How to extract the schema of an Access (.mdb) database?

Question

I am trying to extract the schema of an .mdb database, so that I can recreate the database elsewhere.

How can I pull off something like this?

Answer 1

If you're happy to use something other than pure Access SQL, you could persist a collection of ADOX objects and use those to recreate the table structure.

Example (in Python, doesn't currently recreate relationships and indexes as it wasn't needed for the project I was working on):

import os
import sys
import datetime
import comtypes.client as client

class Db:
    def __init__(self, original_con_string = None, file_path = None,
                 new_con_string = None, localise_links = False):
        self.original_con_string = original_con_string
        self.file_path = file_path
        self.new_con_string = new_con_string
        self.localise_links = localise_links

    def output_table_structures(self, verbosity = 0):
        if os.path.exists(self.file_path):
            if not os.path.isdir(self.file_path):
                raise Exception("file_path must be a directory!")
        else:
            os.mkdir(self.file_path)
        cat = client.CreateObject("ADOX.Catalog")
        cat.ActiveConnection = self.original_con_string
        linked_tables = ()
        for table in cat.Tables:
            if table.Type == u"TABLE":
                f = open(self.file_path + os.path.sep +
                         "Tablestruct_" + table.Name + ".txt", "w")
                conn = client.CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
                conn.ConnectionString = self.original_con_string
                rs = client.CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")
                conn.Open()
                rs.Open("SELECT TOP 1 * FROM [%s];" % table.Name, conn)
                for field in rs.Fields:
                    col = table.Columns[field.Name]
                    col_details = (col.Name, col.Type, col.DefinedSize,
                                   col.Attributes)
                    property_dict = {}
                    property_dict["Autoincrement"] = (
                        col.Properties["Autoincrement"].Value)
                    col_details += property_dict,
                    f.write(repr(col_details) + "\n")
                rs.Close()
                conn.Close()
                f.close()
            if table.Type == u"LINK":
                table_details = table.Name,
                table_details += table.Properties(
                    "Jet OLEDB:Link DataSource").Value,
                table_details += table.Properties(
                    "Jet OLEDB:Link Provider String").Value,
                table_details += table.Properties(
                    "Jet OLEDB:Remote Table Name").Value,
                linked_tables += table_details,
        if linked_tables != ():
            f = open(self.file_path + os.path.sep +
                     "linked_list.txt", "w")
            for t in linked_tables:
                f.write(repr(t) + "\n")
        cat.ActiveConnection.Close()

A similar reverse function reconstructs the database using the second connection string.

Answer 2

Roland's answer above (edited by Tobias) worked for me but with a couple of changes. Firstly I solved the issue of finding all fields in the primary key; then the writing to file of the index sql code was in the wrong place: Option Compare Database

Function exportTableDefs()

Dim db As Database
Dim tdf As TableDef
Dim fld As DAO.Field
Dim ndx As DAO.Index
Dim strSQL As String
Dim strFlds As String

Dim fs, f

    Set db = CurrentDb

    Set fs = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
    Set f = fs.CreateTextFile("C:\temp\Schema.txt")

    For Each tdf In db.TableDefs
        If Left(tdf.Name, 4) <> "Msys" And Left(tdf.Name, 1) <> "~" Then
            strSQL = "CREATE TABLE [" & tdf.Name & "] (" & vbCrLf

            strFlds = ""

            For Each fld In tdf.Fields

                strFlds = strFlds & ",[" & fld.Name & "] "

                Select Case fld.Type

                    Case dbText
                        'No look-up fields
                        strFlds = strFlds & "varchar (" & fld.SIZE & ")"

                    Case dbLong
                        If (fld.Attributes And dbAutoIncrField) = 0& Then
                            strFlds = strFlds & "bigint"
                        Else
                            strFlds = strFlds & "int IDENTITY(1,1)"
                        End If

                    Case dbBoolean
                        strFlds = strFlds & "bit"

                    Case dbByte
                        strFlds = strFlds & "tinyint"

                    Case dbInteger
                        strFlds = strFlds & "int"

                    Case dbCurrency
                        strFlds = strFlds & "decimal(10,2)"

                    Case dbSingle
                        strFlds = strFlds & "decimal(10,2)"

                    Case dbDouble
                        strFlds = strFlds & "Float"

                    Case dbDate
                        strFlds = strFlds & "DateTime"

                    Case dbBinary
                        strFlds = strFlds & "binary"

                    Case dbLongBinary
                        strFlds = strFlds & "varbinary(max)"

                    Case dbMemo
                        If (fld.Attributes And dbHyperlinkField) = 0& Then
                            strFlds = strFlds & "varbinary(max)"
                        Else
                            strFlds = strFlds & "?"
                        End If

                    Case dbGUID
                        strFlds = strFlds & "?"
                    Case Else
                        strFlds = strFlds & "?"

                End Select
                strFlds = strFlds & vbCrLf

            Next

            ''  get rid of the first comma
            strSQL = strSQL & Mid(strFlds, 2) & " )" & vbCrLf

            f.WriteLine strSQL

            strSQL = ""

            'Indexes
            For Each ndx In tdf.Indexes

                If Left(ndx.Name, 1) <> "~" Then
                    If ndx.Primary Then
                        strSQL = "ALTER TABLE " & tdf.Name & " ADD  CONSTRAINT " & tdf.Name & "_primary" & " PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED ( " & vbCrLf
                    Else
                        If ndx.Unique Then
                            strSQL = "CREATE UNIQUE NONCLUSTERED INDEX "
                        Else
                            strSQL = "CREATE NONCLUSTERED INDEX "
                        End If
                        strSQL = strSQL & "[" & tdf.Name & "_" & ndx.Name & "] ON [" & tdf.Name & "] ("
                    End If

                    strFlds = ""

                    '''  use the ndx collection rather than tdf
                    For Each fld In ndx.Fields
                        strFlds = strFlds & ",[" & fld.Name & "] ASC "
                        Exit For
                    Next

                    strSQL = strSQL & Mid(strFlds, 2) & ") "
                End If
                ''' write to file for each iteration of the loop to get multiple indexes
                f.WriteLine strSQL & vbCrLf
            Next
        End If
    Next

    f.Close

End Function

Answer 3

It's hard to do DDL scripts / queries in Access. It can be done but you'd be better off just creating a copy of the database - deleting all the data and compacting it. Then use a copy of this for recreating the database elsewhere.

Answer 4

Check out the docmd.TransferDatabase command. It is probably your best bet for build integration that needs to replicate the data structure