MDAC, Jet, and SQL (Resolved)

Am I to understand that a .NET app that uses the SqlClient namespace requires MDAC 2.6 or greater for the client? A number of clients have MDAC 2.5 and what I don't want is to install 2.6 or later (which doesn't include Jet) and break applications that need Jet.

Or am I missing something altogether?

MDAC 'geneally' does a decent job of backwards compatiblity. Well at least the more recent versions do. So it shouldn't break anything to install the newer MDAC version. Sorry I don't know whether or not the SQLClient data tools work without MDAC 2.6 or not. Is there a test machine you can install and run the app on and see if it works without 2.6? The doesn't include Jet part shouldn't apply unless the client doesn't have a previous version of MDAC with Jet. I don't think MDAC 2.6 or 2.7 removes Jet, it just doesn't install it.

So if I'm reading you right, you're saying that the newer MDACs just don't have a new version of Jet - not they delete old ones? Caveat emptor of course.

What I did to arrive at my MDAC conclusion was running a very basic app - just a connectin and query - got a debug message that it req'd 2.6 and up.

I was under the (obviously now) mistaken impression that installation of the .NET framework would sort of fix everything - that if you weren't doing anything special (say referencing a COM object) the framework would take care of itself. Sigh. SOSDD.

Thanks.

That is my understanding of the MDAC situation anyway. That MDAC no longer contains Jet as part of the installation past version 2.6, or at least part of Jet.

Read numer 18
http://support.microsoft.com/default...26setupfaq.asp

Here is info on getting Jet updates
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];239114

So it occurred to me last night that I'm maybe borderline retarded. If I installed MDAC 2.7 for VS.NET and it didn't break any of my Jet-run apps, why would I expect it to break on other boxes? Thanks for your help.

BTW, a useful link for adding MDAC as a part of your deployment project: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...Components.asp