Get data from an Access DB

[Stuck1]

Hi,

Everytime I try to get data from an Access DB Power BI crashes (a flickering white square) and I have to go to task manager to shut it down. Is there an add in I require or is this a known issue? I can't find anything on the web. I downloaded this (32bit), but no joy: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13255

Thanks for any help.

[v-yuezhe-msft]

Hi Stuck1,

I can successfully connect to Access DB from Power BI Desktop. In my environment, Power BI Desktop, Access 2013 and operating system are all 64 bit.

What is the bit version of your Access database, Power BI Desktop and operating system? Please make sure that you install the correct bit version of Power BI Desktop, also ensure that the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable you install matches the bitness of Power BI Desktop.

Thanks,
Lydia Zhang

[Stuck1]

Thanks for the reply. I missed it until now. I'm running 64bit Win 7 OS and Access and Excel are both 32bit. Power Bi (Desktop) is 64bit. I'm guessing I'll need to run Access and Excel in 64bit.

Edit: I installed Power Bi (Desktop) 32 bit and that got it working on the networked device. All Office and Power BI are now 32 bit and there are no issues. I also tried the Access Redistributableon on a fat client and that worked. 

[v-yuezhe-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi Stuck1,

You can install the 64-bit Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable using the /passive switch at the command line, which is discussed in this similar blog, then use 64-bit Power BI Desktop to connect to the 32-bit Access database.

Thanks,
Lydia Zhang