BUG: "Syntax Error in INSERT INTO..." on ADO Recordset.Update

When you call the AddNew method, and then call the Update method of a Recordset, the following error is returned: Using the Microsoft Access ODBC Driver version4.00.4202.00 or later, the error message is:

This error occurs if the following are true:

• The CursorType is adOpenForwardOnly (0).
• The CursorLocation is adUseServer.
• A field being updated has a space in the field name.
• You are using the Microsoft Access ODBC driver.

Calling the AddNew and Update methods, on a Server-Side, Forward-Only cursor, is an invalid operation. ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) compensates for this code flaw by generating an INSERT statement to perform the operation. When ADO generates the INSERT statement, it does not delimit the field names. Therefore, field names that contain a space generate a syntax error.

For example, a valid INSERT statement would be as follows: ADO generates the following code:

Here are several possible resolutions:

• Do not use spaces in the field names in your database.
• Use a CursorLocation of adUseClient (3).
• Do not use a CursorType of adOpenForwardOnly (0), such as adOpenKeyset (1), adOpenDynamic (2), or adOpenStatic (3).
• Perform the operation by generating your own INSERT statement, with delimiters on the field names, instead of using the AddNew and Update methods.
• Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Jet version 3.51 or 4.0 instead of the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC and the Microsoft Access ODBC Driver.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.