 2004)

*If just getting data out...*



scandy said:


> I don't have anything right now... these are old db's from when I used to do a lot of ASP / Access websites. Would just like to be able to dig the data out of them.


If you can get onto a windows machine, export each table in a text delimited fashion having the first record as the field name.

From there, you should be able to open them up in just about any database supported by mac. I know just dropping the table onto FileMaker will make a one table file.

That would at least get the data out in readable form.

HTH

Dave


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## scandy (Aug 11, 2007)

Will I need access on my windows laptop to open it? or is there an alternative?


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## Lichen Software (Jul 23, 2004)

*Don't know*

I do not know if there is anything that will open Access files. The idea here, is if you can get them open once and do the export in delimited format, you can move them to your Mac and open them in something else, even excel.

You will not haved the original database functionality, but you will have the data.

If you are more dedicated, you can openin some database, re-establish the relationships and rebuild the functionality too.

Dave


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## minnes (Aug 15, 2001)

Its easiest to export from Access, both the data as csv or tab delimited tables and the table relationships at lest a text description if not an sql file if possible.
You can open up the tables in free web GUIs for MySQL such as phpMYSQL or some variation or even in FileMaker Pro
phpMysql has a easy interface to reset the relationships for the tables so as long as you get the data, unless its a big number of tables then its more work to rework them manually, then you better figure out a better way of export to SQL commands from ACCESS

Ive seen a plug in for access to export or import to external database sources


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## EvanPitts (Mar 9, 2007)

Probably no alternative, Access is a proprietary system and no one knows what all of the tags do...


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