Determine SQL Native Client version

  • Is there a way i can determine what SQL Native Client version is installed?

    I need to know because SNC2008 now needs SQLNCLI10 as the provider in connection strings whereas SNC2005 uses SQLNCLI.

  • BOL Documented that:

    The SQL Server Native Client header and library files are installed with SQL Server. When developing an application, it is important to copy and install all of the required files for development to your development environment.

    The SQL Server Native Client header and library files are installed in the following location:

    %PROGRAM FILES%\Microsoft SQL Server\100\SDK

    The SQL Server Native Client header file (sqlncli.h) can be used to add SQL Server Native Client data access functionality to your custom applications. The SQL Server Native Client header file contains all of the definitions, attributes, properties, and interfaces needed to take advantage of the new features introduced in SQL Server 2005.

    In addition to the SQL Server Native Client header file, there is also a sqlncli10.lib library file which is the export library for SQL Server Bulk Copy Program (BCP) functionality for ODBC.

    The SQL Server Native Client header file is backwards compatible with both the sqloledb.h and odbcss.h header files used with Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC), but does not contain CLSIDs for SQLOLEDB (the OLE DB provider for SQL Server included with MDAC) or symbols for XML functionality (which is not supported by SQL Server Native Client).

    ODBC applications cannot reference the SQL Server Native Client header (sqlncli.h) and odbcss.h in the same program. Even if you are not using any of the features introduced in SQL Server 2005, the SQL Server Native Client header file will work in place of the older odbcss.h.

    OLE DB applications which use the SQL Server Native Client OLE DB provider only need to reference sqlncli.h. If an application uses both MDAC (SQLOLEDB) and the SQL Server Native Client OLE DB provider, it can reference both sqloledb.h and sqlncli.h, but the reference to sqloledb.h must come first.

    -Satya SK Jayanty
    SQL Server MVP (Follow me @sqlmaster)
    Author of SQL Server 2008 R2 Administration CookBook
    SQL Server Knowledge Sharing network

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