---
id: pandas-access
version: "0.0.1"
license: License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# pandas_access — A tiny, subprocess-based tool for reading a MS Access database(.rdb) as a Pandas DataFrame.

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 120.0K/mo

## What it is and what it does

pandas_access is a thin wrapper around MDBTools that lets you load MS Access database tables directly into Pandas DataFrames. It exposes two main operations: listing tables in an .mdb file and reading a table (with optional chunking for large datasets). The package has no Python runtime dependencies beyond Pandas itself, but requires MDBTools to be installed as a system library before use.

The tool is designed for one-off data extraction tasks—reading a legacy .mdb file into a DataFrame for analysis or migration. It is not a full database driver; the description itself recommends alternatives for more advanced use cases. The subprocess-based design means it spawns external MDBTools processes for each operation, which may be slower than native drivers but avoids complex C bindings.

Use it for:

- Extract a single MS Access table into a Pandas DataFrame for data analysis or cleaning.
- Batch-read large Access tables in chunks to avoid memory exhaustion.
- List all tables in a legacy .mdb file to understand its schema before migration.
- One-time conversion of Access data to CSV or other formats via Pandas export methods.

## Worth the install?

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

Reads MS Access database files (.mdb) into Pandas DataFrames by wrapping the MDBTools command-line utility via subprocess.

No. The package is abandoned (last updated 2016-06-07, no commits since 2023-07-26), requires a system dependency (MDBTools) that adds significant install friction, and has not been maintained for years. If you must read an .mdb file, consider maintained alternatives.

## Install

pip install pandas-access
uv add pandas-access
poetry add pandas-access

## Installing pandas_access

Before you install: High install friction: requires MDBTools as a system dependency (installed separately via Homebrew on macOS or equivalent on other platforms) before the Python package can function. Package is abandoned—last release was 2016-06-07 with no commits since 2023-07-26.

License in practice: MIT License (permissive) imposes no significant restrictions on use, modification, or distribution.

Quickstart:

import pandas_access as mdb

# List tables
for tbl in mdb.list_tables("my.mdb"):
    print(tbl)

# Read a table
df = pandas_access.read_table("my.mdb", "MyTable")

# Read in chunks
for chunk in pandas_access.read_table("my.mdb", "MyTable", chunksize=10000):
    process(chunk)

MDBTools must be installed as a system library (e.g., via Homebrew on macOS) before pandas_access can function.

Verify before relying:

- Whether MDBTools installation works reliably on Windows and Linux, or if macOS is the primary supported platform.
- Current compatibility with modern Pandas versions and Python 3.x, given no updates since 2016-06-07.
- Whether the subprocess-based approach handles concurrent access or large files without stability issues.

## Package facts

- License: License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 120.0K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

read MS Access database, mdb to pandas dataframe, access database python, mdbtools wrapper, convert mdb to dataframe, legacy-format, data-extraction

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