Using the OLE DB Driver for SQL Server header and library files

Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance Azure Synapse Analytics Analytics Platform System (PDW)

Download OLE DB driver

The header and library files for OLE DB Driver for SQL Server are installed when the OLE DB Driver for SQL Server SDK option is selected during installation process. When developing an application, it's important to copy and install all of the required files for development to your development environment. For more information about installing and redistributing OLE DB Driver for SQL Server, see Installing OLE DB Driver for SQL Server.

The header and library files for OLE DB Driver for SQL Server are installed in the following location:

%PROGRAM FILES%\Microsoft SQL Server\Client SDK\OLEDB<major_version><minor_version>\SDK

The OLE DB Driver for SQL Server header file (msoledbsql.h) can be used to add OLE DB Driver for SQL Server data access functionality to your custom applications. The OLE DB Driver for SQL Server header file contains all of the definitions, attributes, properties, and interfaces needed to take advantage of the new features introduced in SQL Server 2005 (9.x).

In addition to the OLE DB Driver for SQL Server header file, there's also a msoledbsql19.lib/msoledbsql.lib library file, which is the export library for OpenSqlFilestream functionality.

The OLE DB Driver for SQL Server header file is backwards compatible with the sqloledb.h header file used with Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC), but doesn't contain CLSIDs for SQLOLEDB (the OLE DB provider for SQL Server included with MDAC) or symbols for XML functionality (which isn't supported by OLE DB Driver for SQL Server).

OLE DB applications that use the OLE DB Driver for SQL Server only need to reference msoledbsql.h. If an application uses both MDAC (SQLOLEDB) and the OLE DB Driver for SQL Server, it can reference both sqloledb.h and msoledbsql.h, but the reference to sqloledb.h must come first.

Using the OLE DB Driver for SQL Server header file

To use the OLE DB Driver for SQL Server header file, you must use an include statement within your C/C++ programming code. The following sections describe how to do it in OLE DB applications.

Note

The OLE DB Driver for SQL Server header and library files can only be compiled using Visual Studio C++ 2012 or later.

OLE DB

To use the OLE DB Driver for SQL Server header file in an OLE DB application, using the following lines of programming code:

include "msoledbsql.h";

Note

If the application has an include statement for sqloledb.h, the include statement for msoledbsql.h must come after it.

When creating a connection to a data source through OLE DB Driver 19 for SQL Server, use "MSOLEDBSQL19" as the provider name string.

When creating a connection to a data source through OLE DB Driver 18 for SQL Server, use "MSOLEDBSQL" as the provider name string.

Component names and properties by version

Property	OLE DB Driver 19 for SQL Server	OLE DB Driver for SQL Server	MDAC
OLE DB PROGID	MSOLEDBSQL19	MSOLEDBSQL	SQLOLEDB
OLE DB header file name	msoledbsql.h	msoledbsql.h	Sqloledb.h
OLE DB provider DLL	msoledbsql19.dll	msoledbsql.dll	Sqloledb.dll

Static Linking and BCP Functions

When an application uses BCP functions, it's important for the application to specify in the connection string the driver from the same version that shipped with the header file and library used to compile the application.

For more information, see Performing Performing Bulk Copy Operations.

See also

Building applications with OLE DB Driver for SQL Server