Can Excel talk to a back end?

[LarryH77]

Using Ms Excel 2010 is it possible to query a back end like Sybase o
Oracle and pull data from it? If yes, then we need to be concerne
about upgrading our servers since the ODBC connection might be affected
correct? Also, if yes, what if some Workstations are using olde
versions of Excel, when did the ability to talk to back ends start

 

[Auric__]

Using Ms Excel 2010 is it possible to query a back end like Sybase or
Oracle and pull data from it?

Should be able to.

If yes, then we need to be concerned
about upgrading our servers since the ODBC connection might be affected,
correct? Also, if yes, what if some Workstations are using older
versions of Excel, when did the ability to talk to back ends start?

I'm pretty sure Excel 97 could handle ODBC (but not going to install to
check). *Maybe* Excel 95. Older versions... I rather doubt it. How old are we
talking?