Released: Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server

03/30/2018

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We are pleased to announce the release of the Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server, as we had previously announced! This new driver follows the same release model as all the other SQL Server drivers, which means that it’s maintained out-of-band with the SQL Server Database Engine lifecycle. You can download the new driver here.

The new Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server is the 3rd generation of OLE DB Drivers for SQL Server, introduces multi-subnet failover capabilities, and keeps up with the existing feature set of SQL Server Native Client (SNAC) 11*, including the latest TLS 1.2 standards. As such, backwards compatibility with applications currently using SNAC 11 is maintained in this new release.

This new Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server (msoledbsql) supports connectivity to SQL Server (versions 2012 to 2017), Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Data Warehouse. Also, keep in mind SNAC OLE DB (sqlncli) and MDAC/WDAC OLE DB (sqloledb) continues to be deprecated. For more information, refer to the page OLE DB Driver for SQL Server.

As part of the new release, OLE DB documentation was also reviewed and updated, available in OLE DB Driver for SQL Server Programming.

* Note that SNAC 11 does not support features released with SQL Server 2014 and SQL Server 2016 that were not available as part of SQL Server 2012, such as Transparent Network IP Resolution, Always Encrypted, Azure AD Authentication, Bulk Copy and Table Value Parameters.

To use the new driver in existing applications, you should plan to convert your connection strings from sqlncli<x> or sqloledb, to msoledbsql. For example, for a trusted connection using SQL Native Client (SNAC11), plan to convert from:

Provider=SQLNCLI11; Server=myServerName\theInstanceName;Database=myDataBase;

Trusted_Connection=yes;

to:

Provider=MSOLEDBSQL; Server=myServerName\theInstanceName; Database=myDataBase;

Trusted_Connection=yes;

For a trusted connection using the MDAC/WDAC OLE DB Provider for SQL Server, plan to convert from:

Provider=sqloledb; Data Source=myServerName\theInstanceName;

Initial Catalog=myDataBase; Integrated Security=SSPI;

to:

Provider=MSOLEDBSQL; Server=myServerName\theInstanceName; Database=myDataBase;

Trusted_Connection=yes;

Pedro Lopes (@SQLPedro) – Senior Program Manager