Use 16-bit Microsoft Access as a frontend with SQL Server as a backend through ODBC.

Using Access as a frontend with SQL Server as a backend isn't anything new, but I was curious when did Microsoft first support this?

If I am not misreading Wikipedia, linking directly to data stored in databases started in Access 2007 as stated here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Access#Import_or_link_sources

But I don't believe that. Time to put that to the test with a 16-bit version of Access!

I tried Access 2.0 (on Windows For Workgroups 3.11) and tried to link to a table in SQL Server 7 on NT 4. All the features seemed present but I kept getting ODBC errors and spent days attempting so many configurations. I tried Access 97 on NT 3.51 with SQL Server 7 on NT 4 and still, ODBC errors even with all the latest service packs. The pairing would have worked with Access 97 on NT 4 and SQL Server 7 on NT 4 I bet! But I didn't bother trying that as I wanted to get as retro as I possible can, but I was too chicken to go Access 1.0 and thought Access 2.0 would be cool to try.

I finally got it working with the following pairing and everything just worked immediately on a first try:

Access 2.0 on Windows for Workgroups 3.11
SQL Server 6.0 on Windows NT 3.51

I mean wow, 16-bit Access as a front end for SQL Server 6.0 for a 1990s client-server office experience.
Turn up the techno.

Lessons learned: Sometimes you have to just match up the eras.
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