provider-property-ado.md

title	Provider Property (ADO) | Microsoft Docs
ms.prod	sql
ms.prod_service	connectivity
ms.technology	connectivity
ms.custom
ms.date	01/19/2017
ms.reviewer
ms.topic	conceptual
apitype	COM
f1_keywords	Connection15::get_Provider Connection15::PutProvider Connection15::put_Provider Connection15::GetProvider Connection15::Provider
helpviewer_keywords	Provider property [ADO]
ms.assetid	0ff70e72-0061-4ffc-90fb-e3ea23129bb2
author	MightyPen
ms.author	genemi

Provider Property (ADO)

Indicates the name of the provider for a Connection object.

Settings and Return Values

Sets or returns a String value that indicates the provider name.

Remarks

Use the Provider property to set or return the name of the provider for a connection. This property can also be set by the contents of the ConnectionString property or the ConnectionString argument of the Open method; however, specifying a provider in more than one place while calling the Open method can have unpredictable results. If no provider is specified, the property will default to MSDASQL (Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC).

The Provider property is read/write when the connection is closed and read-only when it is open. The setting does not take effect until you either open the Connection object or access the Properties collection of the Connection object. If the setting is not valid, an error occurs.

Applies To

Connection Object (ADO)

See Also

Provider and DefaultDatabase Properties Example (VB)
Provider and DefaultDatabase Properties Example (VB)
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC
Appendix A: Providers