So I
1. downloaded the odbc drive from the oracle site, "Connector ODBC 5.2"
2. created a user datasource that tested successfully in ODBC Datasources Administrator
3. created a new db in access
4. External Data->More->odbc database->Link ..., selected the datasource i created

and got "ODBC - call failed" Data source name not found ....

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Installing and Configuring Windows MySQL ODBC Drivers
The following must be done on your own PC.
If you are using MS Access 2000, it may be necessary to patch your MS Jet 4.0 database engine before continuing. See the following, for more information.

MS Product Support Services: Jet 4.0 Bug Explanation
MS Product Support Services: Jet 4.0 Service Pack 5

Install the necessary MySQL ODBC driver on your PC:

Windows 95/98
Windows NT/2000

Unzip the driver and then run the setup program for the driver.

Configure the MySQL driver for use.

Windows 2000
Click "Start", point to "Settings", and then click "Control Panel". Double click "Administrative Tools" and then double click "Data Sources (ODBC)".

Windows 95/98/NT
To do this go to your Control Panel (start -> setttings -> control panel) and double click on ODBC icon.

Then select whether you want to configure the ODBC driver for use by a single user or for use by every user on the computer. The first tab, "User DSN" is for only a specific user and can only be used on your specific computer. The second tab, "System DSN" is used to configure the ODBC driver for all users on your computer. Depending on which you choose to use, you will then click the add button on the right side. By clicking the add button you will be given a choice of drivers you can set up for a data source. You should find MySQL in the list. Select MySQL and click finish.

The TDX mysql driver default configuration screen will then appear. You will want to fill out the fields with the appropriate information.

Windows DNS Name
Type a name for this particular driver that you will be using for MySQL. The name is something of your choosing. (example: everyoneMySQL)

Server
This is the name of the Virtual Server you will be publishing your database to. (example: myserver.net)

MySQL Database Name
This needs to be the name of the MySQL database you will be connecting to.

User
This needs to be the username for the MySQL database you will be connecting to.

Password
Simply the password, if applicable for the MySQL user in the field above.

Port (if not 3306)
If you are behind a Firewall you will need to open up port 3306 or another port you specify or it will not work correctly.

Exporting an MS Access Database to MySQL
Using these Windows MySQL ODBC drivers you can export Microsoft Access databases from your PC directly to your Virtual Server running MySQL.
Install MySQL on your Virtual Server. Be aware that you will need to consult the MySQL documentation for information on using MySQL.

Add a user, with password privileges if you like, to your MySQL database. See section 6.14 Adding new user privileges to MySQL of the MySQL Reference Manual.

Open up MS Access and create or select the database you want to move to your Virtual Server in the Tables section. Once you have selected the appropriate table, select Save As/Export under File. This will allow you to select the "To an External File or Database" option. Click OK.

The Save Table screen will appear. You will want to select the field and then change the "Save as type" to ODBC Databases and click Export.

The Export screen appears. The "Export Addresses to:" should simply be the name you want to call this specific database table on the Virtual Server.

The "Select Data Source" screen should then appear. Select the "Machine Data Source" tab and then select the Data Source Name you should have set up previously.

The table should then be moved to the Virtual Server under the user you specified for MySQL. To verify this Telnet or SSH to your Virtual Server and find the table. An example of this would be the command:

% mysql -u <user name> <mysql or other database instance>

Importing a MySQL Database to MS Access
It is also possible to import MySQL databases from your Virtual Server to your PC running MS Access.
While in the Tables tab right-click on the mouse button. This will provide you an option for "Import". In the Import screen select ODBC in the "Files of type" field.

This will provide you the "Select Data Source" screen. You will again select the "Machine Data Source" tab and choose the appropriate "Data Source Name" that you setup previously.

The "Import Objects" screen will appear and you will be given a choice of available tables on the Virtual Server that you can choose from. Select the table you want and click OK.

Now you have the appropriate table from the Virtual Server on your computer for use within MS Access.

Thank you very much. I got this to work. My Access is 2007. The problem I had was that I had downloaded the 64 bit driver. So I downloaded the 32 bit driver, but I could not get that to be registered as an odbc driver. Then I re-installed the 64 bit, and then it worked.

Don't ask. :)

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Is your MySQL DB already running?

There are very detailed information stored in ODBC log file. To get this information, first, you have to start logging via ODBC administrator and tracing tab plus entering log-file location. This is reconfiguring the ODBC driver. Therefore, all ODBC applications must had been stopped before doing reconfiguration. Now you can find the reason why your ODBC call failed.

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