Azure SQL Database
An Azure relational database service.
ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server: HY024 error when listing tables with Japanese (non-ASCII) names in Azure SQL Database
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ee
0
Reputation points
I'm connecting to Azure SQL Database using ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server.
The connection itself works fine, but when I connect from Excel via ODBC and try to retrieve a list of tables from a database that contains table names with Japanese characters, I get the following error.
Is there any workaround for this issue?
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DataSource.Error: ODBC: ERROR [HY024] [Microsoft][ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server]
Database is invalid or cannot be accessed.
Details:
DataSourceKind=Odbc
DataSourcePath=dsn=sqlserver
OdbcErrors=[Table]
Azure SQL Database
{count} votes
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Erland Sommarskog 127.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator2025-10-24T21:27:48.46+00:00 Any particular reason you are using ODBC?
Exactly how are you making the connection from Excel? By using Get Data? Or some other means? Can you show with screenshots? I'm asking so I can make an attempt to troubleshoot the problem.
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Kalyani Kondavaradala 3,150 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator2025-10-27T13:29:30.89+00:00 Hi ee,
Thank you for approaching Microsoft Q&A!
you're encountering the HY024 error when trying to list tables in your Azure SQL Database that have Japanese names through ODBC Driver 18 please correct me if i understood correctly or not.
This issue can occur due to various reasons, such as driver support for non-ASCII characters and compatibility.
Here are a few suggestions and workarounds you can try:
- Driver Update: Ensure you are using the latest version of ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server. Sometimes, bugs or issues related to character encoding get resolved in newer releases.
- UTF-8 Support: Check if your ODBC driver is configured to support UTF-8 encoding. The ability to handle non-ASCII characters like Japanese often hinges on the correct configuration for character encoding. This is especially crucial for drivers and applications that interact with international character sets.
- Connection String Modifications: You can attempt adding options to your connection string to specify UTF-8 encoding. For example, you can add
;CharacterSet=UTF8if supported. - Excel Data Connection: If you are using Excel's data import feature, ensure you are correctly configuring the ODBC data source settings to handle the desired character encoding.
- Test with Other Tools: If possible, try using another tool such as SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or a different application to see if the issue is specific to Excel's ODBC data connection.
Could you please tell us the following details:
Are you able to list other tables that do not have Japanese characters in their names?
Do you have proper permissions to access Database and tables?
Looking forward to you.
Thanks!
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Erland Sommarskog 127.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2025-10-27T22:01:46.0566667+00:00 UTF-8 encoding should have nothing to do with it. All names in the system catalog is stored in nvarchar, which is UTF-16.
We need to know more how ee is accessing the database from Excel to be able to troubleshoot.
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