The difference between an Access OLE object and an attachment

OLE Object

Images, documents, graphics, and other objects from Office and Windows-based programs

You can store up to 2GB of data (this size limit applies to all Access databases). Keep in mind that adding 2GB data can cause database operations to be slow. The OLE object field creates a bitmap image of the original document or other object, and then displays the bitmap in the table field in the database and in the form or report control.

In order for Access to render these images, you must register the OLE server (the program that supports the file type) on the computer where the database is running. If you do not register an OLE server for a given file type, Access displays the broken image icon. This is a known issue for some image types, especially for JPEG images.

In general, you should use an attachment field instead of an OLE object field for the. accdb file. Attachment fields can use storage more efficiently, and are not affected even if the registered OLE server is missing.

Attachment

Any supported file types

is a new type for Office Access. accdb files. You can attach images, spreadsheet files, documents, charts, and other types of supported files to a database record, just as you would attach a file to an e-mail message. You can also view and edit attached files, depending on how the Database Designer sets the attachment fields. Attachment fields provide more flexibility than OLE object fields and can use storage space more efficiently because they do not create bitmap images of the original files.

The difference between an Access OLE object and an attachment