JetDatabaseReader

Pure-managed .NET library for reading Microsoft Access JET databases — no OleDB, ODBC, or ACE/Jet driver installation required.

v2.0 introduced typed DataTables and typed streaming by default. v2.1 adds structured schema types (ColumnSize, TableStat, FirstTableResult). v2.2 cleans up the TableResult API (ReadTableAsStrings, ToDataTable, ACCDB encryption fix). See CHANGELOG.md and the migration guide for breaking changes.

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Features

✅ No native dependencies	Pure C# — runs anywhere .NET runs
✅ Jet3 & Jet4 / ACE	Access 97 through Access 2019 (.mdb / .accdb)
✅ Typed by default	int, DateTime, decimal, Guid — not just strings
✅ All column types	Text, Integer, Currency, Date/Time, GUID, MEMO, OLE Object, Decimal
✅ Streaming API	Process millions of rows without loading the whole file
✅ Async support	Full Task<T>-based async for all major operations
✅ Page cache	256-page LRU cache (~1 MB, configurable)
✅ Fluent query	Query().Where().Take().Execute() — typed and string chains
✅ Progress reporting	IProgress<int> callbacks on all long operations
✅ Non-Western text	Code page auto-detected from the database header
✅ OLE Objects	Detects embedded JPEG, PNG, PDF, ZIP, DOC, RTF

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Installation

dotnet add package JetDatabaseReader

Install-Package JetDatabaseReader

NuGet target compatibility

JetDatabaseReader targets netstandard2.0, which is consumed by every current .NET surface:

Consumer	Minimum version
.NET Framework	4.6.1
.NET Core	2.0
.NET	5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9
Mono / Xamarin	All
Unity	2018.1+
UWP	10.0.16299+

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Quick Start

using JetDatabaseReader;

using var reader = AccessReader.Open("database.mdb");

List<string> tables = reader.ListTables();
Console.WriteLine($"Found {tables.Count} tables: {string.Join(", ", tables)}");

DataTable dt = reader.ReadTable("Orders");
foreach (DataRow row in dt.Rows)
{
    int     id   = (int)row["OrderID"];
    var     date = (DateTime)row["OrderDate"];
    decimal amt  = (decimal)row["Freight"];
    Console.WriteLine($"#{id}  {date:yyyy-MM-dd}  {amt:C}");
}

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Reading Data

Typed DataTable — recommended

DataTable dt = reader.ReadTable("Products");
// dt.Columns["ProductID"].DataType    == typeof(int)
// dt.Columns["UnitPrice"].DataType    == typeof(decimal)
// dt.Columns["Discontinued"].DataType == typeof(bool)

String DataTable — compatibility

DataTable dt = reader.ReadTableAsStringDataTable("Products");
// every column is typeof(string)

Table preview with schema — typed

TableResult preview = reader.ReadTable("Products", maxRows: 20);
foreach (TableColumn col in preview.Schema)
{
    Type   clrType = col.Type;            // e.g. typeof(int), typeof(string)
    string display = col.Size.ToString(); // e.g. "4 bytes", "255 chars", "LVAL"
    Console.WriteLine($"{col.Name}: {clrType.Name} ({col.Size})");
}

// Convert to DataTable with CLR-typed columns
DataTable dt = preview.ToDataTable();
// dt.Columns["UnitPrice"].DataType == typeof(decimal)

Table preview with schema — strings

StringTableResult preview = reader.ReadTableAsStrings("Products", maxRows: 20);
string firstCell = preview.Rows[0][0];  // always a string

// Convert to DataTable — all columns typeof(string)
DataTable dt = preview.ToDataTable();

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Streaming Large Tables

Typed streaming — recommended

var progress = new Progress<int>(n => Console.Write($"\r{n:N0} rows"));

foreach (object[] row in reader.StreamRows("BigTable", progress))
{
    int     id  = (int)row[0];
    decimal val = row[2] == DBNull.Value ? 0m : (decimal)row[2];
}

String streaming — compatibility

foreach (string[] row in reader.StreamRowsAsStrings("BigTable"))
    Console.WriteLine(string.Join(", ", row));

Null values in typed rows surface as DBNull.Value.

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Fluent Query API

// Typed chain
object[] order = reader.Query("Orders")
    .Where(row => row[2] is DateTime d && d.Year == 2024)
    .Take(10)
    .FirstOrDefault();

int count = reader.Query("OrderDetails")
    .Where(row => row[3] is decimal p && p > 100m)
    .Count();

// String chain
IEnumerable<string[]> recent = reader.Query("Orders")
    .WhereAsStrings(row => row[2].StartsWith("2024"))
    .Take(50)
    .ExecuteAsStrings();

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Async Operations

List<string>                  tables = await reader.ListTablesAsync();
DataTable                     dt     = await reader.ReadTableAsync("Orders");
TableResult                   typed  = await reader.ReadTableAsync("Orders", 50);
StringTableResult             str    = await reader.ReadTableAsStringsAsync("Orders", 50);
DatabaseStatistics            stats  = await reader.GetStatisticsAsync();
Dictionary<string, DataTable> all    = await reader.ReadAllTablesAsync();
Dictionary<string, DataTable> allStr = await reader.ReadAllTablesAsStringsAsync();

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Bulk Operations

// Typed columns
Dictionary<string, DataTable> all = reader.ReadAllTables(
    new Progress<string>(t => Console.WriteLine($"Reading {t}...")));

// String columns (compatibility)
Dictionary<string, DataTable> allStr = reader.ReadAllTablesAsStrings();

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Statistics & Metadata

foreach (ColumnMetadata col in reader.GetColumnMetadata("Orders"))
    Console.WriteLine($"{col.Ordinal}. {col.Name} — {col.TypeName} ({col.ClrType.Name})");

// Table-level stats (single catalog scan)
foreach (TableStat s in reader.GetTableStats())
    Console.WriteLine($"{s.Name}: {s.RowCount:N0} rows, {s.ColumnCount} cols");

// First table preview + total table count
FirstTableResult first = reader.ReadFirstTable();
Console.WriteLine($"First: {first.TableName} ({first.TableCount} tables total)");

DatabaseStatistics s = reader.GetStatistics();
Console.WriteLine($"Version:   {s.Version}");
Console.WriteLine($"Size:      {s.DatabaseSizeBytes / 1024 / 1024} MB");
Console.WriteLine($"Tables:    {s.TableCount}  Rows: {s.TotalRows:N0}");
Console.WriteLine($"Cache hit: {s.PageCacheHitRate}%");

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Configuration

var options = new AccessReaderOptions
{
    PageCacheSize            = 512,    // pages in LRU cache (default: 256)
    ParallelPageReadsEnabled = true,   // parallel I/O (default: false)
    DiagnosticsEnabled       = false,  // verbose logging (default: false)
    ValidateOnOpen           = true,   // format check on open (default: true)
    FileAccess               = FileAccess.Read,   // default
    FileShare                = FileShare.Read,    // default: others may read, writes blocked
    // FileShare             = FileShare.ReadWrite // use when Access has the file open
};
using var reader = AccessReader.Open("database.mdb", options);

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Error Handling

try { var dt = await reader.ReadTableAsync("Orders"); }
catch (FileNotFoundException)   { /* file missing */ }
catch (NotSupportedException)   { /* encrypted / password-protected */ }
catch (InvalidDataException)    { /* corrupt or non-JET file */ }
catch (JetLimitationException)  { /* deleted-column gap, numeric overflow */ }
catch (ObjectDisposedException) { /* reader already disposed */ }

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Limitations

❌ Encrypted databases	Remove password in Access (File › Info › Encrypt with Password)
❌ Attachment fields (0x11)	Rare type added in Access 2007
❌ Linked tables	Only local tables are listed
❌ Overflow rows	Rows spanning multiple pages are skipped
❌ Write operations	Read-only library

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Migration from v1

// Open
var r = new JetDatabaseReader("db.mdb");              // v1 ❌
var r = AccessReader.Open("db.mdb");                   // v2 ✅

// Typed DataTable
var dt = r.ReadTableAsDataTable("Orders");             // v1 — string columns
var dt = r.ReadTable("Orders");                        // v2 ✅ typed
var dt = r.ReadTableAsStringDataTable("Orders");       // v2 compat

// Preview — typed rows (v2.2: Rows is now List<object[]>, was List<List<string>>)
TablePreviewResult t = r.ReadTable("T", 10);           // v2.0.0 ❌
TableResult        t = r.ReadTable("T", 10);           // v2.0.1–v2.1 ✅ (Rows was List<List<string>>)
TableResult        t = r.ReadTable("T", 10);           // v2.2 ✅ Rows is now List<object[]>

// Preview — string rows (v2.2: new dedicated API)
StringTableResult  s = r.ReadTableAsStrings("T", 10); // v2.2 ✅
string val = s.Rows[0][2];                             // always string

// bool overload removed (v2.2)
TableResult t = r.ReadTable("T", 10, typedValues: true);  // v2.1 ❌ removed
TableResult t = r.ReadTable("T", 10);                     // v2.2 ✅

// ToDataTable (v2.2: new on both result types)
DataTable dtTyped = r.ReadTable("T", 100).ToDataTable();         // CLR-typed columns
DataTable dtStr   = r.ReadTableAsStrings("T", 100).ToDataTable(); // string columns

// Schema properties (v2.0.1 → v2.1.0)
col.TypeName  // v2.0.1 ❌ — string e.g. "Long Integer"
col.Type      // v2.1.0 ✅ — System.Type e.g. typeof(int)
col.SizeDesc  // v2.0.1 ❌ — string e.g. "4 bytes"
col.Size      // v2.1.0 ✅ — ColumnSize struct (.Value, .Unit, .ToString())

// Table stats (v2.1.0)
foreach (var (n, r, c) in reader.GetTableStats())       // v2.0 ❌ tuple
foreach (TableStat s in reader.GetTableStats())         // v2.1 ✅ named type

// First table (v2.1.0 → v2.2.0: base class changed)
TableResult      r = reader.ReadFirstTable();           // v2.0 ❌
FirstTableResult r = reader.ReadFirstTable();           // v2.1+ ✅ + r.TableCount
// Note: FirstTableResult now extends StringTableResult (v2.2)

// Streaming
foreach (string[] row in r.StreamRows("T"))            // v1
foreach (object[] row in r.StreamRows("T"))            // v2 ✅ typed
foreach (string[] row in r.StreamRowsAsStrings("T"))   // v2 compat

// Bulk
var all = r.ReadAllTables();                           // v1 — string cols / v2 ✅ typed
var all = r.ReadAllTablesAsStrings();                  // v2 compat

Full details in CHANGELOG.md.

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How It Works

Based on the mdbtools format specification. The library parses JET pages directly:

1. Page 0 — header: Jet3/Jet4 detection, code page, encryption flag
2. Page 2 — MSysObjects catalog: table names → TDEF page numbers
3. TDEF pages — table definition chains: column descriptors + names
4. Data pages — row slot arrays → null mask + fixed/variable fields
5. LVAL pages — long-value chains for MEMO and OLE fields

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Contributing

Issues and pull requests welcome at github.com/diegoripera/JetDatabaseReader.

License

MIT — see LICENSE for details.