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Format

Microsoft Access Database File

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Summary

Name
Microsoft Access Database File
Version
97
Identifiers
  • Library of Congress Format Description Identifier: fdd000462
  • Wikidata QID Identifier: Q48005022
  • PUID: x-fmt/239
Format type
Database
Description
Microsoft Access Database File, formerly known as Jet MDB Database format, is proprietary file format developed and used by Microsoft as a native format for its Microsoft Access (formerly Microsoft Jet Database Engine) desktop database management system. First released in 1992, starting with version 1.0 the earlier versions of the database used the Jet Database Engine, with version Microsoft Access 97 utilizing the Jet 3.5 database engine. The page size of the Jet 3 database engine is 2048 bytes. The .mde extension refers to protected Access database file with compiled VBA and macros. This entry records the version 97 of MDB file format, for a full list of versions please follow the links provided in the Notes section.
Note
https://web.archive.org/web/20220711181532/http://fileformats.archiveteam.org/wiki/Access https://web.archive.org/web/20220901011824/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Access https://web.archive.org/web/20220825195028/https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000462.shtml http://web.archive.org/web/20111115230803/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/178881
File extensions
mdb, mda, mdt, mde
Source
Digital Preservation Department / The National Archives
Developed by
Microsoft Corporation

Relationships

Is previous version of
Is subsequent version of

Internal signatures

MS Access 97

Note
Jet 3 DB header plus variably-positioned AccessVersion 07. Two byte sequences. Sequence one character sequence, Standard Jet DB. Sequence two character sequence AccessVersion{1-1024}07.[0:9][0:9]

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
None
Byte Sequence
000100005374616E64617264204A65742044420000000000
Endianness
Little-endian
Min Frag Length
Variable
Offset
None
Max offset
None
Byte Sequence
41636365737356657273696F6E{0-1024}30372E[30:39][30:39]
Endianness
Little-endian

Changelog

  • Updated in V112

    Release date
    10 May 2023

    Microsoft Access Database File 97: Updated Wikidata QID. Submitted by National Library of the Netherlands.

  • Updated in V110

    Release date
    14 March 2023

    Microsoft Access Database File 97: Updated description and name, added extensions .mda, .mdt and .mde, added notes, identifiers and developer. Submitted by Digital Preservation Department, The National Archives (UK).

  • Updated in V91

    Release date
    25 July 2017

    Microsoft Access Database 97: Changed lower-case signature byte values to upper-case. Error identified through schema validation work with French government/Programme Vitam, France

  • Added in V34

    Release date
    2 April 2010

    Microsoft Access Database 97: Signature developed through DROID 5.0 research