---
id: access-parser
version: "0.0.6"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# access-parser — Access database (*.mdb, *.accdb) parser

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 82.9K/mo

## What it is and what it does

AccessParser is a pure-Python library for reading Microsoft Access database files (.mdb and .accdb formats) without requiring external binaries or the Access application itself. It exposes a simple API to list tables, parse individual tables into Python data structures, and iterate over database contents programmatically.

The library is designed for scenarios where you need to extract data from legacy Access databases into Python for analysis, migration, or integration. It has no runtime dependencies, keeping deployments lightweight, but comes as a source distribution with high install friction. The maintainers note that testing has covered only a limited subset of database files, so compatibility with all Access versions and edge cases is not guaranteed.

Use it for:

- Migrate data from legacy Microsoft Access databases into modern Python applications or data pipelines
- Extract and analyze data from .mdb or .accdb files for reporting or business intelligence tasks
- Parse Access database files in environments where the Access application is unavailable or unsuitable
- Automate batch processing of Access database exports without manual conversion steps

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Parses Microsoft Access database files (.mdb and .accdb) in pure Python without external binary dependencies, extracting tables and their contents for programmatic access.

Yes, if you need to read Access databases in Python and can tolerate high install friction and dormant maintenance. The library has no runtime dependencies, a permissive license, and no known vulnerabilities. However, expect limited compatibility testing and slow response to new issues; verify it works with your specific database files before relying on it in production.

## Install

pip install access-parser
uv add access-parser
poetry add access-parser

## Installing access-parser

Before you install: High install friction: the package is a source distribution with no prebuilt wheels. Maintenance is dormant—last release was 568 days ago, though the repository remains active with a recent commit. No runtime dependencies ease deployment once installed.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache Software License (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions. No licensing barrier to adoption.

Quickstart:

pip install access-parser

from access_parser import AccessParser

db = AccessParser("/path/to/file.mdb")
table = db.parse_table("table_name")
print(db.catalog)

Requires Python >=3.6. High install friction due to source-only distribution; may require build tools on some systems.

Verify before relying:

- Extent of database version compatibility beyond the limited subset tested
- Whether parsing edge cases have been discovered and fixed since last release
- Performance characteristics on large or complex database files

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 82.9K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

access database parser python, mdb accdb file reader, microsoft access file parsing, extract data from mdb files, access database to python, legacy-format, data-extraction

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/access-parser) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/access-parser/)