Try using the insert command instead update... you need to creat the some odd thousands of records not update 0

Thanks once again for your thoughts. I ran console.writeline on both the connection string and the sql statement then using start run opened the database and ran the query that was placed in the output window. What I have found is when I take out the like and run an equal to where I get results in the datagridview on my form. It is becoming obvious that my problem has to do with like in the query which allows it to run in Access but not through the application. My next move is to try % as the wildcard not *. I sure wish I could use SQL Server but that is just not in the cards. Again thanks for all your help.

Thanks Angus for your thoughts, however your suggestion did not unfortunately work. In the same sub I have created a new word.application with the following syntax: Dim WordApp As Word.Application WordApp = New Word.Application() WordApp.Visible = True WordApp.Documents.Open(strPath) WordApp = Nothing The syntax above works perfectly, opening the word doc. Again thanks for your thoughts and ideas. SL Culbertson

culbysl wrote: I can open the excel file and begins to read but when I come across an empty file I get a dbNull error. When you come acrossed an empty Excel FILE?? Or Cell?? If it's an empty file, you can just capture the error in a Try/Catch block and move on: ' Setup connection stuff... ' Setup your loop, enumerating your files... Try ' Open the connection ' Execute the SELECT statement Catch ex As Exception ' Handle the emtpy file problem here... Finally If connection is not closed then Close connection End Try   ' Loop around to process the next file... culbysl wrote: Wrong number of arguments used with function in query expression 'IsNull('Column Name', '')'. You can't use Excel functions in the SELECT statement because Excel is not doing the processing here. You should either stick with the * or specify the columns you're actually goint to use. Now, if your code is bombing try to use a DBNull value from a cell, then your code has to check to see if that value is DBNull before trying to use it. RageInTheMachine9532 "...a pungent, ghastly, stinky piece of cheese!" -- The Roaming Gnome

You have to enable SP-Debugging in the .net-project. 'A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code'

Thanks Marc and David for your help. I'm off and running on this end now. culbysl