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)
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.