I've got some processes in place to pull data into a database from Excel spreadsheets. We've recently installed a new 64-bit server and I've come around to attempting the data load only to find that apparently there is no 64 bit version of the OLEDB provider to run on Windows Server 2008.

I would have assumed 64 bit has been around long enough that a provider would have been created by now but I can't find any reference to one existing or an estimated date that one would be created.

Aside from that - does anyone have any ideas of how I can suck the data in from the excel?

Some suggestions I've seen are to do the transfer the other way (spreadsheet talking to sql server - but that's not an option since I need to be able to automate the process in SQL server) or installing a 32 bit instance of sql server or sql express to act as an intermediary - but that adds another level of complexity and somewhat reduces the ability to automate and control the process from a single point.

Anyone with any more ideas?

You can use use SSIS and run in 32 bit emulation mode.

If excel 2007, you will have to use the ACE Access Database Engine driver 12.0.

To set the 32 bit emulation, click the menu option Project, Properties, then in the dialog box under Configuration Properties, Debugging, Debug Options, I set the option Run64BitRuntime to false.