Free online SQL to ACCDB converter

Microsoft Access applications require an .accdb database instead of a SQL script or dump. Converting the data makes it available for Access tables, queries, forms, reports, and local editing.

What the SQL format is

An .sql file is usually a plain-text script containing statements such as CREATE TABLE, INSERT, index definitions, views, and sometimes procedures or server configuration commands. SQL is not one standardized file container: exports from MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server, and other systems use different dialects.

Database administrators, developers, backup tools, and command-line utilities such as mysqldump and pg_dump create SQL files. A script normally has to be executed by its compatible database engine before its tables can be imported into Access. An SQL dump can contain data and structure, but it does not necessarily contain every object or setting from the original database.

What the ACCDB format is

.accdb is the Microsoft Access database format introduced with Access 2007. One file can contain tables, relationships, indexes, saved queries, forms, reports, macros, and other Access objects.

ACCDB is suitable when data must be opened and edited in Microsoft Access or accessed through the Microsoft Access Database Engine (ACE). It supports Unicode, attachment fields, and multivalued fields, but it does not directly preserve every server-database feature. A single ACCDB file has a 2 GB maximum size, excluding system space.

How to convert SQL to ACCDB

Use 101convert.com

1. Open the SQL-to-ACCDB converter on 101convert.com.
2. Upload the .sql file and start the conversion.
3. Download the generated .accdb file, open it in Microsoft Access, and verify the tables, row counts, field types, indexes, and relationships.

This option requires no installed database software and is suitable only when the converter supports the SQL dialect and statements in the file. Dumps containing stored procedures, triggers, vendor-specific data types, or commands that require a live server may need the database-engine method below.

Restore the source database and import through Access

1. Identify the SQL dialect and the program that created the dump. Do not execute an unknown script.
2. Install or access the matching database engine, then restore the script. For a SQLite dump, create or open a database with sqlite3 source.db and run .read dump.sql. Import MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQL Server dumps with the corresponding server or command-line tools.
3. Install the appropriate ODBC driver for the restored database. Its 32-bit or 64-bit architecture must match the installed version of Microsoft Access.
4. Create a blank database using File → New → Blank database.
5. Select External Data → New Data Source → From Other Sources → ODBC Database.
6. Choose Import the source data into a new table in the current database, select the ODBC data source, and connect to the restored database.
7. Select the tables and complete the import wizard. Save the result as an .accdb file.

Importing copies data into Access. Linking tables through ODBC leaves the data in the source database and stores links in Access instead; linked tables are not a self-contained ACCDB copy. Access import specifications can be saved for repeated imports.

Adapt a small script for Access

A short script containing compatible CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements can sometimes be adapted and run in Access. Open Create → Query Design → SQL View, then execute compatible statements individually. Server dumps generally cannot be pasted into Access unchanged.

Before execution, replace database-specific quoting, identity or auto-increment syntax, Boolean definitions, date literals, type declarations, functions, and transaction commands. Access SQL differs from MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and SQL Server SQL, so syntax must be checked statement by statement.

Quality and compatibility limits

• Basic tables and rows usually transfer more reliably than views, stored procedures, triggers, functions, permissions, scheduled jobs, and server-side authentication. Recreate unsupported behavior as Access queries, macros, or VBA where appropriate.
• SQL types do not map uniformly to Access. PostgreSQL arrays and JSON, MySQL unsigned integers, SQL Server datetime2, spatial types, and custom types may need conversion to text, numeric, date/time, or binary fields.
• Verify primary keys, foreign keys, unique indexes, nullability, default values, field lengths, character encoding, and duplicate or truncated names. Relationships are not always imported automatically.
• Access has different limits and query behavior from server engines, including date literals, wildcard characters, joins, aggregate functions, concurrency, and transaction handling.
• Check that the imported database remains below the 2 GB ACCDB limit. After validation, run Database Tools → Compact and Repair Database, then compare representative records and row counts with the source.