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Microsoft Data Access Components
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<p>Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC; also known as Windows DAC) is a <a href="/facts/Software_framework/EWasA8sG">framework</a> of interrelated <a href="/facts/Microsoft/nGIDDXdx">Microsoft</a> technologies that allows programmers a uniform and comprehensive way of developing applications that can access almost any data store. Its components include: <a href="/facts/ActiveX_Data_Objects/dU8V95sx">ActiveX Data Objects</a> (ADO), <a href="/facts/OLE_DB/YjelpY3o">OLE DB</a>, and <a href="/facts/Open_Database_Connectivity/2dV2Fm5j">Open Database Connectivity</a> (ODBC). There have been several deprecated components as well, such as the <a href="/facts/Jet_Database_Engine/txUPocha">Jet Database Engine</a>, MSDASQL (the OLE DB provider for ODBC), and Remote Data Services (RDS). Some components have also become <a href="/facts/Obsolete/IrFKfFja">obsolete</a>, such as the former <a href="/facts/Data_Access_Objects/7IbR8YY0">Data Access Objects</a> <a href="/facts/API/GMlN4vUr">API</a> and <a href="/facts/Remote_Data_Objects/Veoj9y2p">Remote Data Objects</a>. </p><p>The first version of MDAC was released in August 1996. At that time Microsoft stated MDAC was more a concept than a stand-alone program and had no widespread distribution method. Later Microsoft released upgrades to MDAC as web-based redistributable packages. Eventually, later versions were integrated with <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Microsoft Windows</a> and <a href="/facts/Internet_Explorer/uL8a4Y5l">Internet Explorer</a>, and in MDAC 2.8 SP1 they ceased offering MDAC as a redistributable package. </p><p>Throughout its history, MDAC has been the subject of several <a href="/facts/Vulnerability_(computing)/jg0Gr71M">security flaws</a>, which led to attacks such as an <a href="/facts/Escalated_privileges_attack/STzSAaf5">escalated privileges attack</a>, although the vulnerabilities were generally fixed in later versions and fairly promptly. The current version is 2.8 <a href="/facts/Service_pack/93y8YzCs">service pack</a> 1, but the product has had many different versions and many of its components have been deprecated and replaced by newer Microsoft technologies. MDAC is now known as Windows DAC in <a href="/facts/Windows_Vista/IASEUCTB">Windows Vista</a>. </p>