The SQL Server OLE DB Driver is a , not a general-purpose data access tool. If you are building a new .NET application, use SqlClient (with Microsoft.Data.SqlClient ). If you need cross-platform or C/C++ access, use ODBC .
Introduced in SQL Server 2005. It was deprecated after SQL Server 2012 and removed entirely from SQL Server 2022/SSMS 19. sql server ole db driver
A common point of confusion in the industry is the distinction between OLE DB and ODBC. Both are low-level interfaces, but they operate differently. ODBC is a standard API based on the C language, designed to be database-agnostic. OLE DB is a COM-based interface designed to be data-source-agnostic (covering not just databases but also spreadsheets, email systems, and file systems). The SQL Server OLE DB Driver is a