From: Paul Smith <paul@...>
Date: 2009-10-27T22:18:08+09:00
Subject: Re: SQL Shell for MS Access

On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 1:01 PM, Robert Klemme
<shortcutter@googlemail.com> wrote:
> 2009/10/27 Paul Smith <paul@pollyandpaul.co.uk>:
>> What I want is an SQL command prompt allowing me to run SQL queries
>> against an Access .mdb.
>>
>> I thought that Ruby/DBI included a sqlsh.rb script that essentially
>> did this, but no matter how I install Ruby/DBI I can't find the SQL
>> shell that I want.
>>
>> So - does Ruby/DBI even include an SQL shell anymore?  Is there
>> another way to get an SQL prompt for MS Access in a similar way to
>> what you can do with mysql for example?
>
> I doubt Ruby/DBI ever included what you need.  In order to be able to
> directly run SQL against an mdb file you need any DB engine.  Ruby/DBI
> is just an interfacing layer and does not include anything like a
> complete DB engine.

Well, to be more complete, Ruby/DBI using a ruby-odbc DBD to connect
out to an access database.

This cached page
http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:oks0dAPyNbQJ:doc.gnu-darwin.org/dbi/html/+ruby/dbi+sql+command+line&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-a
suggests that sqlsh.rb did indeed once exist.

Page 137, Chapter 3 of "Accessing Databases with Ruby" also describes
what I want - http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SvTuCXEKBvkC&pg=PA137&lpg=PA137&dq=ruby+ms+access+interactive+sql+client&source=bl&ots=SPgHkn7a76&sig=-Vk-Jpfm0f_LlS5z-AaCKw67NGU&hl=en&ei=8MzmSpmeLZXSjAediLW1CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CA4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false

>
> Having said that, you can use OpenOffice to open mdb files and also
> execute queries against it.

Maybe this is the right way to go, I just really like the command
line, as I'm used to working with mysql, and there you can just fire
up mysql-client, get a mysql> prompt, and start typing things like
show tables to list all the tables in the db, desc table to describe
the layout of a given table.

I'm just trying to make working with MS Access feel more like working
with mysql :)
-- 
Paul Smith
http://www.nomadicfun.co.uk

paul@pollyandpaul.co.uk