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Connect to Access data in Ruby with ruby-dbi, dbd-odbc, and ruby-odbc.
The CData ODBC Driver for Access makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Access data in Ruby. This article shows how to create a simple Ruby app that connects to Access data, executes a query, and displays the results.
Create an ODBC Connection to Access Data
If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.
To connect, set the DataSource property to the path to the Access database.
Installing Ruby and Necessary Gems
If you do not have Ruby installed, refer to the Ruby installation page. With Ruby installed, you will need to install the ruby-dbi, dbd-odbc, and ruby-odbc gems:
gem install dbi
gem install dbd-odbc
gem install ruby-odbc
Create a Ruby App with Connectivity to Access Data
Create a new Ruby file (for example: AccessSelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:
#connect to the DSN
require 'dbi'
cnxn = DBI.connect('DBI:ODBC:CData Access Source','','')
#execute a SELECT query and store the result set
resultSet = cnxn.execute("SELECT Orders.Freight, Customers.ContactName FROM Customers INNER JOIN Orders ON Customers.CustomerId=Orders.CustomerId")
#display the names of the columns
resultSet.column_names.each do |name|
print name, "\t"
end
puts
#display the results
while row = resultSet.fetch do
(0..resultSet.column_names.size - 1).each do |n|
print row[n], "\t"
end
puts
end
resultSet.finish
#close the connection
cnxn.disconnect if cnxn
With the file completed, you are ready to display your Access data with Ruby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:
ruby AccessSelect.rb
Writing SQL-92 queries to Access allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Access data into your own Ruby applications. Download a free trial today!