I'm getting an Automation error upon running VBA code in Excel 2007. I'm attempting to connect to a remote SQL Server DB and load data to from Excel to SQL Server.

The error I get is,

"Run-time error '-2147217843(80040e4d)': Automation error".

I checked out the MSDN site and it suggested that this may be due to a bug associated with the sqloledb provider and one way to mitigate this is to use ODBC. Well I changed the connection string to reflect ODBC provider and associated parameters and I'm still getting the same error.

Here is the code with ODBC as the provider:

Dim cnt As ADODB.Connection
Dim rst As ADODB.Recordset  
Dim stSQL As String    
Dim wbBook As Workbook  
Dim wsSheet As Worksheet  
Dim rnStart As Range



Public Sub loadData()
 'This was set up using Microsoft  ActiveX Data Components version 6.0.



 'Create ADODB connection object, open connection and construct the connection string object.
 Set cnt = New ADODB.Connection
 cnt.ConnectionString = "Driver={SQL Server}; Server=onlineSQLServer2010.foo.com; Database=fooDB;Uid=logonalready;Pwd='helpmeOB1';"

cnt.Open


On Error GoTo ErrorHandler

'Open Excel and run query to export data to SQL Server.

 strSQL = "SELECT * INTO SalesOrders FROM OPENDATASOURCE('Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0'," & _
"'Data Source=C:\Database.xlsx; Extended Properties=Excel 12.0')...[SalesOrders$]"

cnt.Execute (strSQL)

'Error handling.
 ErrorExit:
 'Reclaim memory from the connection objects
  Set rst = Nothing
  Set cnt = Nothing

 Exit Sub

 ErrorHandler:
 MsgBox Err.Description, vbCritical
 Resume ErrorExit

'clean up and reclaim memory resources.

 If CBool(cnt.State And adStateOpen) Then
  Set rst = Nothing
  Set cnt = Nothing
  cnt.Close
 End If

 End Sub