Why convert MDB to SQL?
Most organizations export MDB data to a SQL server to remove the Windows-only dependency on Microsoft Access and gain a proper multi-user database engine. MDB files are also old enough that the Access version needed to open them natively may no longer be available.
How to convert MDB to SQL
Navicat Premium APP
Connect to the .mdb file, select tables, and use the export or data transfer feature to generate SQL dump files for the target database type.
ACCDB MDB Explorer APP
Open the .mdb file and export tables as a SQL script.
Access Database Manager APP
Open the .mdb file and export table data as SQL statements.
Programs that convert MDB
About these formats
.MDB
Microsoft Access Database (97-2003, Jet engine)
An MDB file is a Microsoft Access database in the old format Access used from 1992 through 2003, replaced by .accdb in Access 2007. It stores tables, queries, forms, reports, and VBA code…
Open .MDB details →
.SQL
SQL Script (Structured Query Language source / database dump)
A SQL file is a plain-text file containing SQL commands - schema definitions, INSERT statements, or queries. Open it in any text editor to read it; to use it, execute it against a database…
Open .SQL details →Quality & what to watch
- Only tables and their data transfer to SQL - Access forms, reports, macros, and VBA code have no SQL equivalent and are not exported.
- Specify the target SQL dialect (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite) to get compatible CREATE TABLE syntax and data type mappings.
- Access AutoNumber fields map to AUTO_INCREMENT in MySQL or SERIAL in PostgreSQL - verify primary key handling in the output.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free CLI option for Linux or macOS?
mdb-schema and mdb-export -I) is free and open-source; install via brew install mdbtools on macOS or apt install mdbtools on Ubuntu.
