Access Database Engine

Access Database Engine

Other names	ACE Database Engine Office Access Connectivity Engine (ACE) Microsoft JET Engine Microsoft Jet Database Engine Jet Red Joint Engine Technology (JET)
Developer(s)	Microsoft
Initial release	1992; 32 years ago (1992)
Stable release	ACE 16
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Type	Database engine
Website	office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/

The Access Database Engine (also Office Access Connectivity Engine or ACE and formerly Microsoft Jet Database Engine, Microsoft JET Engine or simply Jet) is a database engine on which several Microsoft products have been built. The first version of Jet was developed in 1992, consisting of three modules which could be used to manipulate a database.

JET stands for Joint Engine Technology. Microsoft Access and Visual Basic use or have used Jet as their underlying database engine. However, it has been superseded for general use, first by Microsoft Desktop Engine (MSDE), then later by SQL Server Express. For larger database needs, Jet databases can be upgraded (or, in Microsoft parlance, "up-sized") to Microsoft's flagship SQL Server database product.

A five billion record MS Jet (Red) database with compression and encryption turned on requires about one terabyte of disk storage space^{[citation needed]}. It comprises typically hundreds of *.mdb files.