Question

I’ve been using Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0 and Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0 to read in .csv, .xls, and .xlsx files.

I just found out that neither of these technologies are supported in native 64bit mode!

I have 2 questions:

1. What is the supported way to
   programatically read .csv, .xls, and
   .xlsx files in 64 bit mode. I just
   can’t find answers to this anywhere.

2. If I can’t read in all three file
   types, what is the best way to read
   in .csv files in a 64 bit
   environment?

Notes:

• I’m using .NET (3.5p1)
• This is a shrink wrap app; redistribution is a
  key factor.

Update:

I can use CorFlags to force the application to run in 32bit mode, which works, but is not desirable.

Answer 1

Here is a discussion of what to do about deprecated MDAC. I am afraid the answer is not very satisfying …

These new or converted Jet
applications can continue to use Jet
with the intention of using Microsoft
Office 2003 and earlier files (.mdb
and .xls) for non-primary data
storage. However, for these
applications, you should plan to
migrate from Jet to the 2007 Office
System Driver. You can download the
2007 Office System Driver, which
allows you to read from and write to
pre-existing files in either Office
2003 (.mdb and .xls) or the Office
2007 (*.accdb, *.xlsm, *.xlsx and
*.xlsb) file formats. IMPORTANT Please read the 2007 Office System End User
License Agreement for specific usage
limitations.

Note: SQL Server applications can also
access the 2007 Office System, and
earlier, files from SQL Server
heterogeneous data connectivity and
Integrations Services capabilities as
well, via the 2007 Office System
Driver. Additionally, 64-bit SQL
Server applications can access to
32-bit Jet and 2007 Office System
files by using 32-bit SQL Server
Integration Services (SSIS) on 64-bit
Windows.