# Connecting to Microsoft Excel Databases

ColdFusion lets you access Microsoft Access databases Windows NT, via ODBC and OLE DB drivers.

## Configuring Microsoft Excel Options (Windows)

If ColdFusion Server is installed on a Windows NT server, you can configure Microsoft access databases as ColdFusion data source using either an ODBC or OLE DB driver. For information about using OLE DB drivers with ColdFusion data sources, see "OLE DB Drivers".

| ODBC: Microsoft Excel Options (Windows)

The following table describes ColdFusion ODBC options for Microsoft Excel data sources. You set these options when you configure a ColdFusion data source. See "Adding Data Sources for ColdFusion" for more information

Microsoft Excel ODBC Options
Option | Description
--- | ---
Data Source Name | A name for your ODBC data source.
Description | Descriptive information about the data source.
Workbook/Directory | The path and filename of the Excel workbook you want to use as the ODBC data source.
Version | Enter the version number of the Excel workbook you want to use. ColdFusion supports Excel versions 3.4, 4.0, and 5.0. Note that there is no Excel 97/2000 support.
Driver Settings | Rows to Scan -- The number of rows to scan to determine the data type of each column. The data type is determined given the maximum number of kinds of data found. If data is encountered that does not match the data type guessed for the column, the data type will be returned as a NULL value. Enter a number from 1 to 16 for the rows to scan. The value defaults to 8; if it is set to 0, all rows are scanned. A number outside the limit will return an error.