Accessing Linked Excel Server

I created a linked Excel server that is stored in a SQL2000 database.

I can run the following from the SQL server with no problem.

Select * From CSCNEDI...EDI$

When I try and run the select from my WinXP computer I get the following from both SQL2000 Query Analyzer or SQL2005 Management Studio (these are configured for client access)

[OLE/DB provider returned message: Unspecified error]

OLE DB error trace [OLE/DB Provider 'Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0' IDBInitialize::Initialize returned 0x80004005: ].

Msg 7399, Level 16, State 1, Line 1 OLE DB provider 'Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0' reported an error.

Thanks

David Davis

Schuette Inc.

Hi, David,

The error above simply indicates a failure of the Provider to open a "connection", in this case - the MDB file. Unfortunately, this is quite generic. How are you connecting to the SQL Server? Are you using SQL or NT Authentication? Is your Excel file local on the SQL box or is it on a file share? What we might be facing here seems to be an authentication problem. Here're a couple of ideas:

== If the Excel file is on a share, try to put it locally on the SQL box (reconfigure the linked server) and try the query from the workstation again

== If you are using NT authentication, try using SQL authentication to see if this changes the effect

== To confirm if this is an authentication/permission issue, use FileMon tool (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/FileAndDisk/Filemon.mspx) and capture the file activity when you get the failure (a good idea is to recycle SQL Server and capture the first attempt). Check the log for your excel file name and for error like "Access Denied".

HTH,

Jivko Dobrev - MSFT
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