ACC2000: How to Set the QueryTimeout Value for ODBC Connections

This article demonstrates how to set the QueryTimeout property for queries run against ODBC data sources.

When you use an ODBC database, such as Microsoft SQL Server, there may be delays because of network traffic or heavy use of the ODBC server. Rather than wait indefinitely, you can specify how long to wait before the Microsoft Jet database engine returns an error. The default QueryTimeout property setting is 60 seconds. This setting may not be long enough to allow some queries to run against ODBC data sources. The following steps demonstrate how to change the QueryTimeout property.

NOTE: When you set the QueryTimeout value within the registry, any new and existing queries within Microsoft Access continue to display a value of 60 for the QueryTimeout property. If the value you set within the registry is greater than the value defined within the individual query, Microsoft Access uses the value within the registry to determine how long to wait before a QueryTimeout occurs.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

1. Locate the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Jet\4.0\Engines\ODBC
2. Click to highlight QueryTimeout, and then on the Edit menu, click Modify. Change the DWORD value to the setting that you want. The value represents the number of seconds to timeout.

For additional information about backing up the system registry, please click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: