From Outlook to SQL database

I have a question that I hope to get an answer from you.

We had an exchange central which used to get data from the outlook and save it in the database, then we have another solution that filters the data we need from there and save it into another database to produce a report for the economy department to be used for wages. Now the exchange central has many problems and they decided not to use it any more. What I want to do is to get data(calendar posts) direct from the outlook into my SQL 2000 database. Is it possible? If yes, what is the best approach to do?

Thanks in advanceThere are many ways to do what you want, each with its own problems and advantages. Only you can pick the "best" choice for your particular problem and expertise.

I would first consider using a DTS or SSIS package to read the calendar directly and place the event details into a table. This would allow you to write simple SQL queries against that table, as well as to give you a "snapshot" that was frozen in time to avoid the problems you need to deal with when you work on live calendar data.

A second choice would be to use the ODBC driver to access the calendar data as a linked server. This is a two edged sword, but it offers the advantage of being conceptually very simple.

A distant third choice would be to use a third party package to allow you to access the calendar data. Depending on the package this can be very easy and therefore very tempting, but I haven't had good luck with this approach in the long term... It seems like every time the Exchange server burps, and every time the Exchange/Outhouse software gets updated, the third party packages seem to go "toes skyward" either via an outright crash or worse yet by providing subtly incorrect data.

-PatP|||Thank you for your reply Pat,
I am trying to use your first way, but I can not figure out the way to get calender datea into SQL database table.

//Hayatem