Microsoft now offers SQL Server Express as an option for limited access to *.mdf archives of MS SQL Server databases. Whether free use licensing includes your proposed use, I can't say. Even so I'd explore that route before ODBC unless you are willing to license SAS/Access. S

-----Original Message----- From: owner-sas-l@listserv.uga.edu [mailto:owner-sas-l@listserv.uga.edu] On Behalf Of Friar Broccoli Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 2:36 PM To: sas-l@uga.edu Subject: Reading MS SQL Server files

In my work I am more and more frequently receiving data in "MS SQL Server" files which usually have the extension *.mdf.

At present I take a (fairly long) walk and visit a person in my building who has "MS SQL Server" installed on his machine He then converts the files to Access (*.mdb) file format, which I know how to read directly with SAS.

So my questions are:

1- Is there some way of reading MS SQL tables directly with sas without having "MS SQL Server" installed?

2- I understand that one can read *.mdf files from SAS with an ODBC driver for SQL Server. Is it possible to obtain such a driver at a small cost or for free?

Thanks;