Cannot create an instance of OLE DB provider Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0 for linked server null

I have MS Sql server 2012, and Office 2013. This seems to be very finicky, so you may have to adjust to your particular versions.

1. Download the Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0 for Windows, 64 bit version found here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13255
2. Install it on your server.
3. Check the user running SQL Server and make sure that user has access to the temp directory C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Temp if it's a local service account or C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Local\Temp if it's a network service account.
4. Configure 'Ad Hoc Distributed Queries' and enable the Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB files like this:

Here's the SP_CONFIGURE commands:

SP_CONFIGURE 'show advanced options', 1; 
GO 
RECONFIGURE; 
SP_CONFIGURE 'Ad Hoc Distributed Queries', 1; 
GO 
RECONFIGURE; 
EXEC sp_MSset_oledb_prop N'Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0', N'AllowInProcess', 1   
EXEC sp_MSset_oledb_prop N'Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0', N'DynamicParam', 1

On newer SQL Server 2014 You had use 'DynamicParameters' instead of 'DynamicParam'

EXEC sp_MSset_oledb_prop N'Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0', N'DynamicParameters', 1

Make sure you register msexcl40.dll like this:

regsvr32 C:\Windows\SysWOW64\msexcl40.dll

Check out sp_configure /RECONFIGURE...

sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1;
GO
RECONFIGURE;
GO
sp_configure 'Ad Hoc Distributed Queries', 1;
GO
RECONFIGURE;
GO

See these links for more info:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa259616(v=sql.80).aspx

http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2010/11/03/sql-server-fix-error-ms-jet-oledb-4-0-cannot-be-used-for-distributed-queries-because-the-provider-is-used-to-run-in-apartment-mode/

Works !!! Great thanks. Just for 64-bit Win server 2012R2. Let me put the whole working script partially repeating bits from above which are not easy (as for me) to combine together:

1. Download the Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0 for Windows, 64 bit version found here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13255

2. Create excel file with respective columns (name and class in this case).

3. Run code below:

sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1;  
RECONFIGURE;
GO 

sp_configure 'Ad Hoc Distributed Queries', 1;  
RECONFIGURE;  
GO 

-- Until SQL Server 2012

EXEC sp_MSset_oledb_prop N'Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0', N'AllowInProcess', 1   
EXEC master.dbo.sp_MSset_oledb_prop N'Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0', N'AllowInProcess', 1

-- SQL Server 2014 or later

EXEC master.dbo.sp_MSset_oledb_prop N'Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0', N'DynamicParameters', 1
EXEC sp_MSset_oledb_prop N'Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0', N'DynamicParameters', 1

-- Now you can export to Excel
INSERT INTO OPENROWSET('Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0', 
'Excel 8.0;Database=C:\testing.xlsx;', 
'SELECT Name, Class FROM [Sheet1$]') 
SELECT [Name],[Class] FROM Qry_2
GO

-- Or import from Excel
select * from OPENROWSET('Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0', 
'Excel 8.0;Database=c:\targetWorkbook.xls;', 
'SELECT * FROM [targetSheet$]')